Trellising is important for many garden plants, and it becomes even more important when used in a permaculture design.  Given that all design elements should have multiple functions, trellises serve not only to provide space for climbing plants to grow, but also provide living, quick shade where needed.  This is especially true of the tropics and subtropics, where houses are easily superheated by the strong rays of the sun.  It is imperative to shade the sides of the house that receive the most sun.  Here in Okinawa, this means the South and West sides.  The West sun can be surprisingly harsh for those from temperate climate zones.  Houses which have been heating up all day are subjected to a final, sustained spell of direct sunlight in the later hours of the day.  Combine this with a black metal door on the western side, and you have something that is too hot to touch (as is the case with the front door of our house).

There are any number of ways to build these eminently useful structures, and there should be ways to do it no matter what your budget.  In my case, I am working with limited funds and needed to create something that would be strong enough to withstand typhoons and sub-tropical sun.  At the same time, I couldn't really afford to dip into my modest savings, at least not without feeling guilty about it.  So instead of a rigid structure made of metal poles and fencing, I went with bamboo.  Bamboo would have been a no-brainer except for the bamboo we have available here is grown elsewhere, probably China or another place where it it plentiful and can be sourced cheaply.  Cheap is always relative, and here a 3m long piece of bamboo approximately 40 cm in diameter costs 270 yen, or about $3 USD.  That adds up pretty quick, with seven poles costing about $21.  That's the number I needed for the main structure that would support the passionfruit growing near the entrance of our home.

Continued at livesimplylive.com

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