If bamboo hoops are removed from the soil at the end of the growing season, you should get at least two seasons from your bamboo. If they are left to overwinter, then the portion that is embedded in the soil may fail.

We suggest pushing the hoops into the soil only enough to make them stable. That way, when the tips finally do break off, you’ll still have enough left over to keep using the hoops, giving you a third, and perhaps even a fourth season.

Yes. Yes you can!

Bird netting can last for years. That said, some people like to cut holes in it to allow taller plants to grow through while still maintaining a good level of protection from critters. If that’s your style, you may go through more netting than if you were leave it in tact. When you do need to replace the netting, it is available at many big box stores, local hardware stores, and garden centres.

Plastic sheets that are included in our Hoop Tunnel kits will also last for years. If small holes or tears appear, simply tape them up with clear tape. We suggest taping from both sides of the plastic for a stronger fix.

When you do need to replace the plastic, rolls are available from big box stores, usually in the paint section where you would find tarps and canvas drop sheets, or in local paint and hardware stores. Choose the medium grade thickness. The heavy grade (often referred to as Super-Six) blocks some sunlight, and the light weight stuff is too fragile.

Hoop tunnels are like miniature greenhouses without the temperature control. That means that, when the sun comes up, it gets warmer inside, and on a mild or warm day, it can get hot to oven-like inside the hoop tunnel.

It is best to open the hoop tunnels on days when the temperature is going to get higher than 3 or 4 degrees Celsius so your plants don’t bake. If possible, close the hoop tunnel before the sun goes down to help retain the soil heat overnight as temperatures fall.

The short answer is no. Pollination takes place when pollen is moved from the male part of a flower (the anther) to the female part (stigma) of the same or a different flower. This is accomplished in a number of ways, the most common being either wind, or insects.

The bird netting will not effect wind at all. As far as insects go, the mesh size is easily large enough to allow insects to come and go as they like, but are not so large as to allow birds access to your garden.

It partially depends on how the trellis was installed. If the trellis legs are embedded in the soil, then leaving them over the winter will definitely speed up the decomposition of the wood, and we would therefore recommend the trellis be removed and stored.

If the trellis is installed in a non-soil environment – for instance, screwed to the outside of a wood raised garden bed with no soil touching the trellis legs, then the trellis will last much longer and can be left in place.

That said, if you are following crop rotation practices, then it is likely that your climbing plants will move to different soil on a three to four year schedule, and your trellis may have to be moved according to that rotation schedule.