Tricks that use nature's defenses are quite cool. Our house was surrounded on two sides by hundreds of acres of grapevines. I spent many, many hours exploring, pretending I was irrigating the grapes, etc. I can also remember being fascinated with growing fruits and vegetables since I was seven or eight years old. One simply can't underestimate the pure utilitarian value of sticks from the woods .
Good sticks are worth finding and keeping.
Taller sticks, say about 7 or 8 ft., can be pushed into the ground in a circle, leaned toward the middle, and tied together at the top with jute twine to form a teepee trellis perfect for climbing sugar snap peas, pole beans, morning glories, and scarlet runner beans which will twine around the sticks naturally as they climb. We have planted several hundred trees, most of them native to Ireland, some as a shelter belt and some for ornament. You will need a 20 gallon hose end sprayer or you can follow the directions on this page for making one yourself. You will also need to take a look at the soap spray recipes on my Oceana Rose Web Site . This is our first year with a 'real' garden, as it is our first year with a house and yard.