by Lance Hill | Feb 15, 2026 | How To, Mirliton, Uncategorized
1. A cattle panel trellis with a Vineguard arch installed above it.
Here’s an idea. Design an arched trellis structure to protect mirlitons from excessive rain, solar radiation, and cold. I call it a Vineguard. It can be used to shunt rain away from the beds, shield the vine from intense heat, and protect it from frost.
One structure–three purposes.
We invite you to design and test the concept. (post your ideas and results on the Facebook group)
The concept is simple: An arching structure that you mount above the trellis, similar to the shade cloth structure that many of you already use–but sloped. During periods of heavy rainfall, place a single sheet of clear 6-mil plastic on top to divert the water away from the bed and prevent waterlogging. The single clear sheet will allow sunlight through and air circulation through the sides. In the summertime, replace it with a shade cloth to protect from the sun. In winter, you cover the entire trellis with plastic and enclose the vine to prevent frost damage.
The Vineguard can be built several ways. If you are already using an arched cattle panel, arch another one a few feet above it. If you’re using a horizontal cattle panel trellis, install a PVC pipe arch overhead that slopes to direct rainfall away from the bed (see photo). Or you can construct a similar pitched wooden frame with a pitched roof.
The Vineguard will work for both raised-bed and ground plantings, but it works especially well against waterlogging in tall raised beds. That’s because raised beds provide more control over soil moisture. Tall raised beds are less likely to wick moisture from the rest of the yard when it becomes saturated.
We will be experimenting with Vineguards this year, and I invite all you Mirliton Wizards out there to create designs that provide the simplest, most effective, and least expensive model.
Special thanks to R. Ranjith at the Nesamony Memorial Christian College for his advice on soil hydrology and managing intense rainfall.
Thanks to Buster Avera for the photo of his shade-cloth arch, which can also serve as a rain guard.
2. Buster Avera’s arched shade cloth structure could also easily double as a rain guard.
3. Corner view of Buster Avera’s arched shade cloth structure.
by Lance Hill | Feb 10, 2026 | How To, Mirliton
Although we recommend trellising mirliton vines while they are in 3-gallon containers, some people prefer to prune them back. Pruning is safe and will result in a compact, bushy plant.
The most important point is that when you prune, leave at least three plant nodes above the soil line. Nodes are the small protrusions at the joint of the vine stem that produce branches, tendrils, leaves, and flowers. If you eliminate too many nodes, you can hurt vine growth.
Follow the nodes up the stem and prune anywhere above the third node. A “branching node” is a node where a branch has emerged. Try to leave as many of these branching nodes as possible because they will produce a stronger, bushier plant.
Every part of the plant that you prune is edible. Many people use the shoots and leaves in stir-frys.
Nodes will appear every few inches. Leave at least three nodes when pruning back.
Mimi Noug Prejean demonstrates how to prune a mirliton plant in this 90-second video here.
by Lance Hill | Feb 8, 2026 | How To, Mirliton
Michelle’s Glore’s lighted and heated row cover enclosure at night.
Growing mirlitons can be physically challenging for people like me, who have health or age problems that limit our ability to get around. Putting up frost protection can be a real headache. Michelle Impastato Glore invented a solution: She uses lightweight row-cover frost cloths that one person can easily mount and unmount with the aid of bamboo sticks. And her frost-protection enclosure keeps her mirlitons safe even when temperatures drop to 20°!
Most mirliton growers build temporary frost-protection enclosures using 6-mil plastic or Visqueen. Plastic works well, but it can be difficult and unwieldy for some people to manage the constant covering and uncovering of a trellis. A high trellis can be especially challenging for people with smaller stature or older adults (like me) with balance or walking impairments. Instead, Michelle chose to use multiple lightweight fabric row covers and bamboo canes, which makes the task easier.
A single frost cover will not retain enough heat to prevent frost, but multiple ones will. Make sure to layer three frost cloths, as Michelle does, to prevent damage. Additionally, row covers allow you to use clips to more easily secure them to the trellis. She also uses heat lamps and incandescent Christmas lights to heat the enclosure.
Here’s how she removes the frost cloths from the trellis using a bamboo stick.
Here’s a video of her explaining the materials she uses.
Here’s a video of how she disassembles the enclosure.
And here’s a video of the vine the morning after the temperatures were 20℉.
These are the tools for her lightweight frost protection:
Fabric row covers (frost cloths ) 10’x50′:
Fabric row covers.
Fabric Cover Spring Clips: 5” long:
W
Wireless remote thermometer.
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