Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Building a Trellis for Squash and Cucumbers

Do you have limited garden space, and do not want to plant squash because they take over your garden or lawn? They are very vigorous growers, and they also are great producers in the garden. So how do you keep them from taking over? Did you know most of them are actually vines and do very well climbing? We have a chain link fence next to my garden and every year the squash makes it's way to the chain link fence and climb it. I have noticed that the fruit grown hanging on the fence look better because the are not touching the ground. It also makes it so I can plant more squash than if I left them sprawling on the ground.
Another great option is to build a cucumber trellis. They are very easy to build and will help to save space in the garden. train the cucumbers to grow up this trellis, and then point the flowers and fruit down into the middle of it. Then they hang and produce a nice looking fruit and they are also easy to harvest. Just look down the middle of the trellis and find the fruit. You can also plant some lettuce in the heat of the summer under the shade of the cucumber plant trellis. Lettuce dose not like heat, and the sun is much too hot during the summer to produce a good crop, so just plant them under the cucumbers and enjoy!
To build a trellis, just cut 4 4x4s in 3.5-4 foot lengths. Then simply over lap them and nail 2 together in a 90 degree angle. Then repeat with the next one. Get some chicken wire, or other metal fencing and run it up and over the top using the angled wood pointed upwards to form what looks like a roof. Then plant the cucumbers or squash next to the base of the trellis and you can just help them get started and train them up the trellis.
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Happy Gardening!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is like this article was written just for me. I have avoided alot of thigs due to my very limited space. I planted cucumbers for the first time this year because I found seeds for a bush variety I'd never seen before. They are just getting second leaves so we'll see. but I see zucchini in my future now. thank you.

Unknown said...

Thank you for your comment. I am glad you found this article useful. Trellising is a very good way to save space in your garden. I hope you will put it to use next year. Zuccihini is usually grown in a bush form, but they do get quite large. You can visit our website's vegetable guides for futher tips. And please let me know how your cucumbers do this year. Happy Gardening!