Many gardeners grow their vining plants and let them trail across the ground, just because it’s habit and they’ve always done it like that. People are discovering, though, that there are many benefits to growing garden plants such as cucumbers, squash and watermelons vertically instead.
Not only do your plants take up a smaller footprint, but they are less susceptible to disease and fungal growth because of the extra airflow; fruits are cleaner, more uniform in shape and easier to harvest.
Follow these six fantastic tips to get started growing your cucumber plants vertically on trellises!
1. Cucumber variety
Cucumber plants come in two different varieties: a bush plant and a vining plant. In order for your plant to grow up and over a trellis, you need to choose a variety that grows vines and will attach itself to the structure. One other nice benefit is that vining cucumbers have higher yields than the bush varieties.
2. Trellis design
One of the first things to consider for your trellis is the actual shape or design you’d like it to have. When choosing a design, keep in mind the space limitations you’re working with, the aesthetic you’d like to maintain in the garden and what functions are important. In small spaces, you could use a simple vertical wall trellis, but cucumbers will be harder to find and harvest. If space allows, an arch or A-frame may be a better option to make harvesting easier.
3. Trellis strength
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