Trellis Time in the Vegetable Garden
Trellis Time in the Vegetable Garden
Many plants in your vegetable garden will benefit from being grown vertically on a trellis. June is the perfect time to identify which plants within your garden will require trellises and how to effectively set them up for optimal plant growth.
There are hundreds of different ideas for building trellises from expensive and complicated to easy and cost effective. Clippings Floral Design provides a few ideas that can be easily done at home.
Compliments of Clippings Floral Design.
Tomatoes are one of the most common things grown in backyard vegetable gardens that need some type of support or trellis. Do away with the flimsy tomato cages you buy at the garden centers as most tomato plants will overtake these by mid summer. Something as simple as a heavy-duty stake or rebar works great. Just bang it into the ground about 2’ leaving 5-6’ above the ground for the tomato plant to be tied to, then as the plant grows just continue to tie it to the stake.
Cucumbers and melons will benefit from something with a little more structure. Create a trellis from a metal cattle panel or old wooden skid. Erected on an angle it will help the plant to climb and also support heavier fruit as it grows.
Pole beans love to climb, as the name suggests a simple pole works wonders. Push a pole or long branch into the ground beside the plant and before you know it the bean plant will be winding its way up the pole. If you have a few plants together, place three or four poles in a tepee shape for added support.
A few more ideas that work well for trellises are old ladders, bed springs, fences and gates, just use your imagination!