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coeng

help with my cucumber trellis plan

coeng
11 years ago

I purchased a pack of 4' green bamboo sticks from lowes today as well as some green twine. I am thinking about lashing together simple flat trellises over each raised bed that can be raised up on supports so the fruit hangs underneath. I want to be able to store them flat in my shed in the winter.

See my sketch below. Will this work? Which direction should the top of the trellis face? Any recommendations on modifications? Should I make the trellis go any higher?

Comments (12)

  • coeng
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The image this time.

  • Donna
    11 years ago

    It should work. I have had cucumbers climb tomato cages before too. However, your happiness with the arrangement will depend on how long your vines grow, how wide they spread, and how much time you are willing to spend training and retraining the vines onto the trellis.
    I have found that I personally am happier just growing shorter vines to begin with. I can recommend Spacemaster, Picklebush, and Salad bush. Their vines are about 3 to 4 feet long and will fit on a small trellis, or in a small bed, or in a large pot just fine. They make lots of cucs too.
    I honestly like the taste of Marketmore better, but not enough better to deal with the massive space it needs.

  • MelissaHess
    11 years ago

    I think that would work well. For the past couple years I have used heavy duty tomato cages to grow my cucumbers and they work really well for me. I always have an abundance of cucumbers.

  • Raw_Nature
    11 years ago

    The top of the trellis should face north, just like your tallest plants to optimize sun..Instead ofbdoung a horizontal trellis that takes up the whole bed, why don't you make a vertical trellis so you can optimize space. Of course you need stronger support than thin bamboo, you would need PVC or strong netting.. Either way on your way to success, look good!

    Good luck,
    Joe

  • Creativeguy_z6_CT
    11 years ago

    I would think most vining cucumbers will overrun such a short length of trellis in short order. Perhaps making the trellis 8' long and propping it up at a steeper angle would still give you the "hanging fruit" you're after while still givimg the plants room to run. If you don't want to buy more poles, bamboo lends itself well to extending its length... just poke a length of threaded rod or rebar down through the membranes found at each node of the poles. The rod will act as a core to sleeve two lengths end to end. I grow cukes up a 7' wall of deer fence and then onto the deer fencing "roof" over my garden (i really have a ft. knox of a garden!), so i'm also a fan of the hangimg fruit idea. My vines can get close to 12', hence my thought that 4' is not a lot of trellis for the purpose. Best of luck!

  • catherinet
    11 years ago

    I agree, that most cuc varieties will outgrow that in no time. I would make it wider (do you have another raised bed next to it?).
    I would use metal stakes and not bamboo stakes, and I would use something like utility fencing to put on top.
    Gardening is an ever-learning experience. Whatever you decide to do, you'll either like it or grow from it! :) Good luck!

  • emcd124
    11 years ago

    My cuke trellis is like fireman's. I just made it the square foot garden way (with metal electrical conduit, cut to be 5x5x5) and hung with nylon mesh. For the most part cukes are willing to go directly vertical and dont need a slant. All I had to do was wander by the garden once or twice a week and if any offshoots from the vine got rogue ideas I would just poke them back into the trellis.

    By growing directly vertical instead of at a slant, you save yourself tons of garden space and you can give them a little more vertical room. I grew three cukes on my 5x5x5 trellis with no trouble, but one of them was pretty gimpy because it got a late start, so I'd say 2-3 per a trellis of that size is good.

    If you want the price estimate, the conduit is like $2 for 10' to figure $4 there with some left over. If you use the nice metal corner joints they are $4.50 each ($9 total) plus $1.50 for each of the rebar stakes, so about $16 for a crazy sturdy trellis that is in its 3rd year (and I leave it up year round in the indiana winter cause i"m lazy) and not showing any signs of wear. It seems determined to last forever.

  • jonfrum
    11 years ago

    I'm six feet tall, and my vines climb up as far as I can reach. You could weave the vine horizontally if necessary, but they want to climb up.

  • mandolls
    11 years ago

    I use cattle panel arches. You can place them at the edges of two beds with the path between, and plant on both sides. They are very sturdy, and I like the look of them when they are covered in vines.

    {{gwi:32342}}

  • sleepyjen
    10 years ago

    I really like your trellis, Mandolis--how deeply do you bury it in the garden? How tall is it at its height? Thanks!

  • ChicagoDeli37
    10 years ago

    Helped a friend today build his. If you look close there's green string

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