The Trellises #2: What to grow on garden trellises

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This is part 2 in a 4 part series: The Trellises

  1. The beginning of my garden trellises
  2. What to grow on garden trellises
...
  1. Fall harvest

Protecting my gardens from animals and growing vertically: trellises

It was the last week of July and I had brand new cattle panels to use as garden trellises. This was too late to allow plants to mature before the first predicted frosts for my area, but I had to try them out.

Just for an experiment and to see plants growing on my new trellises, I planted some tomatoes, cucumbers, and beans from seed.

The purple beans, as they grew, had the most loveliest flowers displayed on the trellises. I was hooked!!

The cucumbers started out well, but soon were turning yellow. I had planted them in grow bags and I think lacked needed nutrients. Next year, I will be planting them directly in the ground, and we try again.

I did harvest about a dozen cucumbers and they were yummy.

The beans also provided some meals but I had wanted to get some dry beans out of them for winter soups. Time-wise, this wasn’t going to happen this year. 

Tomatoes? The 70 days just wasn’t enough time and, here in October, I have them covered and they are surviving the frosts we have had for the past week. I know they aren’t going to ripen on the vine but I just haven’t had time to harvest them. So, as I write this, there they sit.

Overall - I love the trellises but I have to plant near the first of July, next year, to give everything time to mature. 

What to grow on garden trellises

  • Any plant that you want to provide support to
  • Climbing plants and vines 
  • Indeterminate tomatoes (generally, vine plants) Note: tomatoes are not climbers and, so, will need to be manually attached to the trellis)
  • Beans
  • Peas
  • Cucumbers
  • Squash (heavy fruits may need supports such as little hammocks attached to the trellises)
  • Watermelon
  • Flowers such as climbing roses

What can you use for garden trellises

  • Metal fencing (large spaced mesh)
  • Cattle panels
  • Bamboo stakes
  • Tree branches 
  • Bed and mattress frames (wood/metal)
  • Be creative! 

Why use a garden trellis 

  • Growing vertically used less space 
  • More airflow around the plants
  • Hanging fruit is not damaged or contorted by being on the ground 
  • Easier to tend to plants (less bending over and less weeds in the reduced space needed)
  • Easier to harvest (again, less bending over) 

Have you done vertical gardening? 
  • What have you used for trellises?
  •  What plants have you grown?!

a simpler life