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Post by Callie on May 21, 2015 21:39:45 GMT
I'd like to trellis my cukes this year. Last year, I ran into a snake while picking through the vines to find the cucumbers......I don't like snakes. I don't go out of my way to kill them, but they give me the creeps. So, I thought perhaps a trellis would be a good idea for me and my phobic attitude towards snakes.
I have some extra woven wire and thought I'd put a 2x2 frame around it. Is it best to place it straight up and down or do I need to lean it at an angle? If I lean the top back, do I point it to the north so the plant grows up yet shades the roots, or do I lean it to the south and let the sun get under to hit the plant? Or does it not matter at all?
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Post by speckledpup on May 22, 2015 0:02:01 GMT
Been using a trellis for several years now.
Mine are made from 4 foot woven wire, 6 inches off the ground, on T-Post every 10 feet. They are straight up not slanted.
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Post by claytonpiano on May 22, 2015 0:12:23 GMT
I've always done mine straight and not slanted. I use t posts and the woven wire like speckled pup. I've also been lazy and did not trellis. It really depends on where it is in the garden rotation and whether I want something shaded.
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Post by paquebot on May 22, 2015 0:38:50 GMT
Have a friend who made an arbor out of 72" 2x4 fencing. Just big enough for her to walk under. Cucumbers grew up the sides and were picked hanging down within the arbor. I've always used 48" fencing positioned straight up, no leaning
Martin
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2015 0:45:45 GMT
I planted those "pickle bush" cucumbers in the kitchen garden this year. They only have a 2-3 ft. vine. I didn't think they would take to the trellis that well, but they did. I had to prop up the vines and loosely tie them up with grass twine, but they started putting on runners and really took to the trellis good. I usually plant cucumbers under a trellis like everyone said, but when I don't, I use some of that black weed barrier material and cover it with straw. Makes a nice place for those momma plants to have their babies. Would still hide a snake though.
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Post by whisperwindkat on May 22, 2015 9:36:50 GMT
I have done both slanted and straight depending on where in the garden the cukes are planted. Either works just fine. I always have my trellis facing east/west, but I plant other things around the cukes so I need to make sure they get sun.
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Post by Callie on May 22, 2015 11:17:28 GMT
Wow...lots of experience here. When I tie things to Tposts, they tend to sag. I wanted to put some cukes in the greenhouse too. But we don't need that many cucumbers.
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Post by speckledpup on May 22, 2015 23:21:40 GMT
I love mine.
We've even grown the smaller varieties of cantaloupes and watermelons, plus acorn squash, tiny pumpkins.
Anything that runs and has a small fruit is game around here.
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Post by Callie on May 23, 2015 2:11:04 GMT
I have concrete reinforcement wire for tomato and bean trellises. I guess I need to put up a couple more. Right now, I have 4 - each 20 feet long. And no room for cukes on them.
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Post by speckledpup on May 23, 2015 2:27:43 GMT
We use the concrete reinforcement wire for tomatoes also
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Post by manygoatsnmore on May 24, 2015 0:04:53 GMT
We use the concrete reinforcement wire for tomatoes also I do that with my tomatoes, too. I have two long runs of rebar mash and use notched 1x1's as crosspieces between the plants as supports. Works really well. I have stock panel arches for pole beans, cheap tomato cages for peas, and have used all 3 for cucumbers.  |
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Post by paquebot on May 24, 2015 0:31:18 GMT
I'll be trellising some cucumbers in a way. Planted 3 seeds in each of four 7-gallon pots. Since they are in between rows, no sprawling allowed. I'll use tall tomato cages for them to climb on.
Martin
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2015 1:21:44 GMT
I usually grow cucumbers on the perimeter fence around the garden. This year I added 2 5' cattle panels bent into an overhead arch. If the sun ever comes out, I'll pole beans growing on one side and cucumbers on the other.
The arch on mine is about 7' at the peak. Actually bending the panels into the arch should probably be a 2-person job, or maybe use a ratcheting tie-down strap to pull it together. (Of course, I didn't think about that until after I had it done.)
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2015 14:22:31 GMT
Years ago, when I had wooden snow fence, I trellised cukes on it by using it with the slats horizontal to the ground. I loosely tied the vines to the slats but they seemed to like the rough wood of the slats and did pretty good. Of course this made my trellis only about 4 feet wide but you can get a lot of cukes off of that. I used metal T posts to fasten the fence to for the trellis and I did curve the fencing over at the top but not in a full arch.
Since then I have used cattle panels straight up fastened to T posts. This works great and I just loosely tie the vines on. I get great production this way and do my pole beans in the same way. I love being able to stand up to pick my cukes and beans. I keep the cattle panels up about a foot off the ground fastened to the posts - gives me a little more height that way while not being up to high to be able to pick from.
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Post by susannah on May 27, 2015 14:41:23 GMT
I always used these metal trellis panels that were "gifted" to me from my mother-in-law. She was thinking "flowers" but never having been much good at growing flowers, it was all about the veggies for me. The first few years I just stuck the panels in the ground straight and let the cucumbers climb. Then my husband decided to fasten two panels together, angled - like an upside down V. We liked that better and .have pretty much stuck with it.
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Post by themotherhen on May 27, 2015 23:33:24 GMT
I make tepees out of strong sticks and tied together at the top. I do need to figure out some inexpensive (or almost free) supports for my tomatoes and bell peppers soon.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 17:32:39 GMT
I have some 22 inch diameter tomato cages that I use for cucumbers. Works real well.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2015 3:09:59 GMT
To all you that use metal fencing, does the vegetables burn where the touch the metal?
My hubby said that our vegetable that were on metal burnt.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2015 17:57:30 GMT
To all you that use metal fencing, does the vegetables burn where the touch the metal? My hubby said that our vegetable that were on metal burnt. Haven't had any problems with it, even when temps were up around 110F. I have heard of it happening down in the southwest part of the US. |
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Post by speckledpup on Jun 9, 2015 1:55:24 GMT
No problems with burning vegetables here.
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Post by Callie on Jun 10, 2015 2:37:34 GMT
I might not have to worry about a trellis...so far, I can't get the seeds to germinate. I've tried 3 different varieties so far. Too cold one day--hot the next--4" of rain the next. At this rate, I'll be buying plants.
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Post by themotherhen on Jun 17, 2015 4:22:14 GMT
Callie, try starting them inside. I soaked seeds overnight, then planted in my starter trays with a lamp. 1 week later, I had 4" seedlings. Hardened them off under our big lilac bush for 2 days, and planted them in the ground. I have 1 foot plants, 10 days later, with flowers on the plant. I use tepees made out of 3 sticks, and run wire left over from the chicken wire from the top of the tepee to the bottom. I have also used twine or very narrow strips of t-shirt, wrapped around the tepee. I like to reuse materials when possible!
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