I have some good netting, I have boards to make the frame, and I have probably more stuff than I even need to make them but I don't tknow what shape is best for them. Most everything will be grown in pots except maybe the cukes and zucchini. Here is a list of what I will be growing: tomatoes, determinant, indeterminant and cherry peppers, banana and other small sweet types Cucumbers and zucchini Sugar Snap Peas pole and bush beans I have or can get everything I need but I need ideas as to what shape and size to build for each different plant to maximize the effectivness.
Anyone?? Around the tomatoes and peppers? Will they do alright with a slanted trellis? 2 sides of the plants and train the plant to use it? Slanted or straight up for the cucumbers and zucchini? Which side of the trellis do you want the sun on, growing side where the plants come out of the ground? Visa Versa? Set so the shadow is straight out at high noon so both sides get sun? I even found some 4" fishing gill netting which should be perfect. I just need to know how big and what shape for each vegetable.
No one is ignoring your question, many members in other time zones are already in bed or it is first thing in the morning and they are taking care of family business or are at work. The type of trellis is not all that important, at least I don't think so. I think what you like, what you can make, what you can afford to buy, what you have space for, etc. determines the type of trellis. Tomatoes are usually grown in 'cages', they need support to keep from falling over. Cucumbers, peas, beans can be grown on any kind of trellis setup.....flat and straight up, teepee form, slanted....whatever you want and have room for. The Native Americans planted what is called Three Sisters Planting.....the corn stalk provides support for the beans to climb and the squash serves as ground cover. I orient my cucumber trellis east-west, that way the sun reaches both sides, so it doesn't matter which side the seeds are planted on. I don't know that there is a specific shape and size for each vegetable. You could look thru seed/plant catalogs that also sell trellises and get an idea of general size but sometimes the size is determined only by your space available.
I know Toni, I was just trying to get someone to think and throw something out. Have been here long enough to realize that most replies come the next day. Thankfully it will be a good month before I can even think about putting outside. I have been reading a lot and I see that cucumber and other veggies don't need sunlight on the fruit, not direct anyway. Is this correct? A lot of them have tons of vines over the top and the fruit grows underneath so I have to ask. That and I like the idea and it will work perfect for my little garden and what I have to work with. I also see a lot of wire for all types of trellises. I have netting and I plan to use it because I think that the tendrils would be bale to hold it better. Is there a drawback to using wire, netting, rope or twine? What does everyone prefer to use and had the most success with?
The "trellises" we use are a variety of netting pieces, both plastic ones and chicken netting ones, the fence we've got, some long shoots from a pruned tree, put up wigwam-shaped with twine between them, an wooden old children security gate that fell apart, some pieces left over from my husband's gate projects and so forth. The plants don't seem to mind what they're growing on as long as there's something for them to grow on. The only thing to keep in mind is the weight of whatever you're growing. I've had teepee-style trellises collapse on me because the plants grew a lot more than I had bargained for. Not funny then but it is now.
I keep imagining the netting snapping and tomatoes splatting everywhere or cucumber patte covered with slugs. Hopefully I will build everything strong enough that this doesn't happen.
You may have seen the photo of the trellis I grow cucumbers on http://www.gardenstew.com/about18734.html The chicken wire is attached to the poles with zip ties. Surprisingly plastic zip ties last longer than you would think and are very strong. I usually have 7 or 8 vines growing on them with no problem.
So you don't need the vines to grow through the trellis for them to support the weight of the cucumbers? I guess this is the confusing part for me. The few I got to grow last year didn't grab onto anything and would not hold onto anything even when I helped it grab the wire I had. I will admit the "trellis" I made sucked big time but the tendrills did not grab on to anything I put them on. But then again the plants were weak and terribly unhealthy anyway so maybe that was the problem.
For the first couple of feet of growth I help the ends of the vines find the holes in the chicken wire, the holes are about an inch across. After that size they pretty much started latching onto each other and the wire.
So what size is too big for the spacing of the netting and wire? I have 4 inch netting, 7 inch netting, 2x4 wire I can use and I will get some chicken wire if it is needed. I just need as many of my veggies to grow verticle as possible as I have very limitted space.
I am also going to experiment growing cucumbers on a trellis this year. I'm thinking I will need something sturdy and have a supply of slings for the fruits. I love the sugar snaps. I Made a haphazard trellis once out of some 2x4s and twine, and they grew just fine.
I've grown them on something as haphazard as some chicken wire held up with some long thin sticks or those metal stakes and as sturdy as a chain link fence. I've never even thought of making slings for them.
IF, I grow watermelon I will be making slings for them to hold them wherever the fruit decides to grow on the trellis, that is if I trellis them. I can always double up offsetting the netting to reduce the spacing. Shouldn't make too much of a mess and will provide even more support.
Just remember if you double the netting or chicken wire, that you want to be able to reach the cukes (or whatever) without having to take apart the trellis.
I mean double it up on itself flat. Not gonna make a cage, I would likely get stuck in there when nothing was ripe to eat.
