Easy Cucumber Trellis

Cucumbers do well on any type of trellis.

Cucumbers come in two types: a bush type that does not require trellising and a vine type that requires trellising to remain healthy. Trellises take many forms, but the general characteristic of a cucumber trellis is a frame with some form of mesh inside.

Benefits

Allowing cucumbers to grow up a trellis helps reduce pest problems.

Trellising cucumbers creates more gardening space by utilizing the vertical realm of the garden. It also gets the plants off the ground, which reduces pests and plant disease problems such as downy mildew. Growing cucumbers up a trellis also makes it easier to find and harvest them.

Types

A simple trellis creates a surface that cucumbers will grow up.

Trellis frames are normally made out of wood with a lattice attached that is made from wood, plastic, twine or clothesline. A trellis can be a traditional upright shape or an A-frame but the style chosen depends on the space available in the garden.

Considerations

Wind can be the downfall for trellised cucumbers.

If the trellis frame is made of wood make sure the wood is not pressure treated. If the garden area is in a windy location, then trellising cucumbers is not going to work. The whipping and thrashing of the wind around trellised plants will tear the fruit and plants up.

References

• Vegetable Gardening Online: Growing Cucumbers, How t Grow Cucumbers, and Planting Cucumbers Using a Cucumber Trellis
• Veggie Gardener: How To Build a Simple Cucumber Trellis
• University of Ilinois Extension: Watch Your Garden Grow: Cucumber
• Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet: Growing Cucumbers in the Home Garden
• Veggie Gardener: Grow Up With Vertical Gardening