How to Build a Fence for Climbing Cucumbers
Cucumbers are bushy, vining summertime plants that grow throughout the country with the right care. Although cucumbers can grow along the ground, they do better with trellis systems or stakes for vertical growth. Sun and air exposure encourages better growth, quicker ripening and straighter cucumbers. Build a fence when you plant your cucumbers to support them throughout the season. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Organic compost
- Fertilizer
- Garden fork
- 8-foot stakes/bamboo poles
- Twine
- Scissors
Instructions
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1
Mix 3 inches of organic compost into the top 8 inches of soil to build a loose, rich foundation for cucumbers. Prepare the entire plot to make planting and fence building easier. Turn 5-10-10 granular fertilizer into the top 4 inches of the bed for more nutrition and healthier cucumber growth.
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2
Plant cucumbers at every 2 to 3 feet in the row, with 5 to 6 feet between rows for gardening and trellis building. Cucumbers don't do well with crowded plantings or competition.
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Put an 8-foot stake or bamboo pole at each end of each row of cucumbers. Push the stakes 6 to 12 inches into the soil for security. Give each row a fence of its own.
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Wind twine around the top of the first stake and run it to the second. Tie it around the top of the second stake and cut the end off. Repeat this process with another twine tier 2 feet below the first, and another tier 2 feet below that. Repeat with multiple rows of cucumbers.
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Tie cucumbers vines to the tiers when they get long enough. Use twine to tie the main stems, but don't tie foliage or flowering stems.
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Tips & Warnings
Give cucumbers a nitrogen fertilizer one week after blooming and three weeks later to encourage fruiting.
References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
