TOWER POWER
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What's more, by growing vertically you avoid the unsightly
mess vining plants form when allowed to run helter-skelter
along the ground. If you use standard 30" or 36" beds,
sprawl can extend across beds, limiting what you can plant.
Tomato vines, for instance easily pull downward and smother
neighboring crops.
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Pest control is simpler as well. Because each plant and
leaf is fully exposed, you can easily see any problem
developing and take the steps to correct it. Once you
discover the ease of picking squash bugs off a climbing
vine, you'll never again want to face the chore of chasing
them through a ground-level jungle.
Greater visibility and accessibility make a vertical
harvest much easier as well. Also, with none of the
vegetables lying on the damp ground, you reduce the chances
of losing your crop to rot.
Virtually any vining plant can be grown vertically. Some
will need help in the form of ties or mesh supports, and
you will often have to take time to train the vine onto the
support. This can be a problem with cucumbers and legumes,
which want to sprawl on the ground.
With large-fruited vines, such as melons and squashes,
you'll have to support the individual fruits to keep their
weight from pulling the whole plant down. The easiest way
to do this is with recycled pantyhose. Just encase the
young fruit inside the toe of the pantyhose leg then tie
the hose to the support structure. The stocking is soft and
stretchy, so there's plenty of room as the fruit grows and
expands. Or, you can merely create a sling that supports
the melon or squash.
A lady friend has suggested that old brassieres work for
this purpose. This might be whimsical, but I'm not sure
it's practical.
VYING FOR SUPPORT
Support structures range from simple stakes to elaborate
trellises, tipis and A-frame structures. Here's a rundown
of options.
Mother Nature Tall, thick-stemmed plants
can be used as supports for other crops. The most typical
example of this are pole beans growing up corn stalks - an
idea that predates European contact with the New World.
Other plants, work nicely for this purpose; sunflowers, for
instance, also make ideal stakes for beans.
