Use a Trellis to Create More Garden Space

Mother Earth News reader Kevin Wright

Small vegetable garden spaces can be expanded to grow more produce with the use of a trellis system, which is great for many kinds of vining vegetables.

Pole beans, of course, work on a trellis, but have you tried cucumbers? On a trellis, cucumbers grow long and straight and leave a lot more ground for other plantings. A strong trellis also can be used for some small melon varieties. The melons will maintain their naturally round shape, and keeping them off the ground discourages rot and keeps some critters at bay. Heavy tomato vines also can be trained to grow along a trellis.

Place your trellises in garden areas where they will receive ample sunlight, but not where the trellises will shade your other plants.

To make a trellis, a heavy gauge of fencing material works best. My trellises are just over 6 feet high, with the bottom of the fencing attached 1 foot up on the metal fence stakes.