Grow Up with the Trellis

The Trellis is one of my favorite garden basics. I use it for all of my cucumbers, peas, pole beans, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, and even zucchini plants, winter squash, and watermelons. Growing up uses 1/10 of the space you use growing on the ground. This means less work weeding, fertilizing, and watering. For instance, I plant 8 cucumber plants on a 4-foot trellis. That's only 4 square feet of garden space. The same plants on the ground would require 30 square feet of garden space. Harvesting is easier too, since you don't have to look under the plant canopy and the fruit is closer to eye level. Also, plants grown vertically tend to be more resistant to pests and diseases because the plants are up off the ground and get more air flow around them.