I am constantly searching for more space to garden.
Consider this a love letter to trellises.
Structurally, its given me tons more growing room and is supporting my plants in new ways.
They catch everyones eye as they walk by and delight kids.
The bright white and orange pops stand out against all the green.
Trellising squash like pumpkin keeps the immense amount of foliage off the ground, making use of airspace.
Think past pumpkins: This can be done with any squash, from winter squash to zucchini to gourds.
They hang delightfully from the trellis overhead.
The flowers benefit from being more accessible to bees.
The fruit benefits from not having one side on the ground, so you get rounder fruit.
Tomatoes are another garden prize that really benefit from trellises.
Your indeterminate tomatoes need to climb, and a strong support system takes stress off the plant.
While traditional cucumbers dont often grow tall enough to cover an archway, their brethren, cucamelons, do.
Cucamelons, or Mexican sour gherkins, look like tiny watermelons, but are a slightly sour cucumber.
They make amazing pickles, and grow prolifically, making them perfect for an arch trellis.
Even larger cucumbers should be trellised off the ground, on A-frames.
Any nursery will have vertical trellises, as will hardware stores.
They also dont fit your specific space, and are rarely very tall.
Start with a sheet of rebartheyre 42 x 7.
Recently, there are magnificent garden arches on the market, but whew, are they expensive!
But lots of people use cattle panels to create the same look.
Cattle panels are 16-foot by 42-inch wire panels that bend.
Since the bed was pretty tall (36), the arch was also appropriately tall.
These same rebar panels can be turned into A-frames as easily as folding them in half.
I use them for cucumbers and small watermelons.
you might build gorgeous trellises from natural materials, too.
Dead branches, vines, and string can create the same kind of support as purchased materials.
Use them to create intimacy and space in your garden, without blocking the sun.
Run them parallel to the sun profile, so they dont create shadows in other beds.
It invites you in, and gives you more growing space.
