If your garden feels cramped and crowded, take advantage of vertical space. It is healthier
for vining plants to climb upward into the air and sunlight than to sprawl on the damp earth.
Reasons to garden vertically:
- Fruit is cleaner and less susceptible to damage from rotting, insects, and slugs.
- More air and sunlight reach the plants.
- Cultivating and harvesting are easier.
- Requires less space.
- Yields are generally higher.
- Creates a shady garden spot.
- Provides a framework for plant coverings.
- Allows more efficient watering.
- Makes monitoring and managing pests easier.
- Earliest, cleanest, and longest-lasting harvests
Stakes
The simplest of all plant supports are stakes or poles. Drive them into the soil near the
base of a plant and the vines instinctively latch onto them. Tie tall or heavy plants to the
stakes to support them. Then prune the excess growth at the top.
Garden centres offer a variety of wooden,
bamboo, and manufactured stakes, or you
can make your own from scrap lumber,
pieces of metal or PVC pipe, or other rigid
materials.
Tepee Trellises
Tepees make excellent supports for beans,
peas, and tomatoes, and for heavily fruited crops such as melon and squash. To build one,
you will need three to six poles -- thin ones for flowers or lightweight plants, stouter ones for
heavily fruited crops. Cut the poles 10 to 12 feet long so you can sink them 1 to 2 feet into
the ground. Use twine, raffia, or strips of rawhide or cloth to lash poles together near the
top. Pull the poles into a tight bundle, wrap the twine around the bundle a few times, and tie
it snugly. Prop the bundles over the planting area, positioning the bottom ends so each
pole will support one or two vines. Thicker poles are heavy enough to be freestanding.
 Fence Trellises
Drive a post at each end of a row and place other posts in between where needed. String
with twine, wire, netting, or wire mesh and you have a fence-type trellis. Fences over 20
feet long should have an extra post installed every 10 to 12 feet. By attaching cross arms
to the end posts and running wires between them, you can convert the simple fence trellis
into a double fence or clothesline trellis that can support two or four lines instead of just
one.
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 Cages
Another simple and efficient method of containing sprawlers is with a cage. Cages can be
nailed together from scrap 1 x 2 lumber or made with sturdy wire mesh. Bend the mesh
into shape and arrange it over transplants such as tomatoes and cucumbers. Round or
square cages, 1m in diameter and 1m – 1.5 feet high, will both contain and support a
variety of vines.
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A-Frames
Construct an A-frame trellis of lightweight lumber -- 1 x 2s or 2 x 4s. Wire mesh fencing,
garden netting, or vertically or horizontally strung wire or twine will serve as the plant
support. You can design an A-frame in any dimensions, but it must be of manageable size
if it is to be portable. Both sides of this versatile trellis are used, and it can be made sturdy
enough to support heavy crops such as gourds and pumpkins.
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