The Best Ways To Trellis Cucumbers - Why Cucumbers Need Support! (2024)

One of the best ways to ensure a healthy, productive crop of cucumbers is to give them the support they need with a great trellis system.

It doesn’t have to be fancy, nor does it have to be expensive. It can be tall, long, wide – or as you will see below, something that is already in place such as an old fence or a wall. But no matter how you support your plants, doing so will give them their best chance at maximizing their growth and yields.

So why is trellising so important for cucumbers? First and foremost, it keeps your plants neat and tidy in the garden. It also makes cucumbers more accessible and easy to pick. But did you know it can also help with preventing disease, pollination, pest control and more?

The Best Ways To Trellis Cucumbers - Why Cucumbers Need Support! (1)

It’s true! Trellising your cucumber crop can be a huge factor in their overall success – even for smaller compact bush cucumbers that grow lower to the ground. With that in mind, here is a look at the many benefits trellising can have, and at some of the best options to support your cucumbers this year.

Why Trellis – The Benefits Of Supporting Your Cucumbers!

The stems and vines of cucumbers are quite fragile and weak. Because they are mostly made up from water, they can snap and break easily. But by growing them vertically, it keeps them out of harm’s way, all while making your plants easy to navigate around.

If allowed to sprawl on the soil, the tender vines can easily be trampled by foot traffic. Not just just by a gardener, but by small animals that might take a stroll through the garden patch.

Trellising also plays a huge role in keeping insects from finding an easy ride up onto plants. Thick foliage laying on the surface of the soil is an open invitation for pests to both hide and attack plants. When leaves lay on the ground, it also allows them easy access to climb and crawl wherever they want.

But having your vines up also helps keep the foliage and fruit off the ground – which not only helps keep pests away, but also minimizes the chance for disease and other health issues to occur.

The Best Ways To Trellis Cucumbers - Why Cucumbers Need Support! (2)

Cucumber plants are highly susceptible to mildew. When the foliage gets wet and lays on the ground, it has a difficult time drying out. Especially in the often rainy, cool spring weather – or in the summer when high humidity levels keep the moisture trapped in. And when leaves stay wet – mildew can set in quickly.

The Importance Of Air Flow – The Benefits Of Supporting Your Cucumbers!

When plants are allowed to climb up and away from the ground, air can reach the foliage much more efficiently. This of course, can help the plant’s leaves dry off better, which significantly decreases the likelihood of mildew. But that air flow has even greater benefits for the plant!

Plants need CO2 from the air to use the photosynthesis process to grow and gain energy. But when leaves are on the ground and crowded, it hampers air circulation. When airflow is hampered, plants get limited CO2 and it can stagnate growth. Plain and simple better air flow – better growth!

If that wasn’t enough, all of that air flow happens to aid greatly in pollination too. Having stems, foliage and blooms up and off the ground makes it easy for bees, butterflies and other pollinators to find flowers. And with the improved air flow, the plant will produce more flowers than ever!

Listen In Below To Our Podcast On The Secrets To Growing Great Cucumbers

Last but not least, growing your cucumbers vertically frees up space below for more plants. When cucumbers sprawl over the ground, they can take up enormous growing space. But by training them up, you can plant more vegetables than ever in the same space. See: The Best Companion Plants For Cucumbers

With all of those benefits, it’s easy to see why trellising is a must. And luckily, there are a lot of great methods to give your cucumbers the support they need!

Wood Lattice

Wood lattice is a great choice because it can be part of an existing fence system, or you can install it quite easily on a stand alone basis. The diamond-shaped design ensures the cucumber plant gets proper support. Apart from that, lattice design usually provides a larger surface area, helping multiple plants grow vertically.

Installing the lattice against an exterior wall is also a good option if you don’t have existing fence posts. Use twine or ties and tie the cucumber plant to train them up to grow vertically on the lattice.

Existing Fence

Rather than installing a trellis against a fence, why not make it the trellis? Existing fence lines are one of the easiest and quickest methods to allow your cucumbers to get off the ground.

The Best Ways To Trellis Cucumbers - Why Cucumbers Need Support! (3)

If your fence is to large or the fencing between is too big to support easy growth, you can zip tie a mesh or grid panel to the fence and let your plants roam! And if your fence isn’t near the garden – no worries, just amend the soil and plant your cucumbers wherever the fence might be. It will free up even more growing space in your garden!

Welded Wire Fence Panels

Welded wire fencing is strong and durable and wonderful for supporting cucumber plants. The dense mesh helps cucumber plants grow easily, reducing the need to use additional twines. Additionally, the welded wire mesh keeps plants sturdy, even with strong winds and the weight of cucumber vines and fruit.

Welded wire fencing can be installed easily using wood stakes or metal T-stakes. They can also be quite decorative if using the vinyl-coated styles that can come in green or black.

Obelisk trellis

Looking to purchase a ready-made trellis that can add a big decorative look to your garden? An obelisk trellis is the perfect solution! Small sizes are suitable for container gardening, while large sizes can support big vines growing in the garden.

The Best Ways To Trellis Cucumbers - Why Cucumbers Need Support! (4)

With a small horizontal footprint and a large vertical footprint, they free up space on the ground, break the monotony in the garden, and can be installed almost anywhere. Product Affiliate Link: Obelisk 6′ Metal Trellis

A-frame trellis

An A-frame trellis occupies little space on the ground and can be slightly dug into the soil with ease. It also happens to support a lot of vines! Along with all these features, it allows plants to grow on both sides, saving space.

A-frames can be easy to build from lattice panels or even pallet boards. They are also readily available for purchase in a wide range of sizes and materials. Product Affiliate Link: 46″ Wide Metal A-Frame

Tomato Cages

Looking for a quick, ready to go cucumber support that you might already have on hand? Tomato cages happen to work really well for cucumbers. The tendrils of cucumbers attach easily to the cages and the cage supports the vines with ease.

Here is to supporting your cucumber crop this year with a trellis, and growing your best crop of delicious cucumbers ever!

Follow Our Facebook Page For Great Gardening Tips And Advice! This Is My Garden Facebook Page

This Is My Garden is a garden website created by gardeners, for gardeners. Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books and speaking for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. They publish three articles every week, 52 weeks a year. Sign up today to follow via email, or follow along!

The Best Ways To Trellis Cucumbers - Why Cucumbers Need Support! (5)
The Best Ways To Trellis Cucumbers - Why Cucumbers Need Support! (2024)

FAQs

The Best Ways To Trellis Cucumbers - Why Cucumbers Need Support!? ›

Most varieties need a five-or-six foot high trellis. You do not need to tie them up, just weave the climbing plants in and out as they grow upwards. The vines are very tough and wiry, and the weight of cucumbers hanging on them does no harm whatsoever.

What is the best way to trellis cucumbers? ›

A simple string trellis made of twine or jute strung between two posts provides all the support a cucumber needs to climb. This can be as simple as T-posts or wooden stakes driven into the ground, or it can be more decorative, like the wood-framed string trellis pictured here.

Why do cucumbers need a trellis? ›

-Cucumbers love to climb, and trellising promotes better pollination and increases crop production. -Growing your cucumbers vertically opens up space for more plants underneath, increases air circulation, and makes it easier to water your plants.

Do cucumbers require support? ›

Cucumbers are climbing or scrambling plants that can either be grown up supports or allowed to trail on the ground. Growing them vertically means they take up very little ground space, which is useful in small gardens as well as small greenhouses.

What happens if you don't trellis cucumbers? ›

Growing vine cucumbers vertically on a trellis or netting helps improve airflow and discourage common fungal diseases such as powdery mildew, which can cause the loss of cucumber leaves meant to shade crisp cucumbers from intense sun.

What is the best support for growing cucumbers? ›

Metal A-frame trellises are popular supports for vining cucumbers. Most are about four to five feet tall, which is ideal for cucumber plants and are very easy to set up.

Should cucumber trellis be vertical or angled? ›

Growing your cucumbers vertically can save you several square feet of garden space, which you could use for growing other vegetables. Here is a very simple and inexpensive trellis that you could build in just a couple hours.

How high should a cucumber trellis be? ›

Most common cucumber varieties can easy be train to grow up a trellis that is 5 to 6 feet tall. Another often overlooked factor in figuring out the cucumber trellis is the height of the gardener; it would be counterproductive to build a trellis that stood 8 feet if you were less than 5 feet tall.

Can I use tomato cages for cucumbers? ›

The end of the growing season is a good time to pick up supplies for next year. One of my favorite items to get on sale are “tomato cages,” something I use for a variety of crops. This year, my tomato cages easily turned into cucumber cages.

What do cucumbers not like to grow with? ›

Brassicas: Plants like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower can compete with cucumbers for the same nutrients in the soil. They also attract pests that can damage cucumber plants, such as flea beetles and cabbage worms.

Is it better to grow cucumbers on a trellis or on the ground? ›

Let Cucumbers Climb

Trellised cucumbers are easier to pick and less susceptible to disease. Cucumbers do best if they can climb instead of spread over the ground.

Do cucumbers like wet or dry soil? ›

Cucumbers require fertile soil. Prior to planting, add about 2 inches of aged manure and/or compost to the bed and work it into a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Soil should be moist but well-draining (not soggy) and have a pH of around 6.5 to 7.0.

What is the best way to plant cucumbers? ›

Sow seeds about one-half inch deep. For vining types that will spread out in the garden, sow seeds two inches apart. Allow about two or three feet of space on either side of the row for the vines to spread. A "hill" of three or four seeds sown close together is another way to plant cucumbers in the garden.

What angle should a cucumber trellis be? ›

Simply stick the trellis in the dirt at the end of the garden at a 45-degree angle. 2. Training the vines to crawl up the trellis takes a bit of patience and a little engineering. Once the vine runners are long enough to reach the trellis, loosely wrap each runner with plastic garden tape.

Should you stake or trellis cucumbers? ›

If you can, trellis your vines. This keeps the fruit clean and saves space. A 12- to 18-inch diameter cage made from 4- or 5-foot welded wire fencing or hog wire will support 2 or 3 vines. Wire is easy for the tendrils of climbing cucumbers to grab as the plant grows.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Kimberely Baumbach CPA

Last Updated:

Views: 6537

Rating: 4 / 5 (61 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Kimberely Baumbach CPA

Birthday: 1996-01-14

Address: 8381 Boyce Course, Imeldachester, ND 74681

Phone: +3571286597580

Job: Product Banking Analyst

Hobby: Cosplaying, Inline skating, Amateur radio, Baton twirling, Mountaineering, Flying, Archery

Introduction: My name is Kimberely Baumbach CPA, I am a gorgeous, bright, charming, encouraging, zealous, lively, good person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.