I use trellises throughout my garden to make plants easier to care for, reduce disease and predation, and produce a larger crop in less space. A big part of my early summer garden work is trellising. Shell peas, snap peas, pole beans, cucumbers, tomatoes – all of them get the trellis treatment.
Trellising Peas and Beans
Most shell peas (except the Tall Telephone/Alderman variety) get a three foot tall fence with supports every two to three feet. Much wider spacing on the supports and the first good wind storm with the fencing laden with plants and wham! Over it goes.
Here are some of the peas I planted early this year in full bloom.
Pole beans and tall peas (Sugarsnap and Alderman) get trellis netting supported every five feet by six foot tall metal fence posts. A wooden cross piece on top reduces sagging as the season goes on. I can skip this step with the peas, but the pole beans really need the cross support. The trellis netting is tied to the cross support.
A Cucumber Trellis Produces Longer, Straighter Cukes
The long slicing cucumbers (Suhyo Long, our favorite Japanese slicer and Telegraph Improved European, a new cold-tolerant variety I’m trying this year) live up against wooden lattice. I train them up the lattice and tie them up with strips of old sweatpants. Eventually their tendrils help them cling on their own. I let the picking varieties roam free on the ground, but trellising helps the long fruit of the slicers grow straighter and gives them a more compact footprint. Here I am pounding in a tall trellis post next to the cucumber lattice. Nice photo, huh? 
With a sturdy post pounder in hand, you can drive a post in with just a few quick slams.
How to Trellis Tomatoes
The tomatoes get a “combo” trellis system. Each tomato plant gets three (or more) four foot wooden stakes to start them on their journey upward. Again, they are tied on with strips of old sweatpants. After they’ve started to stretch beyond the stakes, I drop tethers down from a wooden crosspiece braced by seven foot metal fence posts. In a good year heirloom tomato plants will easily reach six feet tall, even in our relatively short growing season.
Here are eight of this year’s 27 tomato plants. You can see our solar water heating panels in the rear. There are clear jugs behind the plants to gather sunlight, block some wind and create a micro-climate for the plants.
I prefer this method over boxes or cages, because it gives me better access to the fruit and accommodates the often rampant growth of the heirloom tomatoes. The posts are driven in fairly deep (one foot on the tall posts, at least half a foot on the short posts) and can withstand our high winds
What are the advantages of trellising?
- Trellising creates better air flow, which generally mean less disease, especially fungal problems.
- Elevated fruit/veggies generally mean less predation – the mice have to really work to get tomato access.
- Picking the crop is much easier, too. I’ve spent enough time over the years bending to weed and harvest. A little less is a good thing.
- One of the biggest advantages is getting a lot more productivity in a lot less space. (See “How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine
” for more space saving ideas.)
Like a number of other things I do in the garden, trellising is more work up front but a lot less work down the road, especially at harvest time when it tends to get crazy busy. It’s a pleasant relief to have this step in our annual journey on its way – up!
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11 Responses to “Vertical Gardening Ideas – Using Trellises for Tomatoes, Beans, Peas and Cucumbers”
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I love your blog! I added it to my reader.
This is an old post, so I don't know if you'll receive this question, but would you mind explaining what you mean by dropping "tethers" down from your crossbeam for the tomatoes? I am always trying to improve my tomato staking, and this sounds really promising.
Thank you!
Hi Andrea! Thanks for stopping by. I had to start moderating posts because I was getting some really weird spam showing up, so I see any new comments, even on old posts.
The "tethers" I use are generally fabric strips of some sort (I cut up our old sweatpants). I like fabric because it seems to be gentler on the plants, and can be untied and reused for several seasons (especially if you use slip knots). I use all cotton fabric, so when it rots it can just go right into the compost, too.
You could also use twine and get cut the whole thing down and throw it in the compost pile at the end of the season.
ha! The first post that caught my eye and of course if was yours. Thanks for linking up Laurie!
I heart you! xo, Sustainble Eats
Hi Annette! Always good to hear from you.
I hope all is well on your urban homestead. I'm so excited for you and your upcoming book.
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[...] If you grow up you can squeeze more crop in less space. The best book I’ve found to date on the subject is “How to Grow More Vegetables, Eighth Edition: (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine“. I trellis/fence or otherwise grow vertically my tomatoes, beans, peas, cucumbers, and occasionally other crops. You can view how I do it here. [...]
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Love that you are sharing this! I use cattle panel for my garden. It is very difficult to unroll fencing. It is also a bit flimsy. Panel last for many many years. they run around $20 a panel but they are well worth it. they also come in different sizes, I think they start at 12′ and go to 20′. Place them with T-post and zip ties. So quick and easy!!
Again, love that you are sharing this! BTW, loved loved loved you post confessions-of-a-messy-gardener that is so me!! And your wild-crafting series!
Please have a look at my web page if you have time http://blog.cherylsdelights.com/
I know a number of people use cattle panel and love it. For me in the storage space I have, it’s easier to roll up the fencing and just use a few extra posts.
Just popped over to your site – looks like lots of fun recipes and tips.
thank so much!