Learn how to build the best trellis for cucumbers with this easy tutorial. With a few simple materials and tools, you can build the best cucumber trellis for your garden.
If you have already read my post about growing the best heirloom cucumbers then you know that I use a trellis to grow my cucumbers on.
I have found that using a trellis is really the best way to grow cucumbers. Trust me, after you grow cucumbers on a trellis you will not want to go back to growing them on the ground.
Why cucumber trellises are so great
- Your cucumber plants will produce straighter cucumbers because gravity pulls them downward. This makes your cucumbers a lot easier to slice.
- The cucumbers are less likely to be bitter because they "hide" under the shade of the cucumber leaves. Heat can cause cucumbers to become bitter so shade helps.
- You save garden space by growing cucumbers vertically instead of letting them spread over the ground. Plus you can grow things under the trellis to really use your space efficiently.
- You can grow better lettuce under the shade of the cucumber trellis than in the hot sunlight. You may be able to keep lettuce from bolting in the shade of the cucumber plants.
- Better airflow can help ward off powdery mildew and other plant ailments.
- Having your cucumber fruits off the ground can prevent them from rotting. Plus the whole cucumber will be green and not yellow.
- Cucumber beetles are easier to pick off your cucumber plants when you can get underneath them. To learn how to get rid of cucumber beetles naturally read this post.
Why this cucumber trellis is the best
Other cucumber trellises can be flimsy and are not able to hold all the fruit that your plants will produce. This cucumber trellis is super sturdy and can even handle pumpkin vines!
Plus this trellis is all metal which means you will be able to use this trellis year after year. This saves you money because you will not have to replace this trellis often. My cucumber trellis is over 3 years old and I have not noticed any weakening.
Materials and tools you will need:
A 16'x4' Cattle Panel
Six 3'-4' U-Channel metal garden stakes
A small sledge hammer or mallet
A pair of bolt cutters
How to build a cucumber trellis
- You will need to cut the cattle panel in half to make the tent shape of this trellis. Cattle panels do have heavy gauge metal which will require bolt cutter to get through. After you cut the panel you should have two 8'x4' panels.
- Now that you have these two panels you will need to connect them using fence wire. Connect the two long sides not the short sides. This should leave you with a 8'x8' square that is connected with wire.
- Pick up your trellis and set it up in the garden to make a tent shape. **Before you do this make sure to hill the dirt in a row to plant your cucumbers in. Make each hill/row 4'-5' apart and 8' long.**
- Once you have the trellis in position it is time to secure it to the ground. Pound three stakes through three of the lower squares of the cattle panel. This will ensure that the trellis does not shift.
Tips and tricks
Make sure that you do not make the trellis too steep. Your cucumbers will grow better if the incline is not steep. I like to pull out the trellis so that there is 4'-5' between the ends.
I do make an elongated hill to grow my cucumbers in. By making a hill the soil will warm up quicker which is great for heat loving cucumber plants.
You may have to "train" the cucumbers to grow up the trellis. To do this simply keep placing the vines on the trellis and eventually they will "learn" to grow up the trellis on their own.
For my full growing guide where I let you know how to grow the best cucumbers and how I found the best cucumber variety ever go here.
How to store a cucumber trellis
After our first frost in the fall kills my cucumber plants I start to clean up the summer garden. It is best to wait until you have a frost so you can easily pull the cucumber plants off the trellis.
They should be pretty easy to pull off. You don't have to get every piece off if you store it outside, it will decompose over the winter.
Once I pull off the plants I will pull up the stakes and finally remove the trellis from the garden. I have an area in out forest where I can collapse the trellis and let it lay on the ground.
When the leaves fall on the trellis you can't even tell it is there. You could also just collapse right in the garden. The great thing about this trellis is how easy it is to store.
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