Growing climbing vegetables with Trellis support

Benefits of trellis support to grow variety of crops

Gardening with trellis support has become popular over the recent years. You can grow flowers, vegetables or fruit on a trellis and the possibilities are endless. The trellis helps you to grow many different vegetables or flowers in a small area. Plants that are grown using trellis will give you an attractive feature in your garden, not to mention the perfect way to save space. Peas and beans are productive runners they will need strong support and tutoring along the way. If climbing plants are left to grow on their own, they can become untidy and hard to prune or harvest. Like everything climbing, plants will start off delicate and quite fragile. Once the vines of the plant have begun to establish, you will have a mass of vines and leaves. These plants will need support as pods grow but make sure the trellis is in properly to withstand strong winds.

You can get a whole variety of trellis, and the best type for you will depend on what you are growing. If you’re going for a more decorative showpiece vertical trellis is good for this and always catches an eye. Apart from a showpiece in your garden you could be using trellis to provide some backyard privacy. There are several other benefits of using some trellis support.

• • Plants on trellis, growing upwards are lifted off the wet ground lowering the risk of rot and diseases.
  • Trellis plants get more sunlight which helps the fruit or veggies to ripen quicker
  • Reduces the risk of pests damaging your plants
  • Allows the plants to have better air circulation, keeping the leaves dry which will help to prevent fungus and mould.
  • Upright creates a better and easier way for pollinators to go from flower to flower

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  With the lattice network, the ripening process can be accelerated while reducing the risk of disease and rot.

Building with trellis support

There are a few ways you can build with strong trellis.

• • Wigwam is a design where you place the trellis into a circle and tie at the top. This adds support in all directions
  • A double row is a classic trellis structure. Planting two rows of plants around 30cm away from each other. Add some canes to each side and tie together at the top.
  • The Central support is similar to the wigwam design it’s a single pole that becomes the anchor for different pieces of string that go out to pegs that get pushed into the ground.
  • Arch support is a beautiful eye-catching design once it becomes established. You grow the plants over the arch either between two different garden beds or over a walkway path.
  • You can buy the arch design already made or make your trellis support arch with supplies from your local gardening shop.
  • Walls or fences get used for climbing plants, but you will need some support trellis fixed to the wall first. This needs to be a spot that has a good few hours of sunlight. This way is great for space saving, and plants get kept out of the way.

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  To save space, fences must be placed and to have more support it must be fixed to the wall.

Why do plants need support?

If plants don’t get the support they need, they will end up deformed and susceptible to pests as they lay on the ground. Without training and the use of some support trellis the vines will run crazy and strangle other plants.

Tomato ring growing

If you love tomatoes another way of growing them with the trellis support is tomato ring growing. This prevents root rot and diseases and keeps plants protected from soil pests. Using a tomato ring allows the roots to access a large amount of water and the nutrients it needs via a ground medium. You grow your tomatoes in a ring with no bottom, or a pot that has a water retaining base and only partially submerge the roots. Tomato plants have an extensively active root system, so when using the ring culture, it becomes an ideal way to cultivate in greenhouses. The ring system is best suited for tomatoes, chili, eggplants and sweet peppers because it’s important for any growth that you protect your plants from insects.

Keep insects away from your crop

An insect barrier is a very lightweight cloth that keeps insects and birds away from your plants. The barrier will also protect from high winds and frost. Rain and sunshine will still be able to get to the plants with the netting in place. For it to work properly, it needs to be fastened securely to the ground with no gaps for pests to get underneath. The insect barrier will protect from leaf miners such as beetles, grasshoppers, cabbage worms and root maggots. Before you apply the insect net, look for signs of insects on the leaves of the plants if there are eggs already laid before laying down the cloth you will still get infected with bugs. Spray with organic pest spray or remove those plants that look infected.

Garden barriers for insects are easy to work with, lightweight and work well for other weather conditions. If you rather not drape it over the plants and secure it to the ground you can use hoops or secure it to the trellis to hold it in place; either way will work just fine.

Plants that require support

There are many plants that will need trellis support such as:

Cucumbers: Keeping cucumbers off the ground will help to prevent mould diseases. They are easier to harvest when grown on trellis. Tomatoes will start out strong but can topple over at any time the trellis will prevent this. If you are using the intermediate plants, you will need to re-tie them as they grow. Peas are best grown on a trellis to control them as well as offer support. Peas and beans tend to spread out everywhere. Blackberries and raspberries will need support so these go well in a large trellis cage.