Cucumber vines may be permitted to sprawl across the floor but there are lots of benefits to growing them to a trellis. Vines which are supported on a trellis are easier to harvest, produce better quality fruit and also have fewer soil borne diseases. The fruit is also easier to see, so there are fewer yellow or glaring cucumbers. Long ranges hang straight as opposed to curved as they may when they encounter obstacles on the ground. Cucumber vines trained on a trellis or wire cage use less space in a little lawn.
Wire and String Trellis
The best way to support cucumbers in many cases would be to train them to a trellis along a wall or the edge of a raised bed. The trellis must be 6 ft tall and because the fruit may get quite heavy, it should also be strong. Two strands of 8-gauge wire fastened to a wall or framework using heavy duty twine or nylon netting stretched between them produces a fantastic trellis.
Protention From Wind
A denser planting is most appropriate for gardens with regular strong summer end. Strong winds can whip the ripening fruit around, bruising it and splitting it from the plant. Forming a circle of welded wire fencing or construction trellises at a pinwheel creation and staking them firmly to the ground offers support. Plant cucumbers close together round the circle or pinwheel so the plants offer wind protection for one another.
Attaching Vines into the Trellis
Cucumber vines won’t naturally attach to your trellis or cage. They have to be trained by twining them round the wire or string or tying them with soft plant ties, however, never ties using wire in the middle. When the vines get to the top of the trellis or cage, then they may be permitted to bend over and hang down to within 2 to 3 feet of the ground.
Other Factors
Cucumbers have shallow roots and need moist, fertile soil. This is accomplished by tilling 3 inches of compost or aged manure to the soil before planting and irrigating whenever the top 2 inches of soil dries out. It’s ideal to prevent harvesting or handling the cucumber vines while the leaves are moist. Fruit types and ripens quickly, so once fruit has begun to develop cucumbers should be picked at least every other day and the fruit not permitted to turn yellow.