Vertical gardening has so many benefits and luckily there are lots of crops that love to climb during the summer. In today I’m going to share five of my favorite crops that love to climb and show you where I’m planting them. I want to help you succeed even if you’re gardening in tough conditions.
My first choice for vertical gardening is Cantaloupe:
- Melons love to climb and keeping them up off the ground means fewer pests and diseases.
- My favorite way to grow cantaloupes vertically is on these ladder mesh trellises. They’re inexpensive and easy to use.
- Grow one plant per trellis and pay attention to the vines. You’ll probably need to weave them in and among the trellis.
- If it has lots of suckers, go ahead and prune those out. Don’t let each plant have more than two or three fruits. If you have more than that, they won’t be as sweet.
- This trellis is all you need. The fruit doesn’t require additional support, but keep a close eye on it as it nears harvest time because cantaloupe will tell you it’s ready by slipping easily from the vine.
- You want to catch it before it falls.
- My favorite varieties? That’s an easy one. I’ve been growing Hales Best and Hearts of Gold for several years, and I grow them every year.
Another choice for vertical gardening is Beans:
- The second crop I’m growing vertically is beans. I’m growing pole beans on this trellis.
- They can take a little bit longer to begin producing, but once they get going, you get green beans all season long.
- Pole beans are simple. Once they find the trellis, they’ll climb up all on their own, and that makes harvesting easy.
- The beans will hang down and be easy to spot among the leaves. Harvest often to encourage production and that ensures you’ll get plenty of beans.
- I’m growing favorite Kentucky Wonder pole beans from Saved beans and a new one for me this year, these Christmas speckled lima beans.
The Next choice for vertical gardening is Zucchini and summer Squash:
- The next crop I’m growing vertically might surprise you. It’s zucchini and summer squash.
- This climbing zucchini and Rise and Shine summer squash are varieties that have been bred specifically for growing vertically.
- They love to climb. Getting squash off of the ground and onto this trellis will help it grow better.
- There’s increased airflow. I’ll be able to spot pests and disease quicker, and the blooms will be easier to spot for me and the bees.
- On this six-foot bed, I’ll have four plants, two of each variety.
- As the plants grow, I’ll definitely need to tuck the vines in and among this trellis. And as the lower leaves begin to get damaged, I’ll trim those leaves up as the plant grows.
My fourth choice for vertical gardening is Cucumbers:
- For my fourth crop, I’m planting cucumbers on this trellis. Once the peas finish up, I love growing Japanese cucumbers.
- They’re full of flavor and prolific. And my favorite Armenian type cucumber is Painted Serpent.
- Hands down, the best Armenian type cucumber to grow. It tolerates the heat and thrives during Arizona summers.
- Growing cucumbers vertically means you can grow more in less space. Without a trellis, cucumbers can take over an entire raised bed.
- But instead, I’m planting four cucumbers along this trellis, one per square foot, and each of them will climb.
- I’ll definitely need to help those vines twine among the trellis. I’ll probably prune the suckers as they grow to encourage more production on that main vine.
- Although I’m calling them both cucumbers, Armenian cucumbers are actually a type of melon.
- That’s what lets them withstand all this Arizona heat. If I was going to grow one crop this summer, the Painted Serpent Armenian cucumber would be it.
- Not only are they prolific and easy to grow, but they are delicious. They taste so much like a regular cucumber; you’ll never believe that it’s actually a melon.
My final choice for vertical gardening is Tomatoes:
- And finally, tomatoes. I love growing tomatoes vertically. Here in the low desert, our season is short, so I already have mine in the ground.
- A tomato cage works great for determinant varieties like Romas that are only going to grow a certain height and then stop.
- . But indeterminate varieties like the ones I have planted here will keep growing and growing and growing.
- They need lots of support to grow up. I plant one tomato per square and keep it pruned to a central leader.
- That means as it grows up, I’m attaching it to the trellis and pruning out any suckers along that stem. Daily maintenance is crucial.
- If you’re growing vines on a trellis, you want to keep an eye on those vines. Young vines twist easily in and among the trellis.
- As the branches get older, they become more brittle and it’s easy to break them.
- This season I’m planting San Marzano, Cherokee Purple, Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye Tomato, Big Beef Tomato, and Yellow Brandywine.
- I tucked in some basil or marigolds next to each plant as a companion plant. I’m growing a tomato plant in this container.
- If you’re growing in containers, make sure that they hold at least 10 gallons of soil.
- I like to add an Oya so that they have plenty of moisture and definitely add a trellis if you’re growing an indeterminate type like this one.
Add more space to your garden this summer by growing vertically. Are you growing vertically this year? I would love to hear what you’re growing.” See you again, with another new topic for your garden improvement. No more today, but don’t forget comment us about your gardening experience in comment box. Of course join our NEWSLETTER program to get all updates and information gardening tips in your email box. Thanks for stay with us.
