What type of wire fencing is best for supporting cucumbers grown
vertically? Any ideas?

On Fri, 01 Aug 2003 08:51:06 -0400, Allan Matthews
wrote:

What type of wire fencing is best for supporting cucumbers grown
vertically? Any ideas?

I've used regular welded wire fencing, the holes are 2" x
4". An occasional cucumber gets stuck in the wire and
deformed, but not too many. I grew the cukes around the
outside of a large circle of wire fencing.

Tomato fencing might be better: larger holes.

This year, we have netting and the cukes are supposed to be
growing up the netting. They aren't because we got them in
the ground VERY VERY late (I was ill and couldn't garden)
and I think were permanently stunted by having been in their
little 6-packs so long. They just aren't growing at all.

Pat

We use plain old chicken wire (2x4 inch squares) supported on a PVC frame.
I use a variation of the square foot method and this works extremely well
for me. I am using the same idea for my cantalopes this year and that's
working out well, also.


"Allan Matthews" wrote in message
...
What type of wire fencing is best for supporting cucumbers grown
vertically? Any ideas?

i use the hog wire and the iron fence post and it works great

I had 3 tomato cages left over this gardening season and also had to move
into a much smaller gardening space. Only 16X24 feet necessitating growing
the cucumbers vertically instead of letting them sprawl on the ground.
The cages are made from rewire which is wire used in driveways to try to
prevent the concrete from cracking.
The cages are 5 feet high and a diameter of 2 and a half feet.
I planted the cucumbers inside the cages and threaded the vines up inside
the cages as they were growing and now the vines have grown over the cages
and are growing back towards the ground. The produce is perfectly straight
as the cucumbers are suspended instead of having to overcome the vine
obstructions and soil resistance while growing. The vines' tendrils are
adequate support without requiring any additional tying to the wire and it
is just the (cat's meow) technique as far as I'm concerned! Even if I had
all the room in the world, I would never grow them any other way after this
very first successful experience.

Anything that goes up is fine. Whatever is easiest for you to construct.
I've even thrown cuke seeds in while pulling early peas that had finished
(peas give up the ghost here when our temps reach upper 80s on up which is
usually in late May). The pea fence was sections of electrical conduit 6"
above the ground with another row supported 4' above the first. Balers twine
runs zigzag pattern up and down between the two. Easy to make as many
sections as you like and never had a problem with the tendrils climbing the
twine. The conduit lasts "forever" and the twine is cheap and disposable.
Gary

"Allan Matthews" wrote in message
...
What type of wire fencing is best for supporting cucumbers grown
vertically? Any ideas?

Allan Matthews wrote:

What type of wire fencing is best for supporting cucumbers grown
vertically? Any ideas?

What is 'best' is whatever is available locally that meets your needs of
aesthetics and price.

I, personally, use green plastic coated welded fencing with 2" x 3" holes in
it up a 10' tall trellis (2x4's built into my raised boxes). My cukes are a
little past the 7' mark now.

"Vertical" is the way to go. Tomatoes, peas, beans, all the cucurbits
(includes cukes, melons), squash and so on ... if it WILL climb, I plan on
it doing so. I only have a few square feet horizontally but plenty
vertically.

My sun is somewhat blocked by my garage and my neighbors tree. Once plants
get a good start up the trellis, they tend to rocket on up the rest of the
way because they get more sun each time they climb a little. Once they
'catch the sun' they tend to climb a lot!

Bill
--
Zone 5b (Detroit, MI)
I do not post my address to news groups.

On Sat, 02 Aug 2003 23:54:39 -0400, Noydb
wrote:

Allan Matthews wrote:

What type of wire fencing is best for supporting cucumbers grown
vertically? Any ideas?

What is 'best' is whatever is available locally that meets your needs of
aesthetics and price.

I, personally, use green plastic coated welded fencing with 2" x 3" holes in
it up a 10' tall trellis (2x4's built into my raised boxes). My cukes are a
little past the 7' mark now.

How do you pick them?

Pat

Pat Meadows wrote:

On Sat, 02 Aug 2003 23:54:39 -0400, Noydb
wrote:

Allan Matthews wrote:

What type of wire fencing is best for supporting cucumbers grown
vertically? Any ideas?

What is 'best' is whatever is available locally that meets your needs of
aesthetics and price.

I, personally, use green plastic coated welded fencing with 2" x 3" holes
in it up a 10' tall trellis (2x4's built into my raised boxes). My cukes
are a little past the 7' mark now.

How do you pick them?

Pat

Once it gets too high for hand picking, I get a 6' step ladder. Once it is
too tall for that, I use a section of lightweight aluminum extension ladder
leaned against the trellis (it's quite sturdy and anchored by the weight of
the soil in the boxes).

Picking up high is not a problem because the supports are every 24" and are
tied together with a 2x4 across the top that spans all nine per box and I
just handle the vine in three of them at a time (dead center, one left, one
right). I take a 2 gallon pail up the ladder with me and have a paint pail
hook hold it on a rung while I do the picking.

It's the cukes growing down low that I miss that are a problem. :-) I've
pulled two National Pickling yellow footballs out of there already and,
since I haven't been able to get to the garden for a couple of days, there
are probably others waiting for me to carry them over to the compost pile.

(My cukes have their roots in a strawberry / herb bed ... although I've
gotten most of that darned Greek Oregano grubbed out of there. I thought
the stuff grew in a slow-spreading clump --like it came to me -- and had no
idea that it is even more invasive than spearmint. Now the strawberries are
claiming the box for their own, too! But it sure looks pretty when they
send their runners over the edge of the box. Very nice effect that breaks
up the straight lines of the boxes.)

Bill
--
Zone 5b (Detroit, MI)
I do not post my address to news groups.

I have a plastic spool that was previously used for wire that is about 2
feet tall and both ends about a foot wide and place it near the cucumber or
tomato plants and carefully scan through and up inside the foliage and may
have to move the vines slightly to find the cucumbers or tomatoes that are
trying to hide from me. I use this stool also when picking peas or beans
because I'd much rather sit than stoop. Picking them in the cages is now a
comfortable, enjoyable experience instead of having to stoop over and follow
the vines on the ground moving all the leaves and on numerous occasions
stepping on the vines. No more sore back and so far no rotted, deformed
produce and this also allows for easy spraying and watering when needed!
wrote in message
...
On Sat, 02 Aug 2003 23:54:39 -0400, Noydb
wrote:

Allan Matthews wrote:

What type of wire fencing is best for supporting cucumbers grown
vertically? Any ideas?

What is 'best' is whatever is available locally that meets your needs of
aesthetics and price.

I, personally, use green plastic coated welded fencing with 2" x 3" holes
in
it up a 10' tall trellis (2x4's built into my raised boxes). My cukes are
a
little past the 7' mark now.

How do you pick them?

Pat

I've grown cucumbers on four-foot high woven wire tacked onto wooden
fence posts, and I've also grown cucumbers on twine string tied
between two fence posts. Letting the cucumbers climb makes them so
much easier to pick. It also saves a lot of space in the garden.

LeAnn


Share the view from Rural Route 2. . .
Christmas In Dairyland
To read excerpts and other stories:
http://ruralroute2.com

On Sun, 03 Aug 2003 07:51:11 -0400, Pat Meadows
wrote:

On Sat, 02 Aug 2003 23:54:39 -0400, Noydb
wrote:

Allan Matthews wrote:

What type of wire fencing is best for supporting cucumbers grown
vertically? Any ideas?

What is 'best' is whatever is available locally that meets your needs of
aesthetics and price.

I, personally, use green plastic coated welded fencing with 2" x 3" holes in
it up a 10' tall trellis (2x4's built into my raised boxes). My cukes are a
little past the 7' mark now.

How do you pick them?

Pat

Thanks to everybody who responded. I did not realize just how easy
this would be. Built my raised garden too late this year for a lot of
things but looking forward to next year.

In article ,
Pat Meadows wrote:

On Sat, 02 Aug 2003 23:54:39 -0400, Noydb
wrote:

Allan Matthews wrote:

What type of wire fencing is best for supporting cucumbers grown
vertically? Any ideas?

What is 'best' is whatever is available locally that meets your needs of
aesthetics and price.

I, personally, use green plastic coated welded fencing with 2" x 3" holes in
it up a 10' tall trellis (2x4's built into my raised boxes). My cukes are a
little past the 7' mark now.

How do you pick them?

Pat




Long-armed loppers and a fish net?