kjskid
Newly Registered
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Jul 18, 2006 12:10 pm
Location: CT

melons suspended from fence

My canteloupes and honeydew started growing up the fence around my garden. Now there is fruit on them. Can I just let them hang there until they develop, like cucumbers can, or do I need to support them somehow so they don't break off? If so, how can I support them? The vines are too interwoven with the fence to put them on the ground.
Thanks!

Newt
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1868
Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 10:44 pm
Location: Maryland zone 7

Hi Kjskid,

You can support the fruit on a trellis by using nets made of old stockings, pantyhose or onion bags.

Newt

opabinia51
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 4659
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 5:58 pm
Location: Victoria, BC

I think that the fruit will be fine until it is ripe, so supporting them will prevent bruising.

stvfarmboy
Full Member
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2008 7:44 pm
Location: Ames, IA; Hardiness Zone 5

This may be a silly question but I have never used a fence in a garden before. How do you get the plant to grow on the fence? Once it starts growing do you have to get it started and then it does the rest or do you need to help it quite a bit? Or does it vary between different types of plants?

Thanks.

opabinia51
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 4659
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 5:58 pm
Location: Victoria, BC

Two methods, plant the vine in a planter that is affixed to the top of the fence and it will just grow down and you can move the vines accordingly.

And the second would be to plant the vines at the base of the fence and tie them up to the fence as the grow.

Excellant idea by the way, keeps the fruit away from the soil (and potential organisms that will eat and/or spoil the fruit) and it just looks great!

User avatar
wvgardener
Newly Registered
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 9:45 pm
Location: West Virginia

Kjskid,
About the melons, cantaloupes do not grow very well where I am, but last year I planted two mounds of them. Some of them grew up the fence. Since there were only a few, I left them there, and they grew fine and developed just as well as the others, maybe even better since they were off the ground. But because of the type of melon, they were not really heavy, so I think that unless yours are really big, they will be fine.



Return to “All Other Fruit”