I'm working out a plan for cucumbers and possibly beans for next year. My trellis idea is a 6 foot tall by 8 foot long frame of chicken wire. Because chicken wire comes in 2, 3, or 4 foot by 25 or 50 foot. I figure getting it in 4 foot wide and cut it to 6 foot lengths. So two 4 foot by 6 foot sections to make one 6 by 8 panel. I figure I could use T-posts at each end of the panel to support the panel so it doesn't fall over. I was also thinking that 4 foot up on this I could attach a gutter to plant herbs or strawberries or anything else that grows good in gutters. The complete details of the build I'm not sure on. But I was thinking the chicken wire frame would be made out of 2 by 2 and the chicken wire stapled to that. And the gutter mounted on a 1 by 4 and the scrap pieces of 2 by 2 used as spacer to attach the 1 by 4 to the chicken wire frame. I'd be making two of these frames if I am going to do cucumbers and beans. And could make more if there are other things that grow on vines that I would want to grow. Or if I should consider more than one panel for either or both cucumbers and beans.
This year is my first year doing a big garden. And with it I learned from a couple mistakes. First mistake was cucumbers don't want to climb my wrought iron fence so I ended up using twine to tie the vines to the fence as they grew longer. The second mistake I made was bush beans. I didn't do my research and assumed bush meant something big not a bush slightly less than twice the size of a softball. So only enough beans for a single meal, if I'm lucky, will be ready to harvest at any given time. Rather than my expectation of harvesting to can for many meals all year long.
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Ohio Tiller
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 463
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:39 am
- Location: Ohio
I prefer the hardware wire my self chicken wire has the small holes and I would find cucumbers that had grown in the holes and cut just about in half before I even noticed they were doing it. The hardware wire has big enough holes it does not mess with cucumbers but watch the tomatoes they will do the same thing.
I like using Concrete Reinforcing Wire (CRW). You can make them in different diameter based on the number of section so they stack inside of each other at the end of the season. I cut the bottom horizontals off and poke the cage in the ground. No need for staking. Next ear I am going to make some stack on top cages because everything outgrows the 5' tall cages.