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The way to Grow Vegetables Up Trellises

Heavy vegetables, particularly vine vegetables like tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) and peas (Pisum sativum), need a trellis support construction to train the plant growth. Trellises also keep the vegetables off the ground so they are not as susceptible to rot and infestation. Trellises range in design from sturdy steel structures to simple designs made from strings. The sort of trellis required is based on the burden of the plants and the developing fruit. You can construct your own trellises rather than purchasing expensive completed trellises from a garden retailer.

Install 8-foot-long poles about 2 feet deep in the ground and spaced about 4 feet apart. Anchor 4-by-4-inch wooden poles with concrete or drive steel T-posts with a T-post motorist to construct a sturdy trellis for heavy vegetables like tomatoes. For less large trellises, like for peas or pole beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), then trim one end of 2-by-2-inch boards with 45-degree angle miter cuts to produce stakes which you are able to pound in the ground with a sledgehammer.

Attach a horizontal support structure to this poles to your vegetables to climb. Mount heavy cable livestock panels to wooden poles with 1-inch staples or attach them into T-posts with 16-gauge cable to support heavy vegetables. For lighter plants, then attach chicken wire or wooden lattice sheets into the 2-by-2-inch stakes with 1-inch screws or tie string into the stakes, making horizontal rows spaced about 6 to 8 inches apart up the stakes.

Weave the ends of lighter plants, like pole beans, in and out of the network of vertical and horizontal supports on the trellis. Repeat this frequently as the plants grow to keep them trained to this trellis.

Tie heavier plant stems, like strawberries, into the trellis with soft twine or long strips of cotton fabric.

Place heavy developing vegetables and fruits, like cucumbers and melons, in slings made from nylon pantyhose or alternative stretchy material, to prevent them from slipping off the vine. Bend the sling into the trellis in order that the developing vegetable relies on the trellis to support its weight rather than pulling the plant stem. Be sure whatever sling stuff you pick stretches to allow the building vegetable to grow.

Tie a string to the trellis, push the string under a cluster of developing vegetables, like tomatoes, then tie the other end of the string into the trellis; the string prevents the cluster from sagging and dropping the vegetables. Bend the string tightly enough to support the weight, but loosely enough that it does not put stress on the stems.

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