How to Grow Cucumbers on a Trellis
Gardening Question from Pam:
I am growing cucumbers in a tomato cage. There are many little cucumbers hanging on. Will the weight of all the cucumbers harm the plant or harm the cucumbers? Should I be growing them by spreading them out instead of growing them straight up?
Answer from Pat:
Tomato Cages AreToo Small for Cucumbers and Indeterminate Tomatoes.
First time gardeners soon learn that tomato cages are not big enough for supporting full size, indeterminate vines of tomatoes. Tomato cages are only good for supporting small, determinate tomatoes growing in pots on patios and porches. Tomato cages are thus not nearly tall enough for supporting most varieties of cucumber. However they might work for a miniature bush variety designed for pot culture.
Most regular garden cucumbers need to be grown in a straight row and provided with a stable, 5-or 6-oot tall trellis on which they can grow straight up. A section of 4-or 5-inch square hardware cloth supported on commercial metal fence posts hammered into the ground works well. I showed this type of support on my slide show as well as a more attractive, though strong, bamboo trellis held up with fence posts. Most varieties need a five-or-six foot high trellis. You do not need to tie them up, just weave the climbing plants in and out as they grow upwards. The vines are very tough and wiry, and the weight of cucumbers hanging on them does no harm whatsoever. Cucumbers need to grow straight down so the fruit hangs unsupported and thus grows straight. Cucumbers lying on the ground can get a bent out of shape and may fall prey to pests, diseases, or rot.
Cucumbers are easy to grow. Quality comes from planting the best, most disease-resistant, flavorful hybrids, such as Burpee’s Burpless (a long Japanese type), which I have grown with great success, or other similar superior F1 hybrids. Additionally, keep them well-watered and fed so they grow rapidly. If cucumbers ever lack water during their growth they will be bitter. A well-grown cucumber will practically explode with growth. You have to keep an eye on them daily to keep up with the picking.
Don’t throw out your unused tomato cages. They can be used in the flower garden to support perennial flowers, such as dahlias. Just put them on the ground at planting time so the plants can grow up through them. Use them on bushy plants that will fully hide the cages. (If using for dahlias, you may need to add additional support later on as dahlias grow taller.)
I am struggling to grow anything in my garden….each year different vegetables will grow a little but there’s never any consistency. One year we have tons of butternut squash growing then the next only one. Last year we had so much cucumber and now there are only a few and they’re very small. Is there a miracle solution for helping my garden grow in abundance and be more consistent?
Yes there is a miracle solution to your problem. You need to hand-pollinate your squash and cucumbers. Your problem is a lack of bees, especially bumble bees. When the flowers of your squash, cucumbers and melons are not pollinated you will get no fruit. You did not complain about your tomatoes. This is because tomatoes are pollinated by the wind so if there is wind bees are not needed.
Fortunately I made a You-Tube video in which I clearly demonstrate how to hand-pollinate squash. To see this video please open Google and write in: “You-Tube: Pat Welsh Hand-Pollinates Squash” This video will pop up and you can click on it to make it go.
My book: “Pat Welsh’s Southern California Organic Gardening Month-by-Month”, which is available in digital form, also will fully explain how to hand-pollinate squash, cucumbers and melons. Tragically, my publisher Chronicle Books dropped this book from print. Also, they will not give me back my copyrights because they are keeping the book in digital form, so I cannot find another publisher for all the useful information in that book and my other gardening books published by Chronicle Books. You can, however, buy used copies of this book online from Amazon.com.