A few years back I used an old 8' patio umbrella (without the cloth) as a cucumber trellis. I staked twine at each plant then tied the other end to each of the 8 ribs. It was one of my favorite upcycle projects. Now I have cattle panels for all of my raised beds. My garden is tiny by many standards but with my nesting blue birds, grand daughters' mud kitchen, and many whimsical ornaments, it is the happiest place on Earth.
Oh man! I wish I would have saw this comment yesterday. My patio umbrella broke in a windstorm and please put it in the trash yesterday. They picked up the trash this morning🤦. The funny thing is, I was thinking about how I could repurpose that umbrella, but couldn't come up with anything. So we put it in the trash.
What I was little, my mom had a compost pile in the backyard. There were large bushes next to it. I remember going out there one day and being surprised to find pumpkins hanging from the bushes. A pumpkin seed had sprouted in the compost pile and grew up through the bushes, leaving beautiful little pumpkins hanging like Christmas tree ornaments.
thats a great memory from a great childhood. i wish my mom lived few more years to see how a good and resourceful gardener i turned to be. she taught me how to plant sweet potatoes when i was a child. now i plant them every year and its been my #1 plant.
Several years ago a blue hubbard squash decided to spread beyond my garden. The vine found a pear tree 20 feet away and climbed on its own before it bore fruit. That fall I harvested a 25 pound squash that found its own support in a crotch of the tree.
I cut a plastic grocery bag (one of those thin flimsy ones) into fat strips to tie up tomatoes, etc. They are strong, last the season & don't damage the stems as they grow.
I grow as many of my plants as I can vertical I use a green velcro tape to hold the stems to everything in the area. My kids have been asking me to grow pumpkins and watermelon but dread the space they take up so this year when I grow them I thought about using 3 wooden stakes in a triangle shape and making hammocks to help hold them up. Will let you know how I make out. Only going to be my 2nd yr gardening and have learned a lot from your videos and I owe you a huge Thank You for teaching me everything. My 1st garden last year was out of control. I had so many different plants growing and everything put out such a high yield of crops I actually had several life long gardeners tell me they all had a bad year and asked me how the heck I managed to get such a high yield.They all wanted to know my secrets. I started everything from seeds which they couldn't believe and everything I grew organicly using only organic everything. I still had tomatoes and peppers producing right up till October and I live in zone 6b so once again I thank you for everything. This year I'm doubling my crops so I can donate even more to. Our Senior Center and local food pantry like I did last year. So young man, give yourself a pat on the back for making dozens of happy people last year
At my old house, I had a jungle gym that rusted through at the ground. My boys carried it over to my garden and "planted" it next to my squash bed. I grew butternut squash up one ladder and acrossthee top, and watermelon up the opposite ladder and across the top. The fruit hung down from the top rungs, supported by old stockings. I also turned a children's climbing dome into a support for peas and beans. My youngest son liked to crawl inside with his friends. I have also used the side railings from an old crib as a ladder for vines to climb (I think that one was for the cucumbers). My latest idea is to use an extra chain link gate for my kiwi to climb. I haven't set it up yet, though, because I can't carry it alone. My boys will all be home in a couple of weeks, so I will have them help me get it secured in the garden. Last year, I used the chain link fence that surrounds the garden for my peas, but the elk kept eating them. So this year, I am using a pet exercise pen for my peas to climb. I have one supporting my asparagus as well. As you can see, I like to give old, out-of-need items a new job, preferably in my garden.
I took your tips and support literally. After negotiating my neibours fence and reaching their washing line, I liberated several bras, great support for melons
Here is another option. An old ladder is a good climb for plants, such as the squashes and melons. Place the veggies on the rungs, and all is good. Additionally, the ladder may be used as a decorative item. Stick in some flags or small flower containers and you have a party.
Oh this is a great idea, I just pulled an old wooden ladder and have been using it for the pots and bird feeders... on my way outside to drop some seeds in the ground at its feet
@@fireofevender5515 I also have used old panty hose to make like a hammock sling for the pumpkins or any thing heavy ..it really helps especially since we moved to Montgomery County, Texas almost 15 yrs ago from Northern Illinois almost by Wisconsin. A totally different climate down here an can basically grow year around , But we get Red & black ants that bite and make hills , so I must keep up on everything in the ground , I even found in 1 of my tomatoe plants I was gonna pull out & take cuttings from to use again had red ants in my Good soil , Had to dump all the soil . God bless you & hope you get a great harvest .. . Josette Tharp 🙏🏻
If you go to home depot, they usually have 'scrap' wood like the ones used for the summer squash for up to 80% off. You can ask any employee about discounted wood and they'll take you right to it.
There are a lot of homes being built near me and I ask the contractor if I can have their scrap wood. It’s been a God send for me; cinder blocks for pot support, 6 to 10 foot wood strips that were discarded from trim, so much trash that becomes my treasure!
I use 1/2" velcro on the roll to tie up my tomatoes. The hook is on one side and the loop on the other, so it self adheres. Green color blends, and it's very gentle. Also very inexpensive for a long roll.
I"m growing in 15-gallon storage containers, using a combination of 6' bamboo poles and 16 gauge wire fencing that comes in a roll. I have watermelon, cantaloupe, and miniature butternut squash. So far everything is doing extremely well
@@libbyholt3863 No I used totes, they vary in price so you’ll need to shop around. Once purchased they last for years. Mine’s stay outside with soil in them that I use from to season. This is a very economical way to garden
I also use the field fencing, especially for tomato cages about 2' in diameter (8 to 10 linear feet of fencing, allowing for several squares of overlap), and each cage secured to tee post
We saw a great idea in Disney World's "Living with the Land" ride. They grew pumpkins up a wire and on top of a pergola. When small, the pumpkins were placed in a plastic mold in the shape of Mickey Mouse ears which shaped them as they grew. The molds were removed when the pumpkins were full size to reveal Mickey-shaped pumpkins hanging down from the pergola. We have done this with our pumpkins ever since (minus the Mickey molds). At first, we used slings to hold up our big pumpkins so they wouldn't fall and break. We have since learned that the stem of the pumpkin gets thicker and stronger as the pumpkin gets bigger and no support is needed. It looks great and creates a nice shady place to relax in our garden.
Trying to grow my zucchini using 4' wooden stakes this year in my raised beds. So far so good! They are training well and I love that the leaves, flowers and fruit are off the ground! Sure saves space! Last year grew my baby butternut squash utilizing a cattle panel and it worked really great with lots of great squash. Love em!
Cattle panels are super pricey in our area and have been out of stock since 2020. But the wooden trellis gave me an idea of making my own! We live in a forest, so small trees everywhere I can use. It'll look nice and rustic too. Thanks for the inspiration and extra $ saved!
Cattle panels, wooden stakes, old dog fencing, chain link fence, wire closet shelves, bamboo stakes, and tomato cages are what I’m using for vertical growing. I even have a couple of genuine trellises just to add class to my menagerie. I’ve found the chain link fence (5’ tall) and tomato clips are the easiest for the tomatoes. Thanks for another great video! Going to try once again to stake the monster zucchini here.
I picked up three like new 6ft wire closet shelves at a garage sale for $10, and three different trellises for $1 each at other sales. I just got three cattle panels. I have strings tied up from beds to overhead hail covering and from self wicking buckets to a pergola. Also, I have a knee fence in my flower garden and border fencing I plan to use as trellises. So many ways to trellis!
Joanie S it’s so much fun right! We’re just taking our time and slowly adding things. I love finding deals or using indoor objects in the outdoors. My neighbor got rid of an old sewing machine table. It’s so cute with a wooden barrel on top with my herbs!
Wire mesh used for cement work. Also with the panels you can take small pieces and make shelves that can be wired in place to support larger vegetables.
That's what I use. Got a 100'x6' roll with 6" squares for about $150. Made cylinder cages for the tomatoes, smaller ones for peppers and nailed sheets to 4x4s for cucumbers. I love that stuff.
Thank you for another superb video. I love your channel and I'm learning so much from you. I live in northern Turkey, near the Black Sea coast and I just started with veggies in a greenhouse this year, I usually worked with wild herbs before which needed no help to grow. Veggies are whole new story for me. I'm using only in-house horse manure for fertilizer, no pesticides, no chemicals. Growing tomatoes and cucumbers vertically is the traditional way of doing it here in the villages. They tie them with a string to a horizontal pole above in the greenhouse. I tried doing a Y-shaped method inspired by dreamcatchers to give the vines a little extra mobility, where I tied a string with both ends to 2 separate horizontal poles and then tied the plants from ground up in the middle with a 12-inch stake, crossed the plant string over the one hanging from the pole, pulling it down the middle creating a Y shape. I leave extra thread and play with the tightness, direction and weight distribution easily by sliding the strings on the poles. I accidentally flooded the greenhouse a couple of times because the irrigation pipes exploded. I then decided to go no-till and leave the wild grasses and edible weeds like dill, purslane, lady's thumb and amaranth to grow in the soil between my plants, as an experiment. I cut the grass to make fresh horse feed weekly, and it's saving me so much in expenses. There is almost no bare soil in the greenhouse. So right now there is edible weeds and grass with the veggies. It's basically a farmer's nightmare. But I'm so excited about it and I love what it's showing me. I noticed that red root amaranth naturally likes to grow with tomatoes. And dill with cucumbers. The majesty of a grown amaranth or lady's thumb plant is unworldly. And nature-grown purslane is so abundant. My senior horse is not getting colic emergencies for the first time in a decade because she's eating fresh and clean homegrown food, and we are one step closer to becoming a small self-cycling ecosystem. I'm also trying the theory that having no bare soil and beneficial weeds will prevent disease and pests to a certain degree. I'm learning as I go. So far the yield has been great. I'm grateful. The zucchinis are so out of control I can't reach their center. Some pruning needs to be done. I'm gonna try what you taught with wooden stakes. Wishing you and everyone here a great day. Thanks again.
Haha, yes I found a video on growing zucchini vertically and I did that. As Solomon said in the Bible, there is really nothing new under the sun 😊. Good tips. Thank-you!
I was sitting in the backyard enjoying my morning coffee when i decided that if it doesnt feed me or my pollinators i dont want to grow it. I live in Texas and i really have good oppertunities to grow so many things all year round. I started with a small space thats about 2 feet wide and 24 ft long. I had already started looking into vertical gardening so in that spot i have put squash and cucumbers. Ive got willow trelliss to attach to the side of the shed and am starting to put them vertical. Ive always grown something but this is the beginnibg of something bigger. So im hoping it works! Lol. Ive saved a dryer tub that will be a raised garden for strawberries, I planted two elderberry bushes and am about to start an arch full of luffa. Im so excited. Thank you again for the videos!
Thank you very much!! I have a super tiny garden but wanted to grow squashes until I realized how much property they consume. Not any more, thanks to you!!!
My garden area is just shy of 700 sq ft, and I, too, wanted to grow squashes. But I knew I couldn't because they would take up too much space. So.. vertical I went.. kinda. Instead of a single vertical panel.. I arch Hog Fencing from the squash bed to another. It's reinforced with three sections of 3/8th's rebar (for snow load), and it works great for queen, king acorn, and butternut. This year, I will be trying sweet pumpkin but on a different trellis.. same design.
Built a trellis from those exact same bamboo poles you speak of... Pre-drill, then connect with the shortest deck screws you can find. Has lasted me a decade....outdoors year-round Amazing how durable bamboo is...defying weather elements as if it were an issue.. (Charlotte weather zone) Great video...cheers!
I'm new to gardening and after looking a lot of video on UA-cam, I decided to use the square foot gardening ( 3 raise bed 8X4). Oh boy even going vertically, it's not easy to keep squash within one sqare foot.
@@dr.floridaman4805I painted my rusty concrete grids with black Rustoleum paint (used a brush, not the spray type). The black looks really nice against the green leaves.
I've seen a couple of blogs/articles where ppl have had great success using upsidedown tomato cages for zucchini and yellow squash... I'm actually trying it out this year! I love your trellis systems, they're all so compact and great for a smaller garden space! Thanks so much for all your hard work, teaching us newbies!
@@joanmerriken9216 that is REALLY good information - thank you so much for sharing it! We are starting from scratch in a new garden space, and I hadn't thought of teepees yet!
Hey Brian...Yesterday I watched this video and then went out and stood up my yellow squash plants...today they have already adjusted to standing and look great...thanks so much now I have more room to plant something else...also, I think I'll make a teepee and plant some more beans vertically...I was afraid I wouldn't have enough beans but with this method I will...Love your channel...keep up the good work
I have my zucchini growing in a tomato cage. And thanks for clarifying that the yellowing of the lower leaves in not a dreaded disease or sign of too much/little watering. I was so worried my plants were sick.
Great tips, I’m going to try them! Everybody, please avoid using zip ties and any plastic as much as possible. It ends up in the ocean or in the soil and it’s killing a lot of innocent wildlife. (And us) If you’re into gardening I’m sure you want to do it as impact-free as possible and avoiding plastic is is a big help.
If you have a small yard and you want a big garden, don't forget about about the roof! The first time I planted pumpkins in my tiny yard, they took over the whole place, even climbing the trees. Lightbulb moment...I built a really sturdy frame out of 2x4s and wire fencing material between the ground and first story roof. Now I plant about 20 vines in a 3'x10' space, and let them run all over the roof. I get about 200+ pounds of squash out of 30 square feet of dirt. This trick works with any full-vine variety of winter squash. But stick to winter squash, because you don't want to be making a lot of trips up onto your roof to be monitoring and picking immature fruit (like melons). With winter squash you can just wait until the vines start to die and pick them in one or two sessions. Pro tip: don't let the vines set fruit in your gutter, you will regret that later.
I am learning so much from you! My cucumbers are growing vertically now and are doing just great, better than ever before. Thanks so much and keep the wisdom coming!
The best thing i have used to tie plants up is tie tape. I got a roll of it from my dad who has a vineyard. It's awesome and doesn't shrink or stretch too much. It allows the trunk of the plant to expand without cutting into it and yet it's gentle enough to tie small vines and tender plants up without damaging them
Oh, thanks for the tip. I’ve got flagging tape I use to tag the trees I need cut down when our tree guy comes every couple of years. Perfect use for leftover tape.
O ya Brian! Vertically is the way to go i build the same trellis you have and my cucumber and crenshaw melons are thriving. IM SOOOOOOOOO HAPPPYYY i found your channel you really are the best and I’m glad you’re getting more videos up!!
I really like the idea of staking summer squashes. The only downfall would be if you got an infestation of squash borers. If the plant stalk still has access to the ground, you can put soil farther up from the infestation and it will root again so the plant can continue producing fruits and not relying on the main compromised root system.
For several years I've been growing winter squash on "skyscraper" towers I've fashioned from 3/4" PVC pipe and fittings. They are 7' tall, 2' on a side, and in four sections that make for easy disassembly and storage. The vines are easily trained onto the towers. They result in better air flow through the plants, raised level of blossoms, less disease, and higher fruit production. Thanks for the idea about growing zucchini upright. I'll try that next year on a smaller tower.
Thanks for the informative video Brian. In lieu of cattle panels I’m using wire reinforcing mesh (Ramesh) that comes in 42” x 84” sheets (about $8 at the big box stores) and “T” posts. I’ve grown hot house type cucumbers on it for years and it works well. Depending on the plant I’ve used them both vertically and horizontally and they’re pretty stable even in heavy winds. I also save the stalks from sunflowers and repurpose them as teepee stakes for pole beans etc. They last 2-3 growing seasons and have a rough texture so support tape doesn’t slip. This season I’m growing buttercup squash vertically and I use those nylon drawstring produce bags for support. They’re cheap and work great.
@@alexjunge7219 Hey Alex. I would not grow winter squash on panels or trellises. The fruit are just too difficult to manage unless they have ground support. I’ve seen some tied up with various bagging methods but it looks like a lot of extra work.
I started this year growing my squash vertically and so far it is working. It seems to help with reducing vine borers as well. Thanks for the information. It was GREAT!!
@@jeanwall1676 it looks like there's a wooden frame that he attaches the string to at the top. That's the usual way for a string trellis. I'm pretty sure he showed it, but only really briefly. :)
I have a chain link fence around my yard. I build raised garden beds 8 inches off the fence. It works out perfect to grow my cucumbers and beans. I am so excited to try cantaloupe on the fence this summer. Thanks for the advice!
Another alternative to cattle panels in Europe might be concrete reinforcing mesh. It comes in various sizes of hole, but I have seen it looking pretty much like the cattle panels in the video. Find it in builders merchants.
This helped me so much! It was the first video that popped up when looking for how to grow squash vertically and you answered every question I had! Thank you for being so thorough.
This is my first year trying to grow squash verticals. So far I’ve used tomato cages and a pole. Things look good, I’ve had to help pollinate but enjoyed the video about pollination.
Once again, Brian to the rescue! My zucchini had fallen over and started to take up the bed. Like you suggested, I used wooden stakes and that flexible coated wire I just happen to have. I was able to gently wire them up. Theey look a little crooked, but I imagine they will straighten up. I have learned and put into practice so many tips and tricks from your channel and I truly appreciate it.
@@NextLevelGardening I am definitely trying this method with my zucchini and squash this year as the tomato cages just get upended after some time as the plant takes over. How high should my stakes be out of the ground to cover their full length of growing? It looks like the ones in the video are at least 3' above ground. Thanks!
@@NextLevelGardening I used to live in CA and lived to garden. I recently moved out of state and the bugs are INSANE! I know this post is old but I just found your channel and dove in deep 😂 I planted pumpkins for last fall and the amount of Avids drug the plant to the ground 😮 I have never seen so many bugs 🐛 how do you combat them? The leaves we covered front to back and stems. It was like a plague
Thank you so much for all the wonderful info you have on gardening! I'm older by comparison, (63) and just started growing a garden within the past 2 yrs. . I've gone through all, or most of your video's and have found some GREAT tips and tricks for great gardening, in small spaces! I can't wait now, to try growing things vertically!
Great ideas! Last year I panted my butternut near a small garden fence that surrounds my raised beds and the plants gravitated towards the fence and naturally trellised. After watching this video, I will plan on trellising with cattle panels (available at Tractor supply) to preemptively save space. Also will do the same for my Zucchini.
A variation of the cattle wire; use E stakes or posts so it's leaning at a 45-80 degree angle like a lean to, plant your squash under the wire and train the vine onto it. The fruits will hang down under the lean-to and the slope will allow for more leaf coverage per plant.
Going out right this minute to fix my squash that has taken over the world! I’m so excited you did this video. Thank you!!!! I’m still new and although I’m clearly doing something right I need lots of help. 😁
That happened to me last year. Two amazing zukes took over a WHOLE 4x8 bed. So I have been procrastinating on where to plant them. I put one in a self wicking bucket and have lots of places to trellis it up. I had no idea you could cut all those leaves off at the bottom. They were humongous! Several more cukes, zukes, & squashes later to transplant, now I'm on a roll! 🐞🌱🐝
We all need help from time to time, just keep on gardening, Denise. You're doing great by actually having squash growing in April! I haven't even put mine out yet, and I'm a Master Gardener. It's a cool, wet Spring here in Northern Alabama, so I still have time. Best of luck and ten green thumbs to you!
@@simonlang2485 Are you planting plants or from seed? I live in Kansas, my seedlings have almost died off I don't know what to do if I should start over with seeds or just try to bite the bullet and buy a bunch of plants?? I wanted to save money... Oh well. First time gardening here 😁
I was wishing my husband would build me a tomato trellis when today I remembered I had a set of metal clothes line poles inside my garden that I haven't used in years. Eureka!
Thanks for the great video Brian. I did a vertical garden this year for my tomatoes, squash and zucs. Has worked out very well. Thanks for the wire idea to tie off the squash. I'm going to try it next year on the squash and zuc since the stretchy green tape was hard to get them tied properly. I got some 2x4's free from a construction sight and cut them into 2x2 by 8 ft long. Needed more than originally planned since I let the tomatoes split into 2 main nodes. They have grown almost to the top of those posts. Squash and zuc were similar in that there were 2 main nodes or stems I had to tie up. It was very hard in the beginning to get them to train up the posts, but once started it was easy to maintain. Also kept the large leaves off the ground. Plan on doing the same approach next year.
Today in my search I came across your video and I found that you have a great personality, great presentation, a gentle tone of voice. I pray that HGTV make you an offer you can refuse. Thank you / I enjoyed your channel.
I started zucchini from seed for the first time I put a tomato cage over it, then my husband made me a 7 ft 4 sided trellis which I put over the top of the whole plant , it's working wonderfully, not only are the plants growing vertically, but it looks pretty too, I only recently found your channel and I am learning so much. Thanks so much. and tfs.....Mary
Last year, for first time, I used your vertical tomato growing technique. It was awesome! I was able to grow 4 plants where, previously, barely one would fit. Those 4 were so productive, I gave away a LOT of tomatoes! But, I used 1/2" electrical conduit as my cross piece. By the end of the season, it was bowing from the weight of all those tomatoes. This year, I've doubled the space and I've replaced conduit pipe with heavy duty plumbing pipe which I've planted deep, like a fence post, using cement. I'll bet there's nothing too heavy, including melons, to grow there now! After watching this, I fully intend to try that! I really enjoy your show and thank you so much. If I followed no other tips than the one about tomatoes, it was worth all the video watching time logged. Thank you, lovely man!
I bought twenty concrete mesh panels so far this year and intend on buying at least ten more for growing things vertically. They're far cheaper than cattle panels and can easily be cut with a hacksaw to make smaller trellises or various supports and arches. Also got some cheap wire closet shelving for the same use. They're very strong and would support larger squash. Another option for tying things to stakes and trellises and saying no to anything plastic or synthetic is cotton macrame cordage, which is available in a variety of diameters. I bought a thousand foot roll very cheaply. Its very strong and is completely biodegradable. We all need to seriously lessen our plastic consumption and purchases, so I forgo zip ties and other such rubbish whenever possible. ESPECIALLY zip ties, which most people only use once because they cant be bothered to put the effort into reusing them. I even reuse the plastic twine farmers use to pack the hay bales I buy so they don't end up polluting the land anymore than the manufacturing process of plastics already does. I personally don't want to contribute to more crap in the landfills and oceans when I can find better alternatives. It negates growing organically when adding more pollutants to the planet.
Cattle panels are hard to find here and expensive. I used mesh rebar ( normally used for laying concrete foundations) from big box store - less than $10 each, not as strong as cattle panels and they do rust easily (but can be spray painted) but work pretty well in the garden.
Man. I continually change my ways of gardening and growing my vegetables the vertical way even though I grow in a garden. I have 5 gallon buckets too experimenting with and has drip irrigation or spray heads. This video with summer squash will absolutely help I think also in controlling squash bugs here in Texas much better. My peppers and tomatoes I grew from seeds your way in green house now I have peppers n tomatoes on plants in garden I planted 2 weeks ago. Amazing!!! Seems the crab n lobster shell,kelp n rock phosphate are killing it in my garden!!! Thanks again for great advice n videos
I found a roll of concrete reinforcing wire and cut it to create an arch over one of our beds. The pumpkins (as well as canteloupe and spaghetti squash) have gone absolutely crazy winding throughout it, with several large pumpkins hanging below (now supported). I planted in late April and they are already turning orange here in southern New Mexico. Not a topic for this video, but we also planted a bunch of gold and purple potatoes in feed bags from our chicken and rabbit feed before we made the beds. It gave us quite a bit more planting space and reused the bags...They are just about ready to harvest as well!
@@danarzechula3769 My husband and I went to Lowes today, and bought two 8'x4' panel of concrete reinforcing wire mesh today. It was too long and too wide to fit in our SUV. We figured that to make them fit, we had to roll them. We laid them flat on the ground, on top of each other, and then lifted one end and rolled it 1.25 turns and tied it with two ratchet tiedowns, to keep them from unrolling. (It was a good thing that we carry two ratchet straps in our car all the time.) When we got home, unloaded the rolled panels, and took off the straps, the panels unrolled but stayed slightly bent. This bend will work out perfectly when we tie each panel to T-bars and tie the top edges together to form the arch. So in our case, the bending tools were our feet, our hands and two ratchet tiedowns. I am glad that we went together. It would be much more challenging for a single person to do what we did together and to get it done safely.
@@JS-jl1yj I've said many times that one of the best $20 bills that ever left my wallet went to a small cylinder full of bungee cords in varying lengths. It lives in my car, except when I take it camping, and has come in handy more times than I can count, and almost never was it planned in advance - that's why they stay in the car. I don't do a lot of hauling, but I bought those cords at least 25 years ago, and used them as recently as last month. 😁
I bought a very cheap wedding arch from Amazon as cattle panels are too big for me and too expensive to get delivered. I bought a rather sturdier arch too and have now ordered another cheap one.I have used four t posts on each on and they are very firm. I can use netting or strings on them to grow beans and squash. I have antique roses at the base, planted in large pots to attract pollinators as I have seen this done in France. These $25 dollar aches with T posts are easy, cheap and manageable.
I've been making "tipis" out of the branches of the Mulberry tree that gets a serious trim every winter and the birdhouse gourds last year were pretty tall, but your soil or micro-climate or fertilizer or something is quite a bit better than what I was doing, the harvest was less than spectacular. Also train cannabis branches to spread using the same system. The wire I use is the same stuff used in wiring a house, 4 wire,10 gauge "Romex" that I strip down to individual wires, the uninsulated ones I keep for art projects - I have a wire "oak tree" still in the works that probably weighs 4 or 5 pounds already and so far, it's way cool. There's another potential benefit I can imagine for me anyway by elevating summer-squash - the "fruit" wouldn't be able to hide under all the leaves and grow to the size of a small toaster oven before I run across the darn thing. I'm in the garden daily in the summer but already have recycled a bunch of giant zuchinni and Mexican squash into the compost pile. Guess the eyes are getting past their prime, but sometimes I'd swear that the things are purposefully hiding from me, Appreciate the tips you provide. Been gardening for three decades(?) and am still always ready to learn something new. Gratitude
While I was away last year and my brother pet sitting, I begged him to pick any zucchini that got to a decent size, even if he wasn't going to eat them. Came home to several ginormous fruits still on the vine. 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
I love your show!!! I have squash, watermelon, cucumber and zucchini growing in different ways (some near fences, some just sprawling and some near stakes). This is the first year I’ve tried vertical growing. I was unsure how to train the zucchini, this show really helps. I have one zucchini in a tomato cage and the others near stakes but didn’t quite know how to get the zucchini to go up the stake. Now I know, thank you again!!
I am watching this for the first time. How you trellis zucchini is PURE, UNADULTERATED GENIUS!!! I THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I have a young Zucchini that I can do this to NOW.
Great ideas! Fortunately for my family and me, I haven't set out my squash plants yet, so you have just solved a huge space problem for us! Thank you! Keep talking, please--because we're listening--and watching!
I'm super excited to try to grow zucchini vertically, they always take over and get diseased as you mentioned. Right now we're growing Armenian Cucumbers, Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Spaghetti Squash vertically. 😊👍
Great video! I would like to offer some variety suggestions if I may please. I live in a city condo but have a decent sized outside area for a condo. I grow many things vertically to save space. I am trying these varieties of smaller, personal sized melons, etc. this year and so far, they are growing fantastic up on my Hortonova trellis. These varieties are compact vines and have great reviews. They are: Small Sugar Pumpkin, Tigger melons, Little Baby Flower Watermelons, Sugar Cube Hybrid melons, Small Wonder F1 hybrid personal sized spaghetti squash and Minnesota Midget melons.I am in Louisville, Ky. zone 6B
I have peas on a small grate/trellis, it's actually an old shelf from a small greenhouse. Beans on bamboo poles, and just got the cattle oanel for my butternut and acorn squash thugs!
I was going to plant my cucumbers today and found this before getting started. Now I will put them in a different location and get it started for vertical growing. Many thanks👍
We're doing the vertical squash this year! We built wig wams with cross pieces which give horizontal support potential. So far, so good! I sent pix to your IG. Thanks, Brian, for all your advice.
You're right, you're the second video I've watched talking about staking summer squash. However, you went into much more detail and explained how to do it and why, where the other one did not. So thank you. This will be my first foray into growing squash, and this will make it go better I'm sure.
I had lots of time on my hands because of covid-19 so I'm trying out straw bale gardening with cattle panels. I placed the bales 30 inches apart in rows and drove T-posts through the bales into the ground. To transport the cattle panels, I folded them in half lengthwise so they would fit on top of my van. As I unfolded them they automatically formed a gothic arch. I liked the arch so I zip tied the panels to the T posts spanning the opening between the straw bales. I have cukes, gourds, melons, and beans climbing the panels as well as Morning Glory and Cardinal Climber. Squash, okra, peppers, tomatoes, and egg plant are carefully woven through the openings in lieu of trellising. So far so good.
I wish I had seen this before I got my garden going. But I’m so happy I found it! I have a small space that gets full sun so I need to grow vertically. Definitely following your zucchini stake setup for my zucchini and summer squash. I have watermelon seeds too but couldn’t figure out what I would do with them and now I know!
I have some in tomato frames. Just made an arch using ladder mesh and PVC tubes. One end has a yellow squash and the other a sugar baby watermelon. They are shading my greens 🙌🏼🙌🏼
Instead of cattle panels, I use rebar grids that I buy at Home Depot. They look like your cattle fencing and come in 8x4 panels. I've had mine for years and have grown cucumbers, pumpkins, beans - anything that climbs or can be tied up. I form mine into an arch with 4 rebar posts - a bit of work to begin with, but it lasts forever. I even moved it this year, very easily. Simply pulled up the rebar posts and then reinserted in the new bed. I probably found this idea on Pinterest.
I actually started this to get the plant more sun. Fencing shades the ground; so by growing vertically I can get the plan more sun. So far, so good....
I’m using tomato cages for my cucumbers this year and it is working fantastic! I definitely want to try the stake method for summer squash and the string method for beans next.
Hi Brian, great vid. Funnily enough, just before I saw this I pruned and staked up my courgette (zucchini) and marrow using canes wired together like one of your teepee. I learned that the reason I was getting end rot on the later courgettes was because the flowers were not getting pollinated enough. Growing vertically should help the bees get in to the later flowers and produce better fruit!
Last year I used 2/ 8 foot high wooden ladders with a board connecting the two and resting on the rungs. This was excellent for weaving the various squash plants tendrils thru the rungs and the boards became shelves for potted herbs.. Looked pretty sweet too !
Nicely done! I've been using a vertical trellis for cucumbers for years and love it. But, I use 4 ply jute twine and my trellis has 10 horizontal lines (tied off on eye bolts). I end up with a wall of cucumber plants and an amazing number of cucumbers. The extreme of vertical growing can be seen at Walt Disney World's "Living with the Land" ride. Heavy veggies definitely need a support structure and they seem to use netting around each melon (tie the netting off on the structure).
As I had a garden arch for putting up some shade cloth I am training the cushaw pumpkins along it. I use fabric slings under any fruit once they are over 2" in diameter. This is my first year trying this and hope to improve it soon. The comment about the patio umbrella frame really rocks and I will give that a try this week.
I started using this method this year. The other advantage is for those of us who are constantly battling squash vine borers it makes it much easier to wrap the trunk with foil and also to check for the tiny eggs and if all of that fails you should be able to see their poop immediately so you can kill them before the plant is beyond help. I like the electric wire trick. I've been using twine and the plant slides down so I have a silver coiled trunk on the ground.🤣
@@mikkibates7854 I almost gave up zucchini due to vine borers. Now I cover the plant in an 18 gallon plastic tote with tulle and hand pollinate. Works great with just a little more effort.
A few years back I used an old 8' patio umbrella (without the cloth) as a cucumber trellis. I staked twine at each plant then tied the other end to each of the 8 ribs. It was one of my favorite upcycle projects. Now I have cattle panels for all of my raised beds. My garden is tiny by many standards but with my nesting blue birds, grand daughters' mud kitchen, and many whimsical ornaments, it is the happiest place on Earth.
Did you put the umbrella in the ground? Or did you use an umbrella stand?
Oh man! I wish I would have saw this comment yesterday. My patio umbrella broke in a windstorm and please put it in the trash yesterday. They picked up the trash this morning🤦. The funny thing is, I was thinking about how I could repurpose that umbrella, but couldn't come up with anything. So we put it in the trash.
👌💖
What are cattle panels?
Sorry he actually answered my question if I had waited long enough
What I was little, my mom had a compost pile in the backyard. There were large bushes next to it. I remember going out there one day and being surprised to find pumpkins hanging from the bushes. A pumpkin seed had sprouted in the compost pile and grew up through the bushes, leaving beautiful little pumpkins hanging like Christmas tree ornaments.
Now this is a nice image from your childhood 😍
Thats kinda cool:)
WOW how exciting. 🤗
What a sight to see for sure!
thats a great memory from a great childhood. i wish my mom lived few more years to see how a good and resourceful gardener i turned to be. she taught me how to plant sweet potatoes when i was a child. now i plant them every year and its been my #1 plant.
Several years ago a blue hubbard squash decided to spread beyond my garden. The vine found a pear tree 20 feet away and climbed on its own before it bore fruit. That fall I harvested a 25 pound squash that found its own support in a crotch of the tree.
plants are smart!
Wow.
LOL! I had a pumpkin growing in a tree one time.
Impressive determination.
Good grief! That's awesome!
I cut a plastic grocery bag (one of those thin flimsy ones) into fat strips to tie up tomatoes, etc. They are strong, last the season & don't damage the stems as they grow.
Neat!! I will try!! 👍
Great idea to use those!!
I did that this year when I couldn't find my ties, LOL. It's working great!
They also make great packing materiel for moving or mailing. Weights next to nothing and keeps them out of landfills.
Great idea, thanks!
I grow as many of my plants as I can vertical I use a green velcro tape to hold the stems to everything in the area. My kids have been asking me to grow pumpkins and watermelon but dread the space they take up so this year when I grow them I thought about using 3 wooden stakes in a triangle shape and making hammocks to help hold them up. Will let you know how I make out. Only going to be my 2nd yr gardening and have learned a lot from your videos and I owe you a huge Thank You for teaching me everything. My 1st garden last year was out of control. I had so many different plants growing and everything put out such a high yield of crops I actually had several life long gardeners tell me they all had a bad year and asked me how the heck I managed to get such a high yield.They all wanted to know my secrets. I started everything from seeds which they couldn't believe and everything I grew organicly using only organic everything. I still had tomatoes and peppers producing right up till October and I live in zone 6b so once again I thank you for everything. This year I'm doubling my crops so I can donate even more to. Our Senior Center and local food pantry like I did last year. So young man, give yourself a pat on the back for making dozens of happy people last year
At my old house, I had a jungle gym that rusted through at the ground. My boys carried it over to my garden and "planted" it next to my squash bed. I grew butternut squash up one ladder and acrossthee top, and watermelon up the opposite ladder and across the top. The fruit hung down from the top rungs, supported by old stockings.
I also turned a children's climbing dome into a support for peas and beans. My youngest son liked to crawl inside with his friends.
I have also used the side railings from an old crib as a ladder for vines to climb (I think that one was for the cucumbers).
My latest idea is to use an extra chain link gate for my kiwi to climb. I haven't set it up yet, though, because I can't carry it alone. My boys will all be home in a couple of weeks, so I will have them help me get it secured in the garden.
Last year, I used the chain link fence that surrounds the garden for my peas, but the elk kept eating them. So this year, I am using a pet exercise pen for my peas to climb. I have one supporting my asparagus as well.
As you can see, I like to give old, out-of-need items a new job, preferably in my garden.
💚 creating core memories with the kiddos 💚
I took your tips and support literally. After negotiating my neibours fence and reaching their washing line, I liberated several bras, great support for melons
Here is another option. An old ladder is a good climb for plants, such as the squashes and melons. Place the veggies on the rungs, and all is good. Additionally, the ladder may be used as a decorative item. Stick in some flags or small flower containers and you have a party.
I use an old wooden step ladder for my pole beans the same way Brian uses his bamboo teepees.
Hmm, seems like another good way to use pallets. Love this idea!! I also use pantyhose to support them. 😎
Oh this is a great idea, I just pulled an old wooden ladder and have been using it for the pots and bird feeders... on my way outside to drop some seeds in the ground at its feet
@@fireofevender5515 I also have used old panty hose to make like a hammock sling for the pumpkins or any thing heavy ..it really helps especially since we moved to Montgomery County, Texas almost 15 yrs ago from Northern Illinois almost by Wisconsin.
A totally different climate down here an can basically grow year around ,
But we get Red & black ants that bite and make hills , so I must keep up on everything in the ground ,
I even found in 1 of my tomatoe plants I was gonna pull out & take cuttings from to use again had red ants in my Good soil ,
Had to dump all the soil .
God bless you & hope you get a great harvest .. .
Josette Tharp 🙏🏻
@
I used pipe cleaners to tie up my zucchini. It worked well and was easy to use.
If you go to home depot, they usually have 'scrap' wood like the ones used for the summer squash for up to 80% off. You can ask any employee about discounted wood and they'll take you right to it.
They also have bins out back with broken wood pieces that you can scrounge.
Be careful that the scraps aren’t chemically treated though!
There are a lot of homes being built near me and I ask the contractor if I can have their scrap wood. It’s been a God send for me; cinder blocks for pot support, 6 to 10 foot wood strips that were discarded from trim, so much trash that becomes my treasure!
I use 1/2" velcro on the roll to tie up my tomatoes. The hook is on one side and the loop on the other, so it self adheres. Green color blends, and it's very gentle. Also very inexpensive for a long roll.
I"m growing in 15-gallon storage containers, using a combination of 6' bamboo poles and 16 gauge wire fencing that comes in a roll. I have watermelon, cantaloupe, and miniature butternut squash. So far everything is doing extremely well
Cool! Where did you get those containers? Were they expensive?
@@libbyholt3863
No I used totes, they vary in price so you’ll need to shop around. Once purchased they last for years. Mine’s stay outside with soil in them that I use from to season. This is a very economical way to garden
THat is so neat! THat would be great to see your work in a video! DOes it have to be 16 guage wire?
I also use the field fencing, especially for tomato cages about 2' in diameter (8 to 10 linear feet of fencing, allowing for several squares of overlap), and each cage secured to tee post
@@jeannehintze9136 Do you have a link for pictures? So many of us are visual. Thks
We saw a great idea in Disney World's "Living with the Land" ride. They grew pumpkins up a wire and on top of a pergola. When small, the pumpkins were placed in a plastic mold in the shape of Mickey Mouse ears which shaped them as they grew. The molds were removed when the pumpkins were full size to reveal Mickey-shaped pumpkins hanging down from the pergola. We have done this with our pumpkins ever since (minus the Mickey molds). At first, we used slings to hold up our big pumpkins so they wouldn't fall and break. We have since learned that the stem of the pumpkin gets thicker and stronger as the pumpkin gets bigger and no support is needed. It looks great and creates a nice shady place to relax in our garden.
Makes me want to build a pergola now 😄
Looks cool too 👍
How large can pumpkins grow on a trellis without putting them in a sling? That is what has kept me from trying it before.
That's so neat
@@mikkibates7854 I think the biggest factor is having a STURDY trellis. Like maybe cattle fencing.
Trying to grow my zucchini using 4' wooden stakes this year in my raised beds. So far so good! They are training well and I love that the leaves, flowers and fruit are off the ground! Sure saves space! Last year grew my baby butternut squash utilizing a cattle panel and it worked really great with lots of great squash. Love em!
Cattle panels are super pricey in our area and have been out of stock since 2020. But the wooden trellis gave me an idea of making my own! We live in a forest, so small trees everywhere I can use. It'll look nice and rustic too. Thanks for the inspiration and extra $ saved!
Cattle panels, wooden stakes, old dog fencing, chain link fence, wire closet shelves, bamboo stakes, and tomato cages are what I’m using for vertical growing. I even have a couple of genuine trellises just to add class to my menagerie. I’ve found the chain link fence (5’ tall) and tomato clips are the easiest for the tomatoes. Thanks for another great video! Going to try once again to stake the monster zucchini here.
My neighbor threw out his daybed. It’s now my trellis
I picked up three like new 6ft wire closet shelves at a garage sale for $10, and three different trellises for $1 each at other sales. I just got three cattle panels. I have strings tied up from beds to overhead hail covering and from self wicking buckets to a pergola. Also, I have a knee fence in my flower garden and border fencing I plan to use as trellises. So many ways to trellis!
Joanie S it’s so much fun right! We’re just taking our time and slowly adding things. I love finding deals or using indoor objects in the outdoors. My neighbor got rid of an old sewing machine table. It’s so cute with a wooden barrel on top with my herbs!
Wire mesh used for cement work. Also with the panels you can take small pieces and make shelves that can be wired in place to support larger vegetables.
That's a really nifty idea!!
That's what I use. Got a 100'x6' roll with 6" squares for about $150. Made cylinder cages for the tomatoes, smaller ones for peppers and nailed sheets to 4x4s for cucumbers. I love that stuff.
@@LetsGoFlyers2011 that same roll costs $295. at Lowes now. Prices have gone through the roof.
@@gogr2409 Damn. Glad mine are still pretty solid.
Thank you for another superb video. I love your channel and I'm learning so much from you. I live in northern Turkey, near the Black Sea coast and I just started with veggies in a greenhouse this year, I usually worked with wild herbs before which needed no help to grow. Veggies are whole new story for me. I'm using only in-house horse manure for fertilizer, no pesticides, no chemicals.
Growing tomatoes and cucumbers vertically is the traditional way of doing it here in the villages. They tie them with a string to a horizontal pole above in the greenhouse. I tried doing a Y-shaped method inspired by dreamcatchers to give the vines a little extra mobility, where I tied a string with both ends to 2 separate horizontal poles and then tied the plants from ground up in the middle with a 12-inch stake, crossed the plant string over the one hanging from the pole, pulling it down the middle creating a Y shape. I leave extra thread and play with the tightness, direction and weight distribution easily by sliding the strings on the poles.
I accidentally flooded the greenhouse a couple of times because the irrigation pipes exploded. I then decided to go no-till and leave the wild grasses and edible weeds like dill, purslane, lady's thumb and amaranth to grow in the soil between my plants, as an experiment. I cut the grass to make fresh horse feed weekly, and it's saving me so much in expenses. There is almost no bare soil in the greenhouse. So right now there is edible weeds and grass with the veggies. It's basically a farmer's nightmare. But I'm so excited about it and I love what it's showing me.
I noticed that red root amaranth naturally likes to grow with tomatoes. And dill with cucumbers. The majesty of a grown amaranth or lady's thumb plant is unworldly. And nature-grown purslane is so abundant. My senior horse is not getting colic emergencies for the first time in a decade because she's eating fresh and clean homegrown food, and we are one step closer to becoming a small self-cycling ecosystem. I'm also trying the theory that having no bare soil and beneficial weeds will prevent disease and pests to a certain degree. I'm learning as I go. So far the yield has been great. I'm grateful. The zucchinis are so out of control I can't reach their center. Some pruning needs to be done. I'm gonna try what you taught with wooden stakes.
Wishing you and everyone here a great day. Thanks again.
I planted 6 pots for zucchini seedlings before I knew how large space they need 🤣 You saved me, and them as well 💗
😂
Haha, yes I found a video on growing zucchini vertically and I did that. As Solomon said in the Bible, there is really nothing new under the sun 😊.
Good tips. Thank-you!
Remember the fourth commandment of Exodus 20:8-11 reminds us of Genesis 2:2&3.
You are not only informative, you are SUCH a good speaker! Just a pleasure to listen to!!
started growing my squash vertically right from the start this year after watching an earlier vid of yours. the trunks are about 2 ft tall now!!
I was sitting in the backyard enjoying my morning coffee when i decided that if it doesnt feed me or my pollinators i dont want to grow it. I live in Texas and i really have good oppertunities to grow so many things all year round. I started with a small space thats about 2 feet wide and 24 ft long. I had already started looking into vertical gardening so in that spot i have put squash and cucumbers. Ive got willow trelliss to attach to the side of the shed and am starting to put them vertical. Ive always grown something but this is the beginnibg of something bigger. So im hoping it works! Lol. Ive saved a dryer tub that will be a raised garden for strawberries, I planted two elderberry bushes and am about to start an arch full of luffa. Im so excited. Thank you again for the videos!
Thank you very much!! I have a super tiny garden but wanted to grow squashes until I realized how much property they consume. Not any more, thanks to you!!!
You are so good at this! Public speaker and great gardener!!!
I’m obsessed with your channel! You’re an awesome teacher!
Thank you!
My garden area is just shy of 700 sq ft, and I, too, wanted to grow squashes. But I knew I couldn't because they would take up too much space. So.. vertical I went.. kinda.
Instead of a single vertical panel.. I arch Hog Fencing from the squash bed to another. It's reinforced with three sections of 3/8th's rebar (for snow load), and it works great for queen, king acorn, and butternut.
This year, I will be trying sweet pumpkin but on a different trellis.. same design.
Hi! I am currently growing my squash in a tomato cage with basil as a companion. The flowers are just starting to open, but so far so good.
Built a trellis from those exact same bamboo poles you speak of...
Pre-drill, then connect with the shortest deck screws you can find.
Has lasted me a decade....outdoors year-round
Amazing how durable bamboo is...defying weather elements as if it were an issue..
(Charlotte weather zone)
Great video...cheers!
I'm new to gardening and after looking a lot of video on UA-cam, I decided to use the square foot gardening ( 3 raise bed 8X4). Oh boy even going vertically, it's not easy to keep squash within one sqare foot.
A good cheap alternative to cattle panels is concrete reinforcement mesh. It's like a bunch of narrow gauge rebar welded together in a square grid.
Yes - it’s strong, cheap and available at most building stores.
That's what I use. Rusty but works great
@@dr.floridaman4805I painted my rusty concrete grids with black Rustoleum paint (used a brush, not the spray type). The black looks really nice against the green leaves.
I've seen a couple of blogs/articles where ppl have had great success using upsidedown tomato cages for zucchini and yellow squash... I'm actually trying it out this year! I love your trellis systems, they're all so compact and great for a smaller garden space! Thanks so much for all your hard work, teaching us newbies!
Thank you for your ideas. Last year I took 8/9’ bamboo and made tee pees out of them. It was my best tomato year ever.
@@joanmerriken9216 that is REALLY good information - thank you so much for sharing it! We are starting from scratch in a new garden space, and I hadn't thought of teepees yet!
Hey Brian...Yesterday I watched this video and then went out and stood up my yellow squash plants...today they have already adjusted to standing and look great...thanks so much now I have more room to plant something else...also, I think I'll make a teepee and plant some more beans vertically...I was afraid I wouldn't have enough beans but with this method I will...Love your channel...keep up the good work
I have my zucchini growing in a tomato cage. And thanks for clarifying that the yellowing of the lower leaves in not a dreaded disease or sign of too much/little watering. I was so worried my plants were sick.
My neighbor Art taught me that trick. The tomato cage accomplishes the same thing but you don't have to tie it to a stake.
I also plant my zucchini in a large sturdy tomato cage.
Great tips, I’m going to try them! Everybody, please avoid using zip ties and any plastic as much as possible. It ends up in the ocean or in the soil and it’s killing a lot of innocent wildlife. (And us) If you’re into gardening I’m sure you want to do it as impact-free as possible and avoiding plastic is is a big help.
If you have a small yard and you want a big garden, don't forget about about the roof! The first time I planted pumpkins in my tiny yard, they took over the whole place, even climbing the trees. Lightbulb moment...I built a really sturdy frame out of 2x4s and wire fencing material between the ground and first story roof. Now I plant about 20 vines in a 3'x10' space, and let them run all over the roof. I get about 200+ pounds of squash out of 30 square feet of dirt. This trick works with any full-vine variety of winter squash. But stick to winter squash, because you don't want to be making a lot of trips up onto your roof to be monitoring and picking immature fruit (like melons). With winter squash you can just wait until the vines start to die and pick them in one or two sessions. Pro tip: don't let the vines set fruit in your gutter, you will regret that later.
I am learning so much from you! My cucumbers are growing vertically now and are doing just great, better than ever before. Thanks so much and keep the wisdom coming!
This was my first year of vertical cucumbers. Never growing them on the ground again!
I don't care these are old. I Love this guy. I have been watching other people ,but I really know he is the ' go to ' person. Much love to all.
Thank you Donna!
The best thing i have used to tie plants up is tie tape. I got a roll of it from my dad who has a vineyard. It's awesome and doesn't shrink or stretch too much. It allows the trunk of the plant to expand without cutting into it and yet it's gentle enough to tie small vines and tender plants up without damaging them
Oh, thanks for the tip. I’ve got flagging tape I use to tag the trees I need cut down when our tree guy comes every couple of years. Perfect use for leftover tape.
O ya Brian! Vertically is the way to go i build the same trellis you have and my cucumber and crenshaw melons are thriving. IM SOOOOOOOOO HAPPPYYY i found your channel you really are the best and I’m glad you’re getting more videos up!!
Hey Donnie! Thanks, always appreciate your support!
I really like the idea of staking summer squashes. The only downfall would be if you got an infestation of squash borers. If the plant stalk still has access to the ground, you can put soil farther up from the infestation and it will root again so the plant can continue producing fruits and not relying on the main compromised root system.
For several years I've been growing winter squash on "skyscraper" towers I've fashioned from 3/4" PVC pipe and fittings. They are 7' tall, 2' on a side, and in four sections that make for easy disassembly and storage. The vines are easily trained onto the towers. They result in better air flow through the plants, raised level of blossoms, less disease, and higher fruit production. Thanks for the idea about growing zucchini upright. I'll try that next year on a smaller tower.
Thanks for the informative video Brian. In lieu of cattle panels I’m using wire reinforcing mesh (Ramesh) that comes in 42” x 84” sheets (about $8 at the big box stores) and “T” posts. I’ve grown hot house type cucumbers on it for years and it works well. Depending on the plant I’ve used them both vertically and horizontally and they’re pretty stable even in heavy winds. I also save the stalks from sunflowers and repurpose them as teepee stakes for pole beans etc. They last 2-3 growing seasons and have a rough texture so support tape doesn’t slip. This season I’m growing buttercup squash vertically and I use those nylon drawstring produce bags for support. They’re cheap and work great.
I've always wondered if those would work. Please let me know!
im thinking of adding acorn and butternut squash to my 4 by 8 foot community garden plot would the cattle fence work good on them or how about a tepee
@@alexjunge7219 Hey Alex. I would not grow winter squash on panels or trellises. The fruit are just too difficult to manage unless they have ground support. I’ve seen some tied up with various bagging methods but it looks like a lot of extra work.
I started this year growing my squash vertically and so far it is working. It seems to help with reducing vine borers as well. Thanks for the information. It was GREAT!!
I repurposed old wooden clothes drying racks for my cukes and squash
What are the strings that hold up the tomatoes attached to at the top?
Great idea!
@@jeanwall1676 it looks like there's a wooden frame that he attaches the string to at the top. That's the usual way for a string trellis. I'm pretty sure he showed it, but only really briefly. :)
Brilliant!
Could you grow zucchini up the tomato string, maybe hang some some rope down from the trellis?
I have a chain link fence around my yard. I build raised garden beds 8 inches off the fence. It works out perfect to grow my cucumbers and beans. I am so excited to try cantaloupe on the fence this summer. Thanks for the advice!
Another alternative to cattle panels in Europe might be concrete reinforcing mesh. It comes in various sizes of hole, but I have seen it looking pretty much like the cattle panels in the video. Find it in builders merchants.
This helped me so much! It was the first video that popped up when looking for how to grow squash vertically and you answered every question I had! Thank you for being so thorough.
So much to learn with so many different vegetables. But watching these great insights on organic growing are priceless.
This is my first year trying to grow squash verticals. So far I’ve used tomato cages and a pole. Things look good, I’ve had to help pollinate but enjoyed the video about pollination.
Once again, Brian to the rescue!
My zucchini had fallen over and started to take up the bed. Like you suggested, I used wooden stakes and that flexible coated wire I just happen to have. I was able to gently wire them up. Theey look a little crooked, but I imagine they will straighten up.
I have learned and put into practice so many tips and tricks from your channel and I truly appreciate it.
Thank you! Yes they look weird at 1st but the Sun will straighten them out
@@NextLevelGardening I am definitely trying this method with my zucchini and squash this year as the tomato cages just get upended after some time as the plant takes over. How high should my stakes be out of the ground to cover their full length of growing? It looks like the ones in the video are at least 3' above ground. Thanks!
@@NextLevelGardening I used to live in CA and lived to garden. I recently moved out of state and the bugs are INSANE! I know this post is old but I just found your channel and dove in deep 😂 I planted pumpkins for last fall and the amount of Avids drug the plant to the ground 😮 I have never seen so many bugs 🐛 how do you combat them? The leaves we covered front to back and stems. It was like a plague
Thank you so much for all the wonderful info you have on gardening! I'm older by comparison, (63) and just started growing a garden within the past 2 yrs. . I've gone through all, or most of your video's and have found some GREAT tips and tricks for great gardening, in small spaces! I can't wait now, to try growing things vertically!
Great ideas! Last year I panted my butternut near a small garden fence that surrounds my raised beds and the plants gravitated towards the fence and naturally trellised. After watching this video, I will plan on trellising with cattle panels (available at Tractor supply) to preemptively save space. Also will do the same for my Zucchini.
A variation of the cattle wire; use E stakes or posts so it's leaning at a 45-80 degree angle like a lean to, plant your squash under the wire and train the vine onto it.
The fruits will hang down under the lean-to and the slope will allow for more leaf coverage per plant.
Going out right this minute to fix my squash that has taken over the world! I’m so excited you did this video. Thank you!!!! I’m still new and although I’m clearly doing something right I need lots of help. 😁
That happened to me last year. Two amazing zukes took over a WHOLE 4x8 bed. So I have been procrastinating on where to plant them. I put one in a self wicking bucket and have lots of places to trellis it up. I had no idea you could cut all those leaves off at the bottom. They were humongous! Several more cukes, zukes, & squashes later to transplant, now I'm on a roll! 🐞🌱🐝
Same here! First time gardener here, I honestly didn’t think I could do it but my squash has gone crazy. Thank you so much 😊
Me too.🐌🍂
We all need help from time to time, just keep on gardening, Denise. You're doing great by actually having squash growing in April! I haven't even put mine out yet, and I'm a Master Gardener. It's a cool, wet Spring here in Northern Alabama, so I still have time. Best of luck and ten green thumbs to you!
@@simonlang2485 Are you planting plants or from seed? I live in Kansas, my seedlings have almost died off I don't know what to do if I should start over with seeds or just try to bite the bullet and buy a bunch of plants?? I wanted to save money... Oh well. First time gardening here 😁
I was wishing my husband would build me a tomato trellis when today I remembered I had a set of metal clothes line poles inside my garden that I haven't used in years. Eureka!
Thanks for the great video Brian. I did a vertical garden this year for my tomatoes, squash and zucs. Has worked out very well. Thanks for the wire idea to tie off the squash. I'm going to try it next year on the squash and zuc since the stretchy green tape was hard to get them tied properly. I got some 2x4's free from a construction sight and cut them into 2x2 by 8 ft long. Needed more than originally planned since I let the tomatoes split into 2 main nodes. They have grown almost to the top of those posts. Squash and zuc were similar in that there were 2 main nodes or stems I had to tie up. It was very hard in the beginning to get them to train up the posts, but once started it was easy to maintain. Also kept the large leaves off the ground. Plan on doing the same approach next year.
Today in my search I came across your video and I found that you have a great personality, great presentation, a gentle tone of voice. I pray that HGTV make you an offer you can refuse. Thank you / I enjoyed your channel.
I started zucchini from seed for the first time I put a tomato cage over it, then my husband made me a 7 ft 4 sided trellis which I put over the top of the whole plant , it's working wonderfully, not only are the plants growing vertically, but it looks pretty too, I only recently found your channel and I am learning so much. Thanks so much. and tfs.....Mary
Last year, for first time, I used your vertical tomato growing technique. It was awesome! I was able to grow 4 plants where, previously, barely one would fit. Those 4 were so productive, I gave away a LOT of tomatoes! But, I used 1/2" electrical conduit as my cross piece. By the end of the season, it was bowing from the weight of all those tomatoes. This year, I've doubled the space and I've replaced conduit pipe with heavy duty plumbing pipe which I've planted deep, like a fence post, using cement. I'll bet there's nothing too heavy, including melons, to grow there now! After watching this, I fully intend to try that! I really enjoy your show and thank you so much. If I followed no other tips than the one about tomatoes, it was worth all the video watching time logged. Thank you, lovely man!
I bought twenty concrete mesh panels so far this year and intend on buying at least ten more for growing things vertically. They're far cheaper than cattle panels and can easily be cut with a hacksaw to make smaller trellises or various supports and arches. Also got some cheap wire closet shelving for the same use. They're very strong and would support larger squash.
Another option for tying things to stakes and trellises and saying no to anything plastic or synthetic is cotton macrame cordage, which is available in a variety of diameters. I bought a thousand foot roll very cheaply. Its very strong and is completely biodegradable. We all need to seriously lessen our plastic consumption and purchases, so I forgo zip ties and other such rubbish whenever possible. ESPECIALLY zip ties, which most people only use once because they cant be bothered to put the effort into reusing them. I even reuse the plastic twine farmers use to pack the hay bales I buy so they don't end up polluting the land anymore than the manufacturing process of plastics already does. I personally don't want to contribute to more crap in the landfills and oceans when I can find better alternatives. It negates growing organically when adding more pollutants to the planet.
Cattle panels are hard to find here and expensive. I used mesh rebar ( normally used for laying concrete foundations) from big box store - less than $10 each, not as strong as cattle panels and they do rust easily (but can be spray painted) but work pretty well in the garden.
I’m using Lattice for growing my cucumbers. First time growing so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Thanks! Will try making my Mexican Zucchini grow vertically and add a cucumber in the same planter on a teepee.
Lowes has grids very similar to cattle panels. only around $15 each. work great.
Home depot has panels. Cheap.
Good. Oonga boonga.
@@ButtSauce666 is that what they’re called?
Man. I continually change my ways of gardening and growing my vegetables the vertical way even though I grow in a garden. I have 5 gallon buckets too experimenting with and has drip irrigation or spray heads. This video with summer squash will absolutely help I think also in controlling squash bugs here in Texas much better. My peppers and tomatoes I grew from seeds your way in green house now I have peppers n tomatoes on plants in garden I planted 2 weeks ago. Amazing!!! Seems the crab n lobster shell,kelp n rock phosphate are killing it in my garden!!! Thanks again for great advice n videos
I found a roll of concrete reinforcing wire and cut it to create an arch over one of our beds. The pumpkins (as well as canteloupe and spaghetti squash) have gone absolutely crazy winding throughout it, with several large pumpkins hanging below (now supported). I planted in late April and they are already turning orange here in southern New Mexico. Not a topic for this video, but we also planted a bunch of gold and purple potatoes in feed bags from our chicken and rabbit feed before we made the beds. It gave us quite a bit more planting space and reused the bags...They are just about ready to harvest as well!
How did the potatoes work out? I'm using feed sacks this year too. Fingers crossed! I never have luck with my Zucchini due to pests. 😫
How difficult to bend/shape wire? What tools needed?
What size were your feed bags?
@@danarzechula3769 My husband and I went to Lowes today, and bought two 8'x4' panel of concrete reinforcing wire mesh today. It was too long and too wide to fit in our SUV. We figured that to make them fit, we had to roll them. We laid them flat on the ground, on top of each other, and then lifted one end and rolled it 1.25 turns and tied it with two ratchet tiedowns, to keep them from unrolling. (It was a good thing that we carry two ratchet straps in our car all the time.) When we got home, unloaded the rolled panels, and took off the straps, the panels unrolled but stayed slightly bent. This bend will work out perfectly when we tie each panel to T-bars and tie the top edges together to form the arch. So in our case, the bending tools were our feet, our hands and two ratchet tiedowns. I am glad that we went together. It would be much more challenging for a single person to do what we did together and to get it done safely.
@@JS-jl1yj I've said many times that one of the best $20 bills that ever left my wallet went to a small cylinder full of bungee cords in varying lengths. It lives in my car, except when I take it camping, and has come in handy more times than I can count, and almost never was it planned in advance - that's why they stay in the car. I don't do a lot of hauling, but I bought those cords at least 25 years ago, and used them as recently as last month. 😁
I bought a very cheap wedding arch from Amazon as cattle panels are too big for me and too expensive to get delivered. I bought a rather sturdier arch too and have now ordered another cheap one.I have used four t posts on each on and they are very firm. I can use netting or strings on them to grow beans and squash. I have antique roses at the base, planted in large pots to attract pollinators as I have seen this done in France. These $25 dollar aches with T posts are easy, cheap and manageable.
That bendy wire (technical name 😬) is very handy. I'll try this for summer squash. I grow winter vertically already to make room for a few pumpkins.
It's coated wire plant ties. They're sold in spools typically. Very handy and VERY durable. Used them for years now.
I've been making "tipis" out of the branches of the Mulberry tree that gets a serious trim every winter and the birdhouse gourds last year were pretty tall, but your soil or micro-climate or fertilizer or something is quite a bit better than what I was doing, the harvest was less than spectacular. Also train cannabis branches to spread using the same system. The wire I use is the same stuff used in wiring a house, 4 wire,10 gauge "Romex" that I strip down to individual wires, the uninsulated ones I keep for art projects - I have a wire "oak tree" still in the works that probably weighs 4 or 5 pounds already and so far, it's way cool.
There's another potential benefit I can imagine for me anyway by elevating summer-squash - the "fruit" wouldn't be able to hide under all the leaves and grow to the size of a small toaster oven before I run across the darn thing. I'm in the garden daily in the summer but already have recycled a bunch of giant zuchinni and Mexican squash into the compost pile.
Guess the eyes are getting past their prime, but sometimes I'd swear that the things are purposefully hiding from me,
Appreciate the tips you provide. Been gardening for three decades(?) and am still always ready to learn something new. Gratitude
Theyre so easy to miss and grow so fast. So yes that is another perk!
While I was away last year and my brother pet sitting, I begged him to pick any zucchini that got to a decent size, even if he wasn't going to eat them. Came home to several ginormous fruits still on the vine. 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
I love your show!!! I have squash, watermelon, cucumber and zucchini growing in different ways (some near fences, some just sprawling and some near stakes). This is the first year I’ve tried vertical growing. I was unsure how to train the zucchini, this show really helps. I have one zucchini in a tomato cage and the others near stakes but didn’t quite know how to get the zucchini to go up the stake. Now I know, thank you again!!
Thsnk you!
I am watching this for the first time. How you trellis zucchini is PURE, UNADULTERATED GENIUS!!! I THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I have a young Zucchini that I can do this to NOW.
I love video's that show several diff ways to achieve something. This was so valuable, tytyty!!
Great ideas! Fortunately for my family and me, I haven't set out my squash plants yet, so you have just solved a huge space problem for us! Thank you! Keep talking, please--because we're listening--and watching!
I'm super excited to try to grow zucchini vertically, they always take over and get diseased as you mentioned.
Right now we're growing Armenian Cucumbers, Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Spaghetti Squash vertically. 😊👍
I’m adapting both these and the tomato hooks into my indoor hydroponic gardening, thanks for the ideas and tips! Love your channel!
Great video! I would like to offer some variety suggestions if I may please. I live in a city condo but have a decent sized outside area for a condo. I grow many things vertically to save space. I am trying these varieties of smaller, personal sized melons, etc. this year and so far, they are growing fantastic up on my Hortonova trellis. These varieties are compact vines and have great reviews. They are: Small Sugar Pumpkin, Tigger melons, Little Baby Flower Watermelons, Sugar Cube Hybrid melons, Small Wonder F1 hybrid personal sized spaghetti squash and Minnesota Midget melons.I am in Louisville, Ky. zone 6B
Thats great! Thanks for sharing!
Glad to hear the Foodie mini squashes do good! I have butternut and yellow squash! Im so excited now thank you for sharing!
squash) have gone absolutely crazy winding throughout
Should you pinch off the first flowers on a zucchini plant?
I have peas on a small grate/trellis, it's actually an old shelf from a small greenhouse. Beans on bamboo poles, and just got the cattle oanel for my butternut and acorn squash thugs!
I was going to plant my cucumbers today and found this before getting started. Now I will put them in a different location and get it started for vertical growing. Many thanks👍
We're doing the vertical squash this year! We built wig wams with cross pieces which give horizontal support potential. So far, so good! I sent pix to your IG. Thanks, Brian, for all your advice.
You're right, you're the second video I've watched talking about staking summer squash. However, you went into much more detail and explained how to do it and why, where the other one did not. So thank you. This will be my first foray into growing squash, and this will make it go better I'm sure.
I would love to have a virtual tour of all your growing space.
I had lots of time on my hands because of covid-19 so I'm trying out straw bale gardening with cattle panels. I placed the bales 30 inches apart in rows and drove T-posts through the bales into the ground. To transport the cattle panels, I folded them in half lengthwise so they would fit on top of my van. As I unfolded them they automatically formed a gothic arch. I liked the arch so I zip tied the panels to the T posts spanning the opening between the straw bales. I have cukes, gourds, melons, and beans climbing the panels as well as Morning Glory and Cardinal Climber. Squash, okra, peppers, tomatoes, and egg plant are carefully woven through the openings in lieu of trellising. So far so good.
I wish I had seen this before I got my garden going. But I’m so happy I found it! I have a small space that gets full sun so I need to grow vertically. Definitely following your zucchini stake setup for my zucchini and summer squash. I have watermelon seeds too but couldn’t figure out what I would do with them and now I know!
I have some in tomato frames. Just made an arch using ladder mesh and PVC tubes. One end has a yellow squash and the other a sugar baby watermelon. They are shading my greens 🙌🏼🙌🏼
Instead of cattle panels, I use rebar grids that I buy at Home Depot. They look like your cattle fencing and come in 8x4 panels. I've had mine for years and have grown cucumbers, pumpkins, beans - anything that climbs or can be tied up. I form mine into an arch with 4 rebar posts - a bit of work to begin with, but it lasts forever. I even moved it this year, very easily. Simply pulled up the rebar posts and then reinserted in the new bed. I probably found this idea on Pinterest.
I actually started this to get the plant more sun. Fencing shades the ground; so by growing vertically I can get the plan more sun. So far, so good....
I’m using tomato cages for my cucumbers this year and it is working fantastic! I definitely want to try the stake method for summer squash and the string method for beans next.
I am so excited to try cantaloupe on the fence this summer.
I saved all my big sunflower stalks for next year's tee-pees. I use cattle panels for hoop houses. I found u shaped rebab worked very well.
Hi Brian, great vid. Funnily enough, just before I saw this I pruned and staked up my courgette (zucchini) and marrow using canes wired together like one of your teepee. I learned that the reason I was getting end rot on the later courgettes was because the flowers were not getting pollinated enough. Growing vertically should help the bees get in to the later flowers and produce better fruit!
Last year I used 2/ 8 foot high wooden ladders with a board connecting the two and resting on the rungs. This was excellent for weaving the various squash plants tendrils thru the rungs and the boards became shelves for potted herbs.. Looked pretty sweet too !
Nicely done! I've been using a vertical trellis for cucumbers for years and love it. But, I use 4 ply jute twine and my trellis has 10 horizontal lines (tied off on eye bolts). I end up with a wall of cucumber plants and an amazing number of cucumbers. The extreme of vertical growing can be seen at Walt Disney World's "Living with the Land" ride. Heavy veggies definitely need a support structure and they seem to use netting around each melon (tie the netting off on the structure).
As I had a garden arch for putting up some shade cloth I am training the cushaw pumpkins along it. I use fabric slings under any fruit once they are over 2" in diameter. This is my first year trying this and hope to improve it soon. The comment about the patio umbrella frame really rocks and I will give that a try this week.
Awesome tips thanks! I am growing zucchini in containers and this method is amazing to save space.
I never knew how much I needed this video! I love the vertical zucchini method! I'm gonna do this tmrw to my zucchini. Thank you!
I started using this method this year. The other advantage is for those of us who are constantly battling squash vine borers it makes it much easier to wrap the trunk with foil and also to check for the tiny eggs and if all of that fails you should be able to see their poop immediately so you can kill them before the plant is beyond help. I like the electric wire trick. I've been using twine and the plant slides down so I have a silver coiled trunk on the ground.🤣
Ron Perry I was wondering if growing them this way is making it easier for the vine borer to get at the vines.
TY. I was wondering if that might be helpful. Squash borers are TERRIBLE where we live. I've ALMOST given up on squash, but ... I keep hoping.
@@mikkibates7854 I almost gave up zucchini due to vine borers. Now I cover the plant in an 18 gallon plastic tote with tulle and hand pollinate. Works great with just a little more effort.
YOU are my favorite GO-To Guy for planting. Thank you for all of your great tips! I'm learning!
Thank you
That’s awesome, nice to see your squash plant being tied on the stalk vertically, also thanks for the link to the wiring ties. 👍
Where's the link to the wiring ties
Www.nextlevelgardening.tv go to products I love
Thank you so much for this. Can't wait to grow my zuchini vertically this year😊