Hi I recently purchased a... - Ask Extension
Hi I recently purchased a couple of earthboxes in which I have tomatoes and cucumbers. I know these are vining plants. Does anyone know the best trell...
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Hi I recently purchased a... #175878
Asked April 19, 2014, 10:53 AM EDT
Hi I recently purchased a couple of earthboxes in which I have tomatoes and cucumbers. I know these are vining plants. Does anyone know the best trellis system for them? The trellises I have now are not as tall as I want my plants to eventually become. But if I keep them ofcourse they will latch on. Will they only grow as tall as the trellis? Also should the trellis go behind,in front or in the middle of the plant?
Clark County Nevada
Expert Response
Hi,
Probably the easiest way to stake up tomatoes and cukes is with a tomato cage which is positioned right over the center of the plant. These are not inexpensive, however. You can also use tall stakes for tomatoes (and continue to tether the stem of the tomato to the stake as the plant grows - loosely though). Neither the tomato nor the cucumber plants will stop growing when they run out of trellis, so you will probably want to continue to train the vines to grow along whatever support you have used. And the bottom line is that you don't actually have to stake them up at all, but you will probably have better production if you do.
Here is a primer on vegetable growing in MN - you have a longer growing season, but the basics are the same.http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/vegetables/
Probably the easiest way to stake up tomatoes and cukes is with a tomato cage which is positioned right over the center of the plant. These are not inexpensive, however. You can also use tall stakes for tomatoes (and continue to tether the stem of the tomato to the stake as the plant grows - loosely though). Neither the tomato nor the cucumber plants will stop growing when they run out of trellis, so you will probably want to continue to train the vines to grow along whatever support you have used. And the bottom line is that you don't actually have to stake them up at all, but you will probably have better production if you do.
Here is a primer on vegetable growing in MN - you have a longer growing season, but the basics are the same.http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/vegetables/
