Along with zucchini, cucumis - the cucumber - is one of the most popular representatives of the pumpkin family. The elongated fruits offer many uses and impress with their taste and ingredients. They thrive particularly well when they are optimally supplied with light, air and water. The first two factors can be easily managed with the help of a trellis. With our instructions it can be built in no time at all.
There are many ways to find the right cucumber trellis
From the general considerations to the practical implementation: There is certainly not one universal line. Instead, some variants have emerged that come into question depending on the available space and the number of plants. But first let's take a look at the materials required. These should be able to survive a season safely and meet the requirements in terms of surface and load-bearing capacity:
- Well suited: Rough-sawn wooden slats, round bars with bark, peeled, unplaned poles, bamboo
- Less suitable: Metal pipes, plastic (due to aging in UV light)
- Suitable lanyards: Garden bast, hand cord, stainless wire, stainless screws, etc.
- Less suitable: non-rustproof wire / nails (because of loss of integrity when rusting), plastic cord (because of dissolution under UV radiation from the sun)
Now it comes to the possible construction methods to enable the cucumber tendrils to climb safely:
Tension ropes
Certainly one of the simplest variants for a cucumber trellis is to set up simple tension ropes. However, these can only be erected without further effort if a greenhouse offers the necessary supporting structure. It is important that the greenhouse is built so robustly that, in addition to its own weight, it can also bear the load of the plant and its fruits.
material
- Garden bast or tear-resistant garden cord
- Pegs
- ALTERNATIVE: stones or other weights
Work steps
- Attach the cord over the cucumber plants to the greenhouse roof, e.g. B. on carriers
- Lead the cord perpendicular to the ground
- Fix the lower end of the cord in the ground with a peg
- ALTERNATIVE: Secure the position of the tension cord on the floor with your weight
TIP: For example, if you still have old tent poles, you can implement this variant with tension ropes without your own greenhouse as structural support.
Place the tent poles over the outdoor plants and stretch the cords between the soil and the roof poles as described. It is important that the boom has a sufficient height of at least 1.80 to 2.00 meters.
Freestanding climbing aid
The simplest free-standing form of a climbing aid is the free-standing variant. Realized quickly and easily, it compensates for the fact that each cucumber trellis is only suitable for one cucumber vine by being easy to implement in large numbers.
material
- Round bar, square lath or similar, diameter min. 2 to 3 centimeters, length about 2.00 meters
Work steps
- Rod approx. Position 15 centimeters to the side of the plant
- Align vertically
- Hammer at least 20 to 30 centimeters into the ground
The climbing "tipi"
As a three-dimensional alternative to the classic cucumber trellis, the climbing "tipi" offers the opportunity to ideally cover flat plantings. Because of its round shape converging at the top, this variant is also known as a cone espalier. One of its advantages is that the cucumbers can hang freely because of the slope inside the trellis, while the tendrils hang upwards
material
- Garden cord or wire
- Four to six wooden poles, min. 2 centimeters thick, each about 2 meters long
Work steps
- Put the rods in a circle in the ground and tilt the upper ends towards the middle
- Diameter, depending on the rod length, 0.60 to 1.00 meters
- Cross poles and tie tightly with wire or string
- Place plants in a circle in the area of the poles
TIP: As an additional ascent aid, especially with large dimensions of the trellis, horizontal cross connections can easily be created with garden cord. There the tendrils find additional support and can cover the entire surface of the tipi.
Free-standing tension grids
The free-standing tension grid comes very close to the "ideal" of a classic trellis. A solid frame represents the supporting structure for tension cords and defines the width and height of the vegetation.
material
- 4 wooden slats, min. 3x3 centimeters, length 1.50 to 2.00 meters
- 4 wood screws
- OPTIONAL: Cordless screwdriver with wood drill
- Garden cord
Work steps
- Screw the battens to a right-angled frame
- OPTIONAL: Pre-drill screw holes to prevent the wood from tearing out when screwing
- Let vertical slats protrude on one side by 50 centimeters
- Stretch the garden cord vertically at a distance of around 30 centimeters between horizontal slats
- Frame with protruding lath ends at a distance of approx. Drive 15 centimeters into the ground to the row of plants
Rank buck
The Rank Bock is a linear form of the cone trellis. Two inclined climbing aids complement each other to form a kind of roof shape that can be overgrown on both sides. The fruits, on the other hand, can hang vertically downwards and mature inside the trellis, well ventilated and thus protected from mold.
- made of welded wire mesh or other wire mesh
- Distance approx. 1.5 x height, lean against each other and connect at the top
material
- 2 welded wire mesh, each approx. 2.00 x 2.00 meters
- ALTERNATIVE: other stable wire mesh, mesh size at least 3 x 3 centimeters
- wire
Work steps
- Press the lower edge of the mesh mats into the floor, lean the upper edges against each other
- Distance at the base 0.7 to 1.0 x height
- Connect the grid with wire
- Place the cucumber plants in front of the grid, about 15 centimeters apart
NOTE: Instead of finished steel mats, the already described mesh trellises can of course also be used and leaned against one another. However, tension cords tend to sag in this arrangement, so that the frame should be set at a steep angle.
Mesh trellis
material
- 2 or more rods made of wood or metal, length approx. 2.00 meters, thickness 4 to 5 centimeters depending on the material
- Net made of rope or cord, mesh size min. 3 centimeters, maximum 30 centimeters
- Cord or wire as a fastening
- OPTIONAL: Lean concrete, e.g. B. Dry concrete as ready-made bagged goods
Work steps
- Drive poles a maximum of 2 meters apart, at least 30 to 50 centimeters deep into the ground
- OPTIONAL: Concreting the bars with lean concrete (if used for several years), ideally choose metal bars
- Add additional pole fields depending on the length of the trellis
- Stretch the net between poles and fix with cord or wire
- Plant cucumber plants next to the net border
Classic trellis
This is a more solid version of the mesh espalier already described. However, an identical basic construction does not carry a net, but bars or slats as a stable and at the same time permanent alternative.
material
- 2 or more metal or wooden poles, length 2.00 meters, thickness around 4 to 5 centimeters
- Wooden slats, approx. 2 x 3 centimeters, 1.50 to 2.00 meters long
- Screws, wire or cord for fastening
- OPTIONAL: Lean concrete
Work steps
- Drive in posts like variant 6 or set in concrete
- Fasten transverse battens at a maximum distance of 0.30 meters
- Lowest distance approx. Choose 0.50 meters to the ground
- Place plants under a row of trellises
ATTENTION: The larger the spacing between the crossbars, the sooner the individual cucumber tendril has to be manually attached to the next higher piece of wood with the appropriate length, e.g. B. by garden cord.
Miniature trellis for planters
The miniature V-shaped trellis is particularly suitable for cucumbers in planters. It does not take up much space and also has enough hold here.
material
- 2 wooden sticks, approx. 1.50 meters long, min. 2 to 3 inches thick
- Garden cord
- OPTIONAL: slats or round bars, min. 1 to 2 inches thick
Work steps
- Press the sticks into the ground at an angle to the side of the cucumber plant, min. 20 centimeters deep
- Stretch the cord horizontally between bars, spacing approx. 20 centimeters
- OPTIONAL: directly above the ground and across the top, tie in or out a wooden stick. screw
- Then tie vertical tensioning lines between wooden sticks, on the side. Distances approx. 20 centimeters
