Trellis vegetable gardens

[Percheron chick]

This year's garden is going to incorporate arched cattle panels for all my vine vegetables. For those who use this type of setup, do you find you can plant closer together/ more plants in the same area? Finishing up my raised beds and if I need 1-2 more, I'd rather build them now and not in May!

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

Look up "Roots and Refuge Farm" on youtube. She uses arched cattle panels.

 

[Percheron chick]

But I'm not finding information on plant spacing recommendations specifically for vertical gardening. Is the space saving just from preventing plant sprawl or is it 2 fold, sprawl and density?

 

[CluckerFamily]

My neighbor using cattle panels but instead makes a circular shape to plant a tomato plant in, or 2-3 cucumber vines. I personally would either plant a plant per square space in the panel or every other. It may be a good year to experiment.

 

[Percheron chick]

I was leaning towards the 1 plant per square (5") and thin as needed. Definitely a year to experiment. No such thing as too much butternut around here. Just need to maximize the yield.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Just seeing this thread.

I will be in year 2 of cattle panel arch for a trellis. Last year the pole beans and telephone cucumbers loved it. They were planted pretty closely....maybe to close on the cukes. It was harder to keep the cukes on the trellis and due to density it was harder to find my veggies.

The beans were standard Kentucky Wonder pole beans. I had plants about every 5" and so many green beans we still have 20 packs in the freezer.

Butternut squash did ok on a trellis but each fruit required support...I used pant hose to hold them up.

I was able to grow extra lettuce with the shade the arch created once the beans got tall. Sweet peas also love the big arched structure.

For me the vertical helps with both sprawl and allows more closely planted plants.

 

[21hens-incharge]

@oldhenlikesdogs You have cattle panel arches.
Can you lend any tips on what worked well and what to avoid?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

My beds are 8 foot long I think. It's been months since I've seen them.

I generally plant every foot for cucumbers. I don't do pole beans, and I find squash does better sprawling on the beds, and over the sides. I did grow the mini pumpkins vertically, they did well that way. Probably 2-3 feet between those.

I don't think I get better yields, it's just easier to find the cucumbers. I do have to do some weaving of plants or tying to direct them up and keep them on the cattle panels.

I've always done intensive gardening. Everything planted closely together, and successive plantings as spring crops fade, and summer ones take over. I prefer no bare ground showing.

 

[Percheron chick]

I'm going to try honey nut butternut. They mature at 1-2#. Perfect size. Can't do the regular Wathams as I don't know where you buy nylons anymore . I've lived in Boulder for way too long.
I took advantage of the great weather this weekend and finished filling my last beds. 132 sq ft total. It's a start.

 

[GravityWaves]

I'm a little late here but I've used fencing between t-posts for a few years. When I planted cucumbers, I alternated each side (about every 8 inches or so.) And yes the plants were much more productive going up. Just make sure that anything heavier than a cucumber has something supporting it. Climbing beans will go crazy and so will peas especially if you plant them early or late. (I've covered them both seasons.) Edit to add: Whatever you grow you'll have to weave the vines or tie them up like @oldhenlikesdogs says, but I've had better yields going up with everything I've planted.