Diane, I'm no expert but for the last couple of years I've been using 5' trellises for cukes (6' bamboos with 1' in the ground and some sisal twine woven among them).

Cukes seem to make a fair amount of lateral shoots when I pinch the tip & then they seem to set more fruit on those side branches, so taller may not necessarily be more productive. They've never outgrown the 5' trellises but my growing season is shorter than yours.

I grew Marketmore 76 last year; loved the crunch & flavor.

Good luck!

Unless the type is a bush type go for 4-6'. I have grown Straight 8 twice and it covered 4', and would have liked to grow higher.

I've grown Straight Eight & Marketmore, as well as burpless, India gherkin and others. Prefer Straight 8's flavor. All my cukes are grown on fencing applied to 7' arches. I don't tip-pinch since I *want* them to grow to the arch. It is wonderful to just reach up and pick the cuke without playing search-through-the-leaves! Straight 8 happily goes up and just across the arch-top... that's at least 9 feet. The 'bush' goes to 4' and 'short-vine' types seem to go to about 6' but produce much better than ones not on trellis. No matter what variety you choose, they seem to do better (more cukes, less disease) when on a trellis.

My lemon and Armenian cukes (some attaining 18" length and 5" diameter) both helped each other climb and then descend my 4' high concrete re-inforcing wire "cage" and continued to other garden destinations. Pinching is a good answer. I just let mine wander, and wander they did...

Now that I have tried burpless cukes, I will never go back to the large seeded supermarket types again.

Can plastic pipe be substituted for wood? Wood not good in tropics.

Al

Last year we made an arbor out of hog panels just bent over, with landscape timbers for a raised bed at the bottom. We planted straight 8's & they just was about 2 foot shy of meeting at the top. Sooo easy to pick cukes from ") It looked so cool in the garden.

I got a bunch of metal trellis squares from Ikea half price, and screwed them together up against the fence so they were about 6 feet tall. My cukes (not sure what varieties- they are short white ones and long green) grew all over the whole trellis and probably would have gone higher if they could have. The link below is a picture from late July. You can see them towards the left, the plants that go all the way to the top of the fence. It was three plants- 2 white and 1 green.(the ones towards the right in the second bed are scarlet runner beans)

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:780981}}

I built a huge 7 foot trellis this year very cheaply, and leaned it against the fence nearby, although I could have just stood it straight up. I use 2x4's and sisal, total cost of $6.52 which I think is rather a good price. Check out the pictures at Cucumber Trellis

Here is a link that might be useful: Cucumber Trellis

This year I opted to grow my cukes ( 3 plants ) in a 5 gal. bucket (2 buckets stacked...one on top with dirt and wicks..the bottom bucket w/ water and other end of wicks from top bucket) topped with a tomato cage. They are the burpless variety. I planted them only 18 day ago and clearly they will outgrow the current tomato cage as they are growing up the cage. Today I decided to invert a second tomato cage on top of the original, secured with 3 metal wire straps. To keep it from possible tipping over (not likely) in a strong wind, I cut one of the legs off of the inverts tomato cage, bent it 90 degrees and secured the bent leg to a nearby 4x4 that is holding 3 topsy turvey containers. I know I will need plenty of nutrients due to the confined soil. I think I can manage this issue. The tomato cage "trellis" gives access to just under 5 feet of direct vertical growth. I plan to not go straight up but to slightly encircle the cage(s) with the vines. By doing so, I can manage approx. 7 feet of vertical growth. I am confident ( hopeful) that my cukes will do fine. At this stage, they are seriously kicking butt! Any questions or suggestions, email me at oicurmt@fuse.net with "cuckes" in the subject line

I grew my pickling cucumbers on 4 foot tall cattle panel. They would have like to have gone taller so next time I am doint 6 foot. Cattle panel and t-post are my new favorite gardening toy.

My cheap 2x4 cucumber trellis performed extremely well. Here is a picture from last year. I plan on going straight upright with it this year.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cucumber Trellis

I let my Armenian cukes grow up our cypress tree. Last summer I literally used a ladder to get cukes off the upper part of the plants. The Armenian makes great eating cukes in the heat, huge and sweet!

Time for me to start thinking about this....cukes are 1-2' now. All are up against the fence (5') I was thinking of just tying sisal to the top of fence to encourage them up, then along fence top....

Any thoughts on this?

We use 7 foot (high) of concrete reinforcing wire which comes in 4 or 5 foot width (it's too late to go check!!). We stood the wire along that 4 foot or so base, then wove in rebar supports. I grew zillions of Pointsett cukes this summer for the farmer's market because the Japan longs (which were incredibly tasty), did not thrive. Perhaps you can't grow them together.

I also use the hog panels, there great and will last a life time. Makes it so easy to pick. I also agree with the more you plant the less disease. I use to plant a few, and always had problems. Now I load up, and the vines are healthy and strong. Mid summer I'll start a second spot, and will plant 2 rows of lettuce under the shade from the cukes. This keeps the lettuce sweet not bitter.

luke

Using 7 foot hoops for cukes at the 4 edges of 2 24 inch deep raised beds which also contain many other veggies, having been planted intensively. Started with baby transplants on or about April 1st (pinellas county, on coast in West-Central Florida) and they are covered with flowers and have reached the top and are crawling toward each other already! Don't recall types but have several almost mature and will post pics soon. Love it.

How much do the hog panels for cucumber trellises cost, and where is the best place to get them?

Purchased my 4 ft by 16 ft cattle panels at tractor and supply for $16.00 each last fall.

I put my tomatoes in cages or stalk them. Then I plant cucumber seed around the outer edge & let the vine grow up the outside & always have more tomatoes & cucumber then I can eat.

I scrapped a queen size box spring out of the trash, cut all the fabric off, then gave it a couple 2x4 legs.

I plant the cucs in front of it then train them up it when they are about 3 weeks and then they do the rest by themselves. It works great.

Just face it south and make sure it is sturdy. They grow up the springs great. Then it sits on the side of my garage all winter.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pic of the box spring