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loosechange

What plans grow up vertically on trellis?

loosechange
15 years ago

We're planning our SFG and want to be sure to put the vertical growing plans in the 'back row' to ensure that the little ones have a good view. What plants do well growing up vertically?

Plants we're planning on growing:

Vine Tomatoes - I know these grow up.

Acorn Squash - I know these grow up.

Plants we want to grow that we're unsure of growing vertically:

Peppers - ? We want the standard green bell variety.

Green Beans - ? Typical green beans I guess.

Zucchini - ?

We're initially thinking of 4 4x4 SFGs placed in 1 row going north - south. The east has a tree line that will filter out direct sunlight till about 9-10 AM and then all afternoon and evening sun is accessible. With the back rows filled with tall plants that leaves us perhaps too much space for the other things we're growing, but some seem a bit tall to put in the middle or front rows, i.e. broccoli.

Strawberries

Lettuce

Spinach

Green Onions

Carrots

Comments (11)

  • anniesgranny
    15 years ago

    Bush beans do not need a trellis, but pole beans do. Bush beans need to have succession planting, as they only bear for a couple of weeks (however you can cut them back at this time and get another crop), but pole beans can be planted once and will bear a harvest the entire season if kept picked.

    I think EG grows his zucchini on a trellis, but I never have.

    I'd put the strawberries in a bed of their own, as they will grow and bear for several years.

    Peppers don't vine, but they do well with a stake or small tomato cage, as they can get quite heavy and topple or break.

    Granny

    Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

  • bdobs
    15 years ago

    Cuccumbers do great grown vertically.

    Here are mine growing in a home made self watering container

    {{gwi:37092}}

    Pole beans and peas do well up up and away

  • ribbit32004
    15 years ago

    I second peas and cucumbers. Also look into some melons.

  • greenbean08_gw
    15 years ago

    The zucchini I grew last year were a bush plant, not a vine (which made the little trellis I built them completely useless...). I didn't read the package, and I thought they were vines...

  • loosechange
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Sounds good all, thanks for the advice. One further question I had was in the SFG book the spacing for sweet corn & strawberries is 1 per sq foot, but on the main SFG site they're shown planting 4/sq ft. So, am I doing 1 to 1 or 4 to 1?

  • engineeredgarden
    15 years ago

    Corn - it's really according to how deep your soil is. If you intend on only having 6" of soil - only plant 1/sqft. If it is 12", you could possibly do 4/sqft.

    About trellising veggies....I have trellised watermelons, cantaloupes, beans, cucumbers, snow peas, and tomatoes. This year, i'll be adding pumpkins as well.

    EG

  • loosechange
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Current plan is to go 6" so we'll stagger space the corn 12" apart, but the edge plants will be closer to the frame.

    How about them strawberries? Presently planning on 4 per sft, but that's a lot o' strawberries. :) Maybe just 1 or 2 rows instead of a full box?

  • loosechange
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Here's the current plan. Left is North, top is to the West.

    {{gwi:1260485}}

    Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1260485}}

  • jleiwig
    15 years ago

    Are you sure about your directions? I would think that the top should be north. Otherwise everything will be shaded by the corn

  • loosechange
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Well luckily I don't have any boxes as of yet so the placement is always available to change. Looks like we're going to try 3 boxes and I can put them in any configuration. Would it be better off to do 3 in a line? Here's a aerial. Up is North so I'm currently planning on placing the 3 SFGs south of the house where they'll get the best light. To the east of the large lot is a high tree line but I can really choose to stagger them however I need to in this lot.
    {{gwi:1260486}}

  • jleiwig
    15 years ago

    generally you want your taller items or climbing items to the north. All your smaller plants need to go towards the south.

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