There are some advantages to growing your garden up instead of out and trellises are a fun way to add a second dimension to your vegetable garden.
The trellis of my choosing is the standard cattle or hog panel that can be purchased at our local farm stores. They come in 16-foot lengths. Cattle panels are typically 52 inches tall while hog panels are 34 inches tall. Put one on top of the other with a small amount of space and you can make an 8-foot fence.
This is the only 100% certain way to keep deer out of a garden. The panels can be hung on two 12-foot posts with eight lag screws to create an easily removable fence. A 24-foot section of cattle/hog panel can be made by fastening together one and one-half panels with cable clamps; however, these are heavy and awkward to handle.
If the deer have stopped being a problem as they have in my garden, you can make an awesome trellis for your pole beans or squash to grow on. My pole beans reach the top and appear to be screaming for four more feet of the trellis. Those beans at the top are hard to pick so I leave them for later. An 8-foot wall of green beans is an awesome sight.
Indeterminate Sweet 100 and Sun Sugar tomatoes can reach the top of an 8-foot high cattle panel. Place two, half cattle panels at an angle to each other and stabilize them with metal fence posts. Determinant (ones that stop growing at a shorter height) varieties of tomatoes can be stabilized on a panel, which will keep the air moving through the plants and reduce the virus and wilt problems that tomatoes have.
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Sugar Snap peas grow to 5-feet tall on a cattle panel where they are very productive and easy to pick. I grow them in between the rows of squash. The peas are planted early and the squash is planted late. By the time the squash starts to grow out, the peas are done and can be removed. This year I plan to plant peas just north of the corn and I expect the peas to be harvested before the corn makes too much shade.
Growing cucumbers on trellises make them cleaner and easier to pick while making it harder for the slugs to rasp their way into the fruits. Small to mid-sized squash also look good on a trellis. Zucchetta squash can dominate an 8-foot trellis and make an awesome display while growing straighter fruits.
Getting cattle panels home can be a problem due to the awkward 16-foot length. You may want to send the nephews fishing on a nearby lake and then take your empty boat trailer to pick them up. Be sure to securely tie the panels down to the trailer. A long trailer would be better if you can find one to borrow. You only have to buy the panels once. They last forever and you can pass them on to your children and grandchildren.
The shade from trellised crops can be seen as a problem but can actually be a benefit. Leafy crops like spinach, lettuce, and kale can use this cooler space to produce later into the hot summer. Root crops like carrots, beets, and turnips can also tolerate more shade. Avoid planting fruit crops like eggplant, tomatoes and peppers in shaded areas.
These local garden articles will reach you each week throughout the gardening season, but gardening information can be found year-round by clicking on "Yard and Garden” at the University of Minnesota Extension website, www.extension.umn.edu , or by visiting our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Beltramicountymastergardeners .
Local Master Gardeners will respond to questions via voicemail. Call (218) 444-7916 , and leave your name, number and question.
