Benefits of Trellising and How to Do It
Trellising offers many benefits for plants and are great if you have a small place. By
growing plants on trellises you can increase how much you grow without using more
ground space, but instead take advantage of your vertical space.
Benefits include:
- Saving space
- Create shade for other plants: when you put a trellis on the west or south side of your garden it will cast shade for other plants
- Reduction of disease and increased air circulation: when plants are trellised the chance of them contracting soil borne disease is less likely. Trellises also help
with airflow so disease like powdery mildew are less likely. - Less spoilage of vegetables: When vegetables or fruit grow on the ground there is a chance they can develop soggy bottom and get moldy.
- Easier to harvest: No need to bend down to harvest but can stand or sit in a chair
- Provide support to plants: some plants need to trellised to provide support while they are growing. Tomatoes and peppers benefit from a trellis or tomato cage.
- Aesthetically pleasing: Trellis can look beautiful when plants are growing on them. They can provide wonderful archways or cover a block wall.
We love a good trellis in a garden, with an arched trellis being our favorite.
How to Create a Simple Trellis
If you live in an apartment use the balcony railings as a trellis. As the plants begin to grow tie stems to the railing to keep the plants in place. Produce bag wire ties work great for this. Don’t make the ties too tight so the plants can continue to grow and move with the wind.
You can also buy a trellis from a gardening store or online. If your pot is big enough stick the trellis in the pot while the plant is still young so that you do not harm the roots. If your pot is not big enough sit the trellis next to it and tie stems to it as the plant begins to grow.
If your growing an in ground garden, a simple frame with cattle wire fence panels work great. Chicken wire is more difficult to use because the holes are smaller and may create problems for your plants. There are also many trellises you can buy online and use.
Be creative and use unexpected things like an old gate, broken wicker chair or something else you have laying around.
You can grow unexpected plants on a trellis like watermelon, luffa, gourds or cucumbers. If your melons begin to get too heavy tie something under them to give the fruit support. Think along the lines of your Mom’s old pantyhose that the hasn’t worn since the 90’s. You can also use the bags from the grocery store that the manager special’s veggies come in or when you buy mesh bags of produce.
