How to Build Sturdy Supports for Your Garden Vegetables

There are several garden vegetables that benefit from having a sturdy support system. And, there are several types of supports that can be used. Here are some suggestions on how to help keep your vegetables off of the ground and keep them healthy until harvest time.

There are three categories of plant supports. They are stakes, cages, and trellises. The most well known vegetable that needs a support structure is the tomato. The heavy tomatoes will not allow the plants to stay upright without some help. There are some vegetable plants that do just fine spreading out on the ground. These will require a large amount of space to do well, however. So, it is advisable to give even these plants, such as cucumbers something to climb on. This will help keep the insects and diseases from attacking your vegetable garden. And, keep them off the ground also gives them a much lower chance of being stepped on by a gardener's foot, as well.

There are some vegetables that do well with stakes for support. These would include peppers and eggplant. The best type of stake to use us bamboo or some type of wood that has not been treated with any chemicals. The stakes should be placed next to the plants when they are fairly young. This will help avoid any injury to the root system. It will develop around the stake. Tie the plants loosely to the stakes. You can use soft twine or strips of cloth. As the plant grows, tie it to the stake about every 8 to 12 inches.

There are several forms of cages that can be used for support. You can take a few stakes and tie them together to make a cage. Or, you can purchase a wire cage at your gardening supply store or local nursery. If you have some wire fencing, it can be cut and made into cages. They should be put around the vegetables when the plants are very young. Then, the plant can grow into the cage. If you wait until the plant is too tall, you risk damaging the stems when you place the cage and have to pull them through. The cages should be anchored with a stake or metal pins so they will not blow over in wind storms.

Trellises are good for vegetable plants that grow in vine form. Examples of these are cucumbers, beans and peas. The cucumber and pea plants grow best on mesh or netting. This allows their tendrils to curl around the support system. Beans, on the other hand, will spiral around the supports. Because of this type of growth pattern, they do better a different type of trellis. Use string to build a trellis for your beans. Then at the end of the season, you can put the entire trellis with the plants into a compost pile.

Using support systems will help your vegetables stay healthy until you harvest them. It will also save space in your garden. Hopefully, these tips will help you build all the supports you need for your home garden.

SOURCE

Editors Rodale Organic Gardening Books. "Rodale Organic Gardening Basics Volume 3: Vegetables. St. Martin's Press. 2000. Pennsylvania.