Monday, August 3, 2009

The Vertical Cuke!

You may be wondering why I blog so much about my own garden. It isn't because I think you really care that much about MY garden but because I think gardening is a very valuable skill that takes time to perfect.
My Dad is a master gardener...I am not. But I am like a sponge when it comes to gardening, whether it comes from him or through books or from the internet. There are so many things to consider...
  • What grows well in my yard?
  • What will my family eat?
  • How to I fortify my soil so it is nutrient rich?
  • If my soil is lacking, what do I amend it with?

Because these answers only come with time, it is critical to start today, when we have time.

OK, I am off my soap box now...let's talk about growing cucumbers vertically.


This is what my cukes looked like before I started...a nice, viney bush sitting at the base of my trellis. As long as you don't get a "bush" variety, getting them to grow up a trellis is a very easy task.

All you need is a trellis...whatever kind suits you.

Some sort of twine or yarn to tie up your vines.



And a trusty pair of scissors. Not much to it.


Now, when you go to buy your cucumber seeds, look on the back of the package to see if they can be grown vertically. If they can, they will grow these wonderful tendrils that will grab onto anything...lovely little things!


After about 10 minutes I had this...vines tied up and trained to grow to the sky. This picture was taken right after I tied them, but after a few days my plant is bushy, thick and vertical...can't get much better than that!!

2 comments:

Suzanne said...

Can lemon cucumbers be grown vertically? I would LOVE to have some of those in my garden! Okay, so I don't actually have a garden, but just in my little gardening area of dirt...

Jac said...

A lemon cucumber plant is not a natural climber, but I think it could be trained. You would just have to tie up growing vines every week or two and I think you could be good to go!