Hi all..I live in the city so i don`t have alot of space.(10x20).Iread somewhere That you can grow cucumbers verticaly but can not remember where i seen it..So i`m turning to the experts on this sight to either explain it or point me in the right direction...Thanks in advance..Stan

I think you just need to build a trellis and train the cukes up the trellis Stan.

I grew mine up on fence wire in the middle of my garden, this was the first year I grew them that way and I was pleased with how it turned out...I did learn something from it though....I planted way to many plants along that fence The first few cucumbers will be on the ground, but after that no more bending over looking under itchy vines for cucumbers, I will never grow mine on the ground again. A sturdy trellis would also work. Here is what mine looked like before they started growing really heavy.

That looks great Comfrey! I think I'm going to try that with my cucumbers next year. I had mice nibbling on my cukes and melons this year!

Comfrey, that's a beautiful looking garden I just bought some green plastic-coated fencing with 2"x3" openings that is 36' high and it looks like what you have. Do you think that size would work or do you think I would need something taller? Do you have to train the cucumbers to grow up the fence or do they do it by themselves? Does this take up less space than growing them on the ground? I am limited on space. I'm sorry for all the questions but this looks really interesting and something I might like to try!

Actually, I bought the fencing on sale to make some bins to store my leaves in over the winter so I would have plenty of browns to mix with my grass clippings in the spring and summer. I bought a 50' roll of it so I should have more than enough to do my bins with some left over.

Fencing I have is called dog pen fence wire..it is 48" high and has about the same sized squares as you mentioned Patti. I would think what you have would work, the only thing that you might want to keep in mind, is that the vines may climb over faster and you should leave enough ground space on the other side of the wire for the vines once they reach the ground. I did not have to have to train mine, but it doesn't hurt when they start growing to place the vines next to the fence wire, they will climb on there own...And Yes it take's alot less space then growing them on the ground (mine would have taken the space from the wire to where the okra is and probable tried to climb the okra stocks..far left of picture, so I did gain space and saved on my back bending over looking for cucumbers also), plus it seems my harvest was better growing them up on the fence, there were less missed cucumbers also when I picked them...also you want to pay attention to cucumbers (not the vines) that start growing through the wire...and move them to on side or the other, once they start growing through the wire it is hard to get them out or sometimes impossible without ruining the cucumber. A person can grow them up on almost anything that is sturdy. I once grew some in big buckets and made a wooden structure..like a saw horse over the buckets for them to vine on. So even when space is a problem, if you think about it you can come up with a solution.

thanks so much for all the great ideas.this is why I always come to this sight first when I get on the computer. thanks again stan

Comfrey, question, please.
I can't figure out why cucumbers grown on a fence or other support would grow straight, like the catalogs say they will, but on the ground would curve.
Can you explain? Also, what a beautiful picture !!! To a container gardener, that is awesome !!!

I don't have the right answer for this Deborah, but I would think ones growing on the ground, may just twist around to get light or to stay away the other vines, I have been growing the same cucumber for years and I didn't notice that they are any different shape whether grown on the ground or on the wire...I did notice that growing on the wire they seem to get bigger faster, and I was not bothered with cucumber bugs at all growing up on the wire, always at one time or another while growing on the ground, I would see cucumber bugs, just a few and then would treat them for the bugs, I never seen one bug this year growing them up off the ground.

Thanks-that makes sense, that the ones on the ground might be reaching for light.
You've got a beautiful place there !

Thanks, But it is not very beautiful right now, Weeds have taken over, but my garden is all done...I have been working on cleaning all the weeds and garden plants out of there. But I let them get way to out of control and everything has to be pulled out by hand...I'd give anything to have a couple of older kids still living at home They would hate me, but it would get cleaned up faster...but if I had older kids still living at home, it never would have gotten out of control in the first place.

LOL Comfrey,

Sometimes God gives us more than we pray for! I'm off to the hardware store for MORE, yes MORE canning jars...

Cheers,
Julianna