There are practical reasons for getting your vegetables to grow upward. Vertical gardening saves space, allowing you to have more plants and more produce. Crops like beans and tomatoes are easier to harvest from a trellis. Staking or otherwise supporting plants keeps vegetables out of the dirt, resulting in cleaner produce and less rot and insect damage. And, finally, garden structures simply look good.
Vining plants such as beans and peas are easy to train as these plants naturally cling to sticks or twine as they grow. They can easily climb out of reach, so limit the support you give them to the height you can comfortably reach. Stakes planted in a line and strung with twine allow these plants to climb. Some gardeners use chicken wire fencing or netting in place of twine. Teepee-type structures, with several sticks tied together at the top and spread out in a circle at ground level, also work well.
Tomato plants climb differently from bean plants and may require some training. Wire cages are a good choice. You can make your own cages from wire fencing. Make sure that the spaces in the fencing are large enough for you to reach through and pullout a full-size tomato. Create cylinders about two feet in diameter and five feet tall. To prevent the cages from leaning, secure them to stakes set deeply in the ground. As tomato plants grow, tuck in errant branches.
Nurseries sell tomato cages in a range of prices. I like the square ones that fold flat for storage. Don't buy the small tomato cages that some garden centers sell. They are too small for most tomato varieties and will topple when the plants get large.
Cucumbers and some smaller melons also appreciate support. I've found that a cage or A-frame made of fence wire allows cucumber plants to grow up off the ground. Long cucumbers grow straighter, not to mention cleaner, when the plants have support. If you train melons this way, you may have to add fabric slings for each fruit to prevent the fruit from detaching before it is ripe.
Even some non-vining plants can benefit from support. Years ago, when I was a novice gardener, I purchased tomato cages that were quite small, about two feet tall and less than a foot in diameter. These have proved ideal for peppers and eggplants, which sometimes get top- heavy late in the growing season and topple over without support. I've also used them for broccoli and cauliflower in winter. Tying these plants to a short stake also works well.
Structures for vegetable plants can range from the simple to the elaborate. While garden centers and nurseries can supply everything from stakes and twine to heavy-duty fold-up tomato cages and decorative wrought-iron trellises, think about using materials you have on hand.
A worn-out patio umbrella could be a pole-bean teepee. An old ladder might be perfect for an heirloom tomato plant. Brushy prunings from a hedge or tree could support low-growing peas, and almost any straight stick can become a stake. I tie plants to stakes with strips of cotton fabric from my rag bag. And if you know anyone who still wears panty hose, the nylon makes wonderful slings for heavy melons.
Setting up structures when you are planting takes time, but you'll be grateful for them when harvest comes and you can pick beans without bending over and harvest baskets of unblemished tomatoes.
Workshop: Napa County Master Gardeners will conduct a workshop on “Pruning Landscape Trees and Shrubs” on Sunday, June 22, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the Yountville Community Center, 6516 Washington Street, Yountville. Proper pruning enhances the beauty of landscape trees and shrubs while improper pruning can reduce their landscape potential. Learn guidelines for proper pruning. This workshop may include a field trip to observe pruning in a local garden. To register, call the Parks & Recreation Department at 707-944-8712 or visit itsweb site.
Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. Napa County Master Gardeners ( http://ucanr.org/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.
Napa County Master Gardeners welcome the public to visit their demonstration garden at Connolly Ranch on Thursdays, from 10:00 a.m. until noon, except the last Thursday of the month. Connolly Ranch is at 3141 Browns Valley Road at Thompson Avenue in Napa. Enter on Thompson Avenue.