DIY Network

Cucumber Types, Homemade Trellis Cucumber Types, Homemade Trellis From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-114

Love cucumbers but never tried growing them in your garden? Well, now's the time to start! Read on to learn about the different types and discover how easy it is to plant and grow these cool, crisp veggies....

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	Cucumbers are a gardener's favorite because they are easy to grow and produce abundant crops.
	Cucumbers need soil that's rich in organic matter and is well drained. Because cucumbers grow fast they need lots of nutrients.

• Cucumbers are a gardener's favorite because they are easy to grow and produce abundant crops. Cucumbers love to climb on anything they can wrap their vines around. They grow up toward the sun and leave the green fruit dangling below the leaf canopy.

• Cucumbers come in two types: vining and bush varieties. This is a vining variety and it produces more cucumbers when it's allowed to run straight up a sturdy structure where it can get plenty of light and have air circulating around its stems. Cucumbers are so productive that a few plants can keep a family supplied for the entire summer. Plant cucumbers when the ground has warmed up. They can't tolerate frost.

• Cucumbers need soil that's rich in organic matter and is well drained. Because cucumbers grow fast they need lots of nutrients. Add several inches of compost to the bed to give them extra food. Use a garden fork to work in the compost, and then rake the bed smooth. Good soil makes cucumbers stronger and healthier. Healthy plants have a better chance of fighting off diseases and of surviving a pest attack.
  

  	Cucumbers do best if grown on a trellis. By providing a structure you will get cucumbers that are more uniform in size and shape.
  	Using a drill and 3 inch-galvanized screws, attach one 6-foot long board across the top of each pair of supports. You want to use galvanized screws to prevent rusting; you could also use stainless steel screws.
  	Use a ball of garden twine to create the netting on the trellis.

• Cucumbers do best if grown on a trellis. By providing a structure you will get cucumbers that are more uniform in size and shape. For this trellis you need 6-8 foot long 2x4's to make the frame and brown twine to make the support netting. The first step is to sharpen the ends of 4 of the 2 x 4's.

• To sharpen the 2"x4"s into points, draw a V-shape on the end of the boards. Use a circular saw to make the cuts. You only need to sharpen one end of each board. Set these aside and then cut the 2 remaining boards down to 6 feet in length. Cut both of the remaining 2-foot long sections of 2"x4" in half so you have 4 boards 1 foot in length.

• These pieces will form 2 trellises that will sit back to back in your planting bed. The short pieces will hold the 2 frames together to make them sturdier. The first step is to get the pointed boards into the ground. Hammer all of the pointed boards evenly along your bed.

• Using a drill and 3 inch-galvanized screws, attach one 6-foot long board across the top of each pair of supports. You want to use galvanized screws to prevent rusting; you could also use stainless steel screws. Then screw the short boards to the outside of the frames at the top and near the middle to connect the trellises together.

• The short boards will make the 2 trellises sturdier and they'll maintain the distance between the 2 sides. That way if you get any heavy wind they'll stay in place. Once these are covered in vines the trellis will act like a big sail in heavy weather. That's why it's so important to make them secure.

• The center of the trellis will consist of various string supports attached to nails. To build the string supports, begin nailing one and a half inch galvanized flathead nails to the inside of the boards. Space them about 10 inches apart. Leave about 1/4 inch of the nail sticking out, leaving space behind the head to attach the string.
  
  
• Use a ball of garden twine to create the netting on the trellis. You can also use fishing line or plastic garden fencing to face your trellis. Begin at the bottom nail and tie off one end of the string. Pull the string across to the second board and looped it around the corresponding nail. Then go directly up to the next nail, loop the string around and then pull it back to the first board. Continue looping and pulling the string until the entire span of the trellis is laced. Tie the string securely to the last nail.

• The final step is to install the vertical trellis strings. Start at the top by attaching the string to a nail. Drop the string straight down and tie it to a horizontal string with a single knot each time the strings cross. At the bottom horizontal string tie off the string and then cut it off.
  
  
• Repeat for the second trellis.