Fences Provide Gardeners In Colorado With A New Option For Growing Goodness
Growing vegetables vertically on a fence saves time, money, and space. As an added perk, it also minimizes pests and disease for food crops including peas, squash, tomatoes, pole beans, and cucumbers. “Any type (of) fence can be turned into a vegetable trellis with proper vegetable selection and little to no modification,” offers a SFGate.com article.
Before anything else, have one of the more reliable fence companies in Denver install a fence for your vegetable garden. Then, if you’d like to know more about growing vegetables on your new dividers, consider these tips:
What to plant
Choose a vegetable with a trailing or vining growth habit. Good choices include those mentioned above, as well as eggplant, cantaloupe, peppers, and zucchini. You may also use small-fruited versions (those having 4 to 6 pounds at maturity) of melons, pumpkins, and watermelons.
How to plant
“Plant the seeds or seedlings at the foot of the fence, using the same spacing between plants as if they were being planted as row crops in a garden,” the SFGate.com article advises. If your fence is solely for growing vegetables, “6 to 8 feet of fence should provide enough space to grow a variety of vegetables for the family kitchen and have some left over for canning or freezing.”
Maintaining the vegetables
Help the growing tips and vines get used to the fence as the plants mature. For fences that have horizontal boards or upright panels placed side by side, secure the plants to the panels with plant ties. If your fence contains wide spaces, you may weave the vines in and out of the spaces every few days.
If you plant heavy vegetables, pay close attention to how they develop, as they may become too heavy for the vine to support. To prevent them from falling to the ground prematurely, nestle them in slings and secure the sling to the fence. You can fashion a sling out of rags, pantyhose, cheesecloth, old socks, or even old diapers.
A new dimension to growing vegetables
When you plant vertically, you’ll find a new dimension of gardening space where there was none before. Of course, the fence you plant your vegetables on needs to be made of quality material. Have fences made and installed by trusted Denver fence companies like Altitude Fence and Deck so you won’t likely have any problems with them for many years to come.
Ready to jump on the fence gardening trend? Get in touch with us today to talk about your fence installation project.
(From: How to Grow Climbing Vegetables on a Fence, SFGate.com Home Guides)