Grow cucumbers vertically on a cucumber cage to increase your cucumber production. It’s easy to train them to grow up the cage, they look stunning, and you will get more cucumbers. I have tried different methods in years past to train my cucumbers to grow vertically, However, using a cucumber cage aka tomato cage is the simplest way that I have tried.
Vertical gardening is a hot trend. Indeed, it makes your garden look stunning! In addition, we are trying to grow as many plants as we can in smaller spaces. It can be a challenge with some plants. Not so with the cucumber. It thrives as a vertical crop.
WHY YOU SHOULD GROW CUCUMBERS VERTICALLY
It’s easy to grow your cukes up, but not as many people adopt this gardening method as you’d think. Why should you do this? There are three main reasons: space, pests, and disease.
First, once your cucumbers take off, you will see that they take up a lot of space. In fact, I’ve had years where they have choked out the plants around them. Literally, they strangled my pepper plants with their tendrils! Growing on a cucumber cage allows them to wrap upwards, then back down and around. This leaves plenty of space for your other plants.
Second, vertical gardening reduces pests. You know the ones! The little buggers that want to hide in the comfy, shady moist soil and eat your plants. Lifting your cucumber vines off of the ground in a natural way to help control these pests. Plus, if you do have bugs, you will easily see them and can pick them off your plants.
Third, vertically growing cucumbers will help make your plants resistant to disease. Your cucumbers want a lot of water. Water breeds disease like leaf spotting, rot, and various mildews. These can all kill your cucumber plants.
Raising your plants up towards the sunshine will help keep the vines, leaves, and cucumbers dry while their feet remain moist. This will assist you in growing disease-free plants.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR CUCUMBERS TO CUCUMBER CAGES:
Let me start off by saying that cucumbers have tender little vines and tendrils and you should handle them gently when you are following these steps. You want to train the plants, but please take care not to break them off.
Once your plants have a little growth, place a cucumber cage over the plant. Every few days, guide the vines and leaves up. Gently drape them over the cucumber cage. The tendrils will begin to wrap around the cages and support the weight of the plant.
As your cucumbers grow, they should blossom profusely. After all, you have lifted them up out of the shade of their own leaves! Continue to guide them as needed. However, once they catch the cucumber cage, they really do flourish on their own.
As I harvest my vertically grown cucumber, I will update ya’ll with photos. It looks like I will have a lot this summer! I am already anticipating the harvest. Cucumber salad and refrigerator dill pickles are both in my plans.
If you are looking for vertical gardening ideas, look to the cucumber. This plant is a natural climber and you will be so proud of your gardening efforts when you see the results. Please feel free to email photos of your success!
