Mario Bautista
Cucumbers grow on vines that can reach 6 to 8 feet long or more, taking up a lot of real estate in your garden. Fortunately, cucumber plants adapt well to growing vertically, so using a plant trellis is a great way to support and contain them.
We’ve pulled together a wide variety of cucumber trellis ideas to help you grow more cucumbers without sacrificing limited garden space. These cucumber trellises will help you have your best cucumber harvest yet.
Why Use a Cucumber Trellis?
Even in large gardens where cucumbers have room to spread out along the ground, growing cucumbers on a trellis provides many benefits. Trellis-grown vines produce higher yields than those on the ground, and by growing upward instead of outward, you can produce significantly more fruit per square foot. By lifting the fruits off the ground, the incidence of soil-borne fruit and foliar diseases decreases.
“Anything within the gourd family is prone to fungal disease, and fruit contact with damp soil can lead to mildew and rot. A trellis is a great way to get cucumbers off the soil and promote airflow,” says Kaitlin Mitchell, Fonder of Rutabaga Gardening Tools. “The structure gives the leaves plenty of opportunity to stretch out and get full sun. A trellis also gives you a better shot of avoiding powdery mildew, which is hard to eliminate once it gets its white fungal hold on the plant.”
Fruits growing on a cucumber trellis also tend to be longer and straighter than those on the ground, and they are easier to harvest.
Which Cucumber Trellis Should You Use?
From DIY projects to decorative structures, there is a cucumber trellis to suit any garden setting and budget. Planting location is a large factor in selecting a trellis. For cucumbers planted in an ornamental setting, a metal arch or woven trellis unites the food crops with their decorative surroundings. However, these can be more expensive than simple DIY structures, which may be better suited to traditional vegetable gardens. Available wall or fence space provides additional trellis options.
When selecting a cucumber trellis for your garden, consider cost and durability, as well as ease of use. Mitchell says her favorite types of cucumber trellises have a lattice design and are angled to create an A-frame effect, where the vines can easily climb up, and the fruit can dangle down, away from the ground.
Cucumber Trellis Ideas
The following are a few popular cucumber trellis ideas for the garden and landscape. Remember, cucumbers (and other crops) are not limited to traditional vegetable gardens. By growing vertically on a trellis, you can add cucumbers just about anywhere, including containers. When growing cucumbers on a trellis, space plants about 12 inches apart along the base of the support structure. And keep in mind there are both vining and bush-type cucumbers. Be sure to purchase the vining type when growing cucumbers on a trellis.
Wooden Lattice Cucumber Trellis
A wooden lattice, whether a portion of an existing fence or a stand-alone section attached to two posts, provides an attractive support for growing cucumbers. Lattices can be used as part of a square-foot gardening system or installed along exterior walls to provide a surface for vines to climb. Lattice walls also create privacy, while providing an excellent growing surface.
Arch Trellis
Maximize garden space and create a beautiful garden element by installing an arched trellis in the ground or between two planters. A large archway provides a lovely entrance into a vegetable garden, or opt for an arched trellis over a planter (on sale at gardeners.com). This is among the more expensive options, but it is long-lasting and strong enough to also hold heavier vining crops like melons and squash.
Rustic DIY Obelisk Trellis
This decorative rustic obelisk is made by lashing together wooden cuttings from the landscape. You can build a similar one from bamboo or purchase a pre-made metal or wooden obelisk in various sizes. Smaller obelisks are particularly useful when growing cucumbers in containers, and larger ones provide a decorative element for growing vegetables in an ornamental landscape.
A-Frame Trellis
A-frame trellises are shaped like a ladder and provide two growing surfaces to support vines. In fact, you can use an old step ladder as a trellis, but a more decorative approach would be to build an A-frame trellis out of reclaimed wood, thick branches, or bamboo canes. You can use the same building material for the cross supports, or use netting, cattle panels, or string instead, depending on your budget. A-frame trellises can be built in long rows or as stand-alone structures.
Pro Tip: Orient the trellis so the growing surfaces face east and west, rather than north and south, to maximize sun exposure on both sides.
Lean-To Trellis
Similar to an A-frame trellis, a lean-to style trellis has a lower angle and a single growing surface. The low angle provides stability in windy locations. Several companies provide metal or wooden lean-to style trellises for sale (gardeners.com), or you can use an old wooden pallet or scrap wood to make your own. The space beneath the high end of the trellis is great for growing shade-loving herbs or heat-sensitive crops, such as lettuce, in hot climates. For the latter, orient the high end of the lean-to to the east so crops planted beneath the trellis receive morning sun and afternoon shade.
DIY Bamboo Trellis
Bamboo is a lightweight yet sturdy building material. Families like to build large teepee-style trellises out of bamboo or twigs as a playful element to engage kids in gardening. Make sure to sink the ends of the poles into the ground to provide support. You can also build a simple teepee-shaped trellis in containers by running string between three poles tied together at the top.
String Trellis
Trellises do not need to be complicated or expensive. A simple string trellis made of twine or jute strung between two posts provides all the support a cucumber needs to climb. This can be as simple as T-posts or wooden stakes driven into the ground, or it can be more decorative, like the wood-framed string trellis pictured here. String stretches over time, so you may need to replace the string every year.
Chain Link Fence
In the spirit of keeping things simple, an existing chain link fence provides a perfectly good support for cucumbers. Fences are sturdy and last for years. And they won’t break when you try to remove last season’s vines. You can also use scraps of metal fencing, steel remesh, or cattle panels suspended between T-posts or wooden posts to build an inexpensive, fence-like trellis.
Tomato Cage
Who said tomato cages are only for tomatoes? The numerous tomato cages on the market are also well-suited to growing cucumbers. Look for the taller styles and be sure to sink the bottom prongs deep into the soil. Tomato cages are available at many price points. Consider durability and select the sturdiest cage for your budget.
Wire Cucumber Trellis
Photo by Kaitlin Mitchell of RUTABAGA GARDEN TOOLS
This simple wire trellis is cost-effective and will support your baby cucumber plants as they start to grow and climb.
Wooden Fence
Photo by NNehring/Getty Images
Once again—utilize what you already have! A pre-existing wooden fence can be a great way to keep your cucumbers healthy and disease-free as they grow. It’ll also give your yard some charming greenery which is always a plus!
Trellis in a Container
Photo by lawcain/Getty Images
If you’re short on yard space or live in an urban area, popping your cucumbers in a container or pot may be the easiest move for you. By utilizing your vertical space you’ll save a ton of room in your yard! Just make sure you get a trellis that isn’t too wide for your container, and that is tall enough to support your cucumbers as they grow.
Long Cylindrical Containers
Photo by Elvira Kashapova/Getty Images
Similar to adding a trellis to a potted plant, you can also utilize vertical space by planting several cucumber plants in a long, cylindrical planter like here. These are young, so they’re able to use a string as a trellis! Once they get older trellises or a lattice can be added.
Build a Larger Structure
Suthat_Chaitaweesap/Getty Images
If you have the yard for it, consider building a large trellis that doubles as a shaded area to hang out under. Your cucumbers will be happy and so will you!
A Painted A-Frame
Add a little style to your trellis by painting the simple structure! This one is black, but a stain or even bright and cheerful color will upgrade your garden instantly.
