Friday, May 25, 2012

Train Cucumbers On Chicken Wire







If you have a small garden, training cucumber vines to climb a fence frees up space for other vegetation. In addition, it takes the leaves and vegetables out of the dirt, decreasing the chance that they will rot and making harvest easier. Using chicken wire to train the cucumber vine is a cheap, easy way to make more room and produce more fruit.


Instructions


1. Drive stakes 1 foot into the ground. Space stakes about 3 feet apart and about a foot away from the row of cucumbers.


2. Attach chicken wire. At five or six points on each stake, secure chicken wire with wire. Make sure the fence is sturdy, as plants become heavy when laden with fruit.


3. Train cucumbers up the fence. String the vines through the holes in the chicken wire or use string to tie them up. During peak growing season, the plant can grow as much as 2 to 3 inches a day. Keep a close watch and tie vines when necessary.


4. Prune vines. If the vine extends beyond the 6-foot fence and begins to topple over, pinch it back. After the vine reaches beyond the fence it no longer needs to be trained.

Tags: chicken wire