Growing cucumbers on a trellis is easy, looks awesome, and has tons of great benefits. In this article, I’ll show you how to grow cucumbers vertically, give you techniques for training the vines, and tips for choosing the right type of support for them.
I don’t know about you, but I am absolutely hooked on vertical gardening! I grow as many of my vegetables vertically as I can, and cucumbers are no exception.
I started growing cucumbers on a trellis in my garden several years ago, and I’ve never looked back. It’s super easy to train the vines, and a great way to get healthy, highly productive, and beautiful crops.
Here’s what you’ll find in this guide to growing cucumbers vertically. You can either click the links to skip to each section, or simply continue reading to learn it all…
Table of Contents
Do Cucumber Plants Need Support?
Growing cucumbers vertically sounds great and all… but do they really need a trellis to climb on? Well, technically the answer is no. But, let me tell you a little story…
When I first started gardening, I always let mine just sprawl along the ground. Since I was a newbie gardener, I didn’t know there was any other option.
The problem with this method is that, once the plants start to get really large, they take up a lot of space. And, when left to sprawl naturally, they can quickly take over the garden!
I’d always plant them in a long row, and then train the vines to grow into each other. I tried my best to keep them within their row.
This worked pretty well, but by the end of the summer, I could barely reach some of the fruits, or walk on that side of the garden because the row became so wide.
Plus it was very difficult to harvest my crop because they were hidden under all that foliage, and it became super frustrating for me.
Then one year I decided to try growing cucumbers on a trellis like I have always done with my beans. And let me tell you, that was the best gardening decision I ever made!
So, should you trellis your cucumbers? Well, if I haven’t convinced you yet then keep reading…
Growing cucumbers up a trellis
Growing Cucumbers On A Trellis
If you’ve never tried growing cucumbers on a trellis, you’re missing out! Not only does it save you tons of space in the garden, there are lots of wonderful benefits too.
But before I go on and on about how awesome it is, let’s talk about the different varieties. Because not all types will climb a trellis.
Using a tall trellis to grow cucumbers vertically
Best Cucumbers To Grow Vertically
Generally speaking, there are two kinds of cucumber plants: bush and vining. The vining varieties are climbing plants, and the bush types are not.
So, if you want to try growing cucumbers on a trellis, you need to make sure you buy the climbers, and not the bush types.
How can you tell the difference? The seed packet or plant tag should tell you what kind it is. A few of my favorite vining ones are Homemade Pickles, Sumter, Lemon and Marketmore.
Related Post: How To Grow Cucumbers From Seeds & When To Plant
Growing cucumbers vertically in the garden
Benefits Of Growing Cucumbers Vertically
Ok, now that we know the best types of trellis cucumbers, I can tell you about all of the awesomeness that comes with growing them vertically.
Not only does it look cool, but there are lots of benefits of growing cucumbers on a trellis too…
- More space – When you train the vines to go up, rather than allowing them to sprawl on the ground like I used to, it frees up tons of space in your garden. Plus you’ll have room other shorter crops underneath.
- Prevents disease – When they’re on the ground, the soil splashes up on the leaves. This can cause major problems with soil borne diseases and fungus. Keeping them off the ground slows down the spread of disease so the plants stay much healthier.
- Better airflow – Growing cucumbers vertically also allows better airflow so the leaves will dry out faster, which will help to prevent or slow the spread of fungal diseases as well.
- Protected from pests – Getting those yummy fruits up off the ground will keep them out of reach of many pests that could easily eat them. Plus, they won’t rot like they can when they’re just sitting on the ground.
- Easier to harvest – Trellising cucumbers also makes them easier to harvest. You won’t have to bend down and hunt for them. They hang down from the vine, making them much easier to see.
- Gorgeous crops – Since gravity pulls them down, your crops will always be straight and beautiful. They’re also cleaner, and won’t have an ugly yellow spot on them (which happens when they lay on the ground).
Straight, clean, and beautiful cucumber grown vertically
Vertical Supports For Climbing Cucumbers
You can use any type of support to grow cucumbers vertically. But there are a few things to keep in mind when you’re choosing the perfect support…
- Height – The vines can get really long, so think about the height of the trellis. Make sure it’s tall enough so they have plenty of space, but not so tall that you can’t easily reach the top at harvest time. Something that’s 4-6′ tall is perfect.
- Strength – The vertical structure you choose for trellising cucumbers also needs to be strong enough to support their weight. The vines are pretty lightweight, but they can quickly become very heavy once the fruits mature.
- Airflow – Make sure the support you choose is open enough so the vines aren’t kept in a tight cluster. They need plenty of airflow to prevent fungus and disease. Plus, when they are crammed together, it’s much more difficult to harvest.
Vining cucumbers climbing a simple support
Cucumber Trellis Ideas
When it comes to trellis ideas there are tons of options, so get creative with it. You can use any kind of vertical support, but it’s always fun to find new ideas.
To make harvesting much easier, try using an a-frame so that your crops will hang down. Beautiful!
A lean-to also works great, and you can plant other stuff underneath it (this medium sized one is perfect for a smaller space or raised beds).
If you’d rather make your own, check out my arched cucumber trellis design plans. It’s an easy DIY project.
Climbing cucumbers growing on a small garden arch
Using Chicken Wire For Trellising Cucumbers
If you use chicken wire or a similar type of material that has small holes, you’ll need to keep an eye on it.
Baby cucumbers can easily poke through the holes in the fencing, and get stuck when they get larger.
So, check on them every few days. If any of them start poking through the fencing, be sure to move them out before they become stuck.
Don’t worry. If you do find one wedged in, you can still pick it. Take a sharp knife and cut the cucumber open to remove it from the fencing. No biggy, you’ll just have to eat that one right away.
Using garden fencing to trellis cucumbers
Caring For Cucumbers On A Trellis
By now you might be wondering “how do cucumbers climb?”. I mean, do they grow on vines or what? Well, kinda…
They climbing types actually have vining tendrils, which are basically side shoots that come out of the main stem. These tendrils will reach out and grab onto anything they touch.
Oh, and don’t worry about giving them any extra support. Cucumbers growing on a trellis won’t get too heavy and rip off the vine. The vines are plenty strong enough to support the full weight of the mature fruit.
How To Trellis Cucumbers
Vining cucumbers will attach to a trellis, but they aren’t always great climbers on their own. Sometimes they need your help to find the support they’re supposed to be climbing.
Gravity is working against us, and the vines tend to prefer to sprawl along the ground. Other times, they can start climbing on nearby plants instead of their dedicated vertical support.
So, you’ll need to check on them regularly, and train any unruly vines to grab onto the support when they start going rogue.
Cucumbers dangling down from the vertical support
How To Train Cucumber Vines
Don’t worry, training cucumbers to grow on a trellis isn’t hard. Simply straighten the vines, and attach them to their support.
They don’t always need to be tied up though. Many times you can gently wrap or weave the stems into the trellis, and the tendrils will eventually grab it on their own.
But, you can help them out by tying the vines onto the support using twine, choose-a-size metal twist ties, plastic flexible plant ties, or plant clips.
Just be sure to tie them on very loosely. Otherwise they can strangle the vines as they get thicker. Learn more about training vines here.
Growing cucumbers on a trellis is easy, and there are lots of great benefits. Not only will trellising cucumbers save a ton of space in your garden, your plants will be healthier, prettier, and harvesting will be a snap too!
Do you want to learn even more about growing vegetables vertically? My brand new book would be perfect for you! Vertical Vegetables: Simple Projects That Deliver More Yield In Less Space has all the information you need in order to get started. Plus it has design and care tips, detailed plant lists, and nearly two dozen step-by-step projects that you can build for your garden. Order your copy today!
Learn more about my new Vertical Vegetables book here.
Products I Recommend
More Posts About Vertical Gardening
- How To Trellis Peas In Your Garden
- How To Grow Squash Vertically
- How To Trellis Grapes In Your Home Garden
- The Amazing Benefits Of Vertical Gardening
Share your tips for growing cucumbers on a trellis in the comments section below!
aussiebushgirl says
Hi Amy. I was planning on attaching some trellis onto my timber fence. Now I’m a bit concerned that perhaps there won’t be enough wriggle room between the vines and the trellis. Too much space = cucumbers getting stuck behind the trellis? As the area is gravelled and the fence is about a metre away from my above-ground beds, could you suggest the best solution for planting the vines into – and how many vines would be appropriate to start? Thanks heaps! Heather
Amy Andrychowicz says
Rather than attaching the trellis directly onto your fence, I would put screw some small boards onto the fence first, and attach the trellis to those. That way you’ll have a nice spacer between the trellis and the fence.
Don Kliem says
due to lack of space I don’t usually grow cukes, but this year I was given some plants. I planted them in hanging baskets and hung them on an unused clothes lines that run the length of my garden. It was super easy to encourage them to grow down the lines.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Oh how fun! I love that you have your cukes in hanging baskets, and you’re training the vines to grow on the lines. That sounds very cool!
Anita says
thanks for your pictures and advice! I’m trying vertical cukes myself this year for the first time. Fun to see you’re in the twin cities, as I live in the south metro, even attend a church in Saint Paul. So, howdy neighbor!
Amy Andrychowicz says
Howdy neighbor, always nice to “meet” a local gardener! 🙂 Good luck growing your cukes vertically, you’ll love it!
Kay says
my cucumber leaves are getting yellow spots on them. What’s happening? Is it too much water or lack of nutrients . It shouldn’t be lack of nutrition. I have ammended my soil with compost and I use egg shells and Epson salt, and a small amount of fertilizer for veg. Plants.
They are on a trellis.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Sounds like it could be a viral or bacterial. There are a lot of diseases that can infect cucumbers: mosaic disease, downy or powder mildew, bacterial leaf spot to name a few. It is very common here this time of year. You can try treating with an anti-fungal. However, I find that it just looks ugly, and doesn’t effect the fruit production on mine. Since our growing season is so short here in MN, I rarely do anything to treat the plants.
Laura says
I am putting cucumbers in an elevated planter box on my deck. I was wondering if you think a trellis in the planter box will work, and what can I do that won’t be too tall?
Amy Andrychowicz says
Sure, you could definitely put a trellis in the planter box for growing your cucumber vines. I would look for something that is proportionate to the size of the box. Maybe something that’s about twice as tall as the height of the planter.
Randi says
Hi there! I plan on using bamboo to create my trellis- what would you say is the ideal size of the holes should be? Is having a support on an 8″ × 8″ grid too big? I can fasten the bamboo as close together or as far apart as I like so I’m just wondering what the magic number might be for the grid. Thanks in advance!
Amy Andrychowicz says
I’ve never tried making a bamboo cucumber trellis, so I don’t know for sure. I would make the holes at least 4″ so the cucumbers won’t get stuck in there as they grow.
Grace A Kreuser says
Will Cucumbers grow towards the sun? I’m wondering if I should plant them on the north or south side of the trellis.
Amy Andrychowicz says
If they aren’t getting enough light, then yes. It would be ideal to plant your cucumbers on the south side of the trellis so the seedlings have plenty of light. However, as the vines grow taller, they will be growing on both sides of the trellis, so it’s not really a huge concern.
Danielle says
I have a cattle panel that I made into a 6.5 foot arched trellis and it attaches to two 4×4 beds. I’m just trying to get an idea of how many cuxumbers plants I can put into one 4 ft long side of the bed against the trellis? You said they grow nice and straight up the trellis, so would 4 plants be okay? Essentially, square foot gardening type of idea?
Amy Andrychowicz says
Yes, four cucumber plants on each side of your trellis would work great.
Laurie Loehr says
Do I put the trellis in the ground before I plant the seeds or wait until they start to sprout and then place near them when they get a little height on them?
Amy Andrychowicz says
You can do it either way. But, it will be much easier to put your cucumber trellis into the ground before you plant them. Otherwise, you risk damaging the plants and roots.
Barb says
I bought a cattle fence at menards for about 18.00. It can be cut, left outside as it doesn’t rust. I have cut mine and grow many things upward. It leaves so much room for my tomatoes and peppers. I also use mine for my pole beans.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Awesome, thanks for sharing about the materials you used for making your cucumber trellis. 🙂
Wayne Duncan says
Is there a chance the metal wiring will get to hot in the sun and harm the cucumber vines?
Amy Andrychowicz says
Nope, the wire I use to make this cucumber trellis doesn’t get hot at all. Great question!
Chatita says
In case of a vertical trellis of around 6 feet, what do you do once the cucumber plant reaches the top ? .
Amy Andrychowicz says
You can just allow your cucumber vines to grow naturally once they reach the top of the trellis. They will start to grow downward and back onto the trellis. Unless of course there’s a fence or something taller nearby, then they might start growing on there. LOL!
Anonymous says
This isgreat advice! I plan on trying to trellis my cucumbers this summer since i have very limited room. I have read up on doing the same with watermelons. They take old rags or shirts and make a hammock for the watermelon when they get large so they can mature completley. I might try this as well. 🙂
Amy Andrychowicz says
Glad to hear you're going to try growing cucumbers on a trellis! Let me know how it works out for you. I grow my squash vertically every year, and it works great. I thought I would have to swaddle the larger ones with old t-shirts (like you mention with the melons). But they rested on the top of my trellis and didn't need the extra support. It worked out really well.