beginner's corner
“
Trellising a plant can be as simple as
constructing a bamboo tripod or growing
beans up a corn stalk."
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grow cycle
A trellis can be almost any height or length, though
anything over six feet high and longer than six feet wide
may cause maintenance headaches (you’ll have to reach
up or walk around the structure for maintenance). Trellises
can also be angled to help maximize the sunlight hitting
plant leaves, or they can be designed as decorative yet
functional elements in the landscape. Arbors are examples
of trellising at its most beguiling, and we’d be remiss if we
didn’t mention the remarkable French art of espalier (styl-
ized fruit tree trellising), which requires dedication and
expert pruning.
Not all trellis materials are compatible with all plants
or all growing strategies, though. For instance, climb-
ing plants that have leafless stem tendril structures typi-
cally require narrow gauge horizontal and vertical gridded
support to achieve firm, stable attachments, while many
plants without tendrils work well with trellises that employ
clips or those that can be secured easily with string or zip
ties. Here is another example: Rotating your crops annually
is a common recommendation when growing tomatoes. If
your goal is to trellis tomatoes, a portable trellis (or one
that can be disassembled easily or repurposed) would be
preferred to a fixed, durable structure. Adding a large mesh
or grid network to that trellis would also make it easier to
harvest the tomatoes once they ripen. The types of plants
you grow will inform your decisions about materials and
the overall style of the trellis you choose.
Still, even with this wealth of diversity in trellis design
and function, successful plant trellises do have charac-
teristics in common. First, they must be established on
a site compatible with the plants you plan to grow, and
you must prepare the soil as you would normally. For
the best utilization of sunlight, choose a north/south row
orientation. Next, leave 12-14 inches of open space along
the bottom of the trellis frame to help increase air flow
and make it easier to monitor the bed and keep it free of
debris. If you plan to install multiple trellises, place them
far enough apart that they won’t cast unwanted shade on
one another. You can guestimate the distance by deter-
mining the likely width of the plant canopy for each
mature trellis. Also, if using twigs to build a rustic trellis