Increase yield by growing vertically

• Some plants, like pole beans, climb with little help. Others, like tomatoes, cucumbers, and some squashes and melons, can be made to climb.



• Growing crops vertically has 5 major advantages over growing them on the ground:
  1. More food can be produced in a smaller space, and for a longer time.
  2. Better quality crops are produced because plants receive more light.
  3. Plants are easier to water, weed, feed, prune, care for, and harvest.
  4. Vines and leaves are not damaged during care and harvesting, and fruit does not sunburn.
  5. Fruit does not mildew, get eaten by bugs and animals, or get stepped on.
• To grow vertically, use stakes (least cost) or build simple T-Frame structures (most productive).
• To grow using stakes begin with 2″ X 2″ X 10’-long painted stakes.
  1. For tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and melons, drive stakes 18 inches deep between every two plants, pointing slightly out to increase light.
  2. For pole beans and peas place stakes every 30 inches. Nail a 2″ X 2″ cross piece between stakes, and hang strings every 4 inches.
• Building and using T-Frames is covered in Caring for climbing plants.