Vertical Vegetable Gardening: The Best Trellis Crops and How to Support Them

A trellis turns a sprawling cucumber or pole bean into a narrow green wall, which is why vertical growing is the standard trick for small yards and raised beds. University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension lists the payoffs: less ground used per plant, cleaner and better-looking fruit, easier weeding, better air movement through the leaves (which can reduce disease) and fruit that hangs at arm's length for picking. UC Master Gardeners add that trellised plants expose more flowers and fruit to the sun. This guide covers which crops to grow up, which kind of support each one needs, how big to build it and where to put it.

The best crops for a trellis

Not every vine climbs the same way, and that decides the support. Use this table as a starting point; the sources are listed at the bottom of the page.

Bush beans, bush peas, determinate (bush) tomatoes and compact or bush squash need little or no support, so check the seed packet before you build. Large pumpkins and big winter squash are usually too heavy to grow up a garden trellis; let them sprawl at the edge of the garden instead.

Types of vertical supports

• Single stakes. UW–Madison suggests 5 to 6 foot stakes of wood, metal or plastic. Wooden stakes should be at least 1 inch square and not chemically treated, and Illinois Extension recommends driving stakes at least a foot into the ground. Good for individual tomatoes tied every foot or so as they grow.
• Teepees and tripods. Three or four poles tied together at the top. The classic support for pole beans and peas; UC Master Gardeners note you can hang extra strings between the legs for more climbing room.
• Stake-and-weave. For a row of tomatoes: stakes about every 6 feet, with tight nylon or polypropylene cord run along both sides of the plants, starting 6 to 10 inches above the soil and adding a new run as the plants grow (UW–Madison suggests three to five runs a season).
• Cages. UW–Madison describes 2-foot-wide cages rolled from about 6 feet of 4-inch-grid wire (hog wire, woven wire or concrete reinforcing wire), anchored with two stakes. Used for tomatoes, and sometimes squash and melons.
• A vertical trellis. Posts set about 2 feet into the ground, 12 to 20 feet apart and about 6 feet tall, with a wire or board across the top. Hang twine down to each plant, or attach nylon netting or 4-inch wire mesh. This is the workhorse for cucumbers, peas and melons.
• A fence trellis. UC Master Gardeners attach 1×2 boards to a sunny fence and staple grid wire to them, then seed or transplant about 6 to 8 inches out from the fence.
• Panels and arches. A stiff livestock or hog-wire panel tied to T-posts, or bent into an arch between two beds, is a popular sturdy option for cucumbers, melons and small squash.

How tall and how strong?

Most garden trellises are about 6 feet tall: high enough for pole beans, cucumbers and tall peas, and still within reach for picking. Strength matters more than height for heavy crops. A trellis full of mature cucumber or melon vines, wet after rain, is heavy, so set posts deep and use wire or nylon mesh rather than light string for those crops. UW–Madison notes that the vines themselves usually grow strong enough to hold their fruit; supporting the whole vine well matters more than supporting individual fruits, though larger melons can use a mesh sling. If you use wire mesh, check that fruit is not growing into the wire.

Where to put a trellis

• North side of the bed. Clemson Extension recommends placing climbing crops on a trellis along the north side (in the Northern Hemisphere), so they do not shade the rest of the bed. Our raised bed layouts use the same rule.
• Use the shade it makes. The strip behind a summer trellis is cooler, which suits lettuce and spinach late in the season. See what to plant with cucumbers for a trellis bed layout.
• Count it in your square-foot plan. Clemson's square-foot counts allow 2 trellised cucumbers or 8 trellised peas or pole beans per square foot, far more than the same crops sprawling. See square foot gardening.
• Rotate even with a permanent trellis. UW–Madison suggests a three-year rotation for crops like tomatoes. A fixed trellis can stay put if you rotate which climbing crop grows on it each year.

Training and tying

Tendril crops mostly find their own way once they touch the support; guide the first few tendrils onto the netting. Pole beans twine around poles and strings on their own. Tomatoes have neither tendrils nor twining stems, so tie them loosely with soft ties or plant clips as they grow, or keep them inside a cage or between stake-and-weave cords. Melons and squash may need a little help: tie the main vine up the first time it wanders, and give heavier fruit a sling. See when to plant melons for timing.

Companion pairings on a trellis

• Peas, then cucumbers. Sow peas on the trellis in early spring and plant cucumbers at its base around your last frost; when the peas finish, the cucumbers take over the same support. Our pea companion guide covers the details.
• Low crops in front. Lettuce, radishes, carrots and bush beans fill the sunny side of a trellis without shading it.
• Mind the onion rule. Several extension sources list onions and garlic as poor neighbors for peas and beans, so keep the allium row away from a bean or pea trellis.
• Three Sisters. Corn stalks can be the support for pole beans; see our Three Sisters guide before you try it, because the beans need a head start from the corn.

End-of-season cleanup

UW–Madison suggests letting vines dry and turn brittle on the support, even over winter, so they are easier to strip off. Remove any diseased vines rather than composting them. Wooden supports last longer if you take them in for winter, and moving a trellis lets you rotate crops; metal posts and panels can usually stay out.

Frequently asked questions

What vegetables grow best on a trellis?

Extension services list peas, pole beans, cucumbers, indeterminate tomatoes, melons and smaller squash and gourds as the vegetables that grow best on vertical supports. Malabar spinach, a heat-loving leafy vine, also needs a trellis.

How tall should a vegetable trellis be?

About 6 feet suits most crops, including pole beans, cucumbers and tall peas, and keeps the top within reach for picking. UW–Madison describes posts set about 2 feet into the ground with tops about 6 feet above the soil.

Which side of the garden should a trellis go on?

The north side of the bed in the Northern Hemisphere, so tall vines do not shade shorter crops. Clemson Extension recommends this placement for climbing crops.

Do cucumbers need support for the fruit on a trellis?

Usually not. The vines grow strong enough to carry the fruit. Larger melons are the crop most likely to need a mesh sling.

Can you grow squash vertically?

Smaller winter squash and some summer squash can be trellised or staked if the support is sturdy, and heavier fruit may need slings. Large pumpkins and big winter squash are usually too heavy for a garden trellis.

What is the best trellis for pole beans?

Poles, a teepee or vertical strings. Pole beans twine around their supports, so a pole or string works better than a flat lattice or mesh, which they do not weave through as easily.