Getting ready!

[Mauldintiger]

Some garden friends and their teenage son came over today and helped put up my cattle panel trellis because I pulled my old ones out and here is what it looks like:

 

[Mauldintiger]

First three rows are squash and cukes, last three for tomatoes.

 

[thistlebloom]

Good looking garden spot Mauldentiger. Isn't it exciting getting ready for that first planting?

 

[digitS']

Trellis the whole ..

. lot of them!

Good idea .

Steve

 

[Smart Red]

I especially like the idea of raising the trellis material above the fence posts. With regular fencing, I'd never have thought of that but cattle panels are easily strong enough to support high-growing garden plants.

 

[Mauldintiger]

Yep, I'm 6'5" and they are even with the top of my head. The tomato trellis is 6 panels 2' apart. I'm worried it should have been more like 18". Guess I'll find out soon enough.

 

[so lucky]

Maybe you could run some supports horizontally between the two panels to help hold the plants in place till they bush out enough to need the cattle panels.
It's all looking good!

 

[Beekissed]

You shouldn't need it...by the time they are big enough for the trellising, they are reaching the fencing, IME. Good looking setup! Looks like mine.

What that space at the bottom of the trellises can do also is provide a place for a second story crop of lettuce, carrots, onions, etc. that can be grown right underneath the fencing. The tomatoes and cukes will eventually provide shade for those cool weather crops and help keep them from bolting as quickly.

 

[Mauldintiger]

Bee, great idea about the understory, I was just wondering if my plan was going to work out and that I could be running out space.
I'm also thinking of covering the whole thing wit plastic, making a rectangular "hoop house" to give me an earlier start. If leave the ends open it should be much warmer without being to warm. Last frost is April 15, but some years I could have planted out on March 15 and been OK. Never tried this before, will it work?
Here's a closeup:

 

[Beekissed]

I'm thinking you'll probably wish you had left more space in between these trellises once you've got all your plants on there.

I'll be utilizing mine in such a manner(mini greenhouse) come fall, but I plan to arch some PVC pipe on mine to help it shed the snow load better. Haven't done it yet, so can't tell you how it will work for you....don't know how much rain you get, but the rain may make it sag a bit on top if you keep to your square design. Also, you may want to soften the edges of your wire so it won't cut the plastic...maybe some foam pipe insulation?