Trellising is a preferred method when growing some fruits and vegetables.

By training the vines to climb, it not only saves you space, but it also protects the fruit from damage from lying on the moist ground.

It is also a great way to add bright standing colours to the space. Here are some options to choose from:

• Cucumber: This crunchy tasty veggie is a must have for most salads. Plant cucumber during mid to late Autumn to have a constant supply over the warmer months. 
• Cucumbers are very thirsty plants and best to be watered through drip irrigation. 

• Green beans: Bean plants are annual vegetables that grow quickly and are best planted in the spring. 
• The flowers appear about two months after planting. Beans need lots of sun and organically rich soil. 
• Harvest when the pods are young and tender, and the inner seeds are visible through the pods.

• Peas: One of the easiest crops to grow, that should be sown in autumn and mature in spring. 
• The most common type has a pod that is filled with round green edible seeds. 
• The pods of these peas are not edible. The Snow peas and Sugar Snap peas on the other hand have edible pods. 
• Being legumes, Peas help to enrich soil with Nitrogen. 

• Bitter Gourds (Bitter melons): This vegetable from the Asian cuisine is often grown for their medicinal benefits such as antibiotic and digestion stimulant properties. 
• As its name indicates, Bitter gourds are bitter in taste are harvested prior to seed hardening. The produce is of a uniform pale green with a warty appearance.

• Snake Gourds: This rapidly growing annual vine tastes much like a cucumber. 
• It is often used similar to zucchini - stuffed, baked, pickled or stir-fried. Harvest in 40-50 days from planting. 

• Jasmine: This fast-growing evergreen climber has creamy white flowers with the most heavenly sweet scent. 

• Nasturtium: These easy to grow, vigorous climbing plants are one of the best flowering vines. 
• With highly appealing, colorful flowers and green leaves, this vine resembles a stunning painting. 

• Bougainvillea: This sun loving dense vining plant will add colour burst to your yard with its papery flowers that come in electric pink or purple.

• Mandevillas: This bright red, white or pink beauties bear masses of trumpet shaped blooms during all summer. 

 

• Climbing Roses: This plant will need to be trained to grow along a vertical support, but once established its gorgeous flower will be the most preferred backdrop for any family picture (has been ours for a while). 

What are the advantages on growing vertically on a Trellis?

• Optimal utilisation of available space – sky is the limit, literally
• Reduce plant diseases and damage by insects and pests by improved air circulation
• Use of Trellis also slows down the spread of soil-borne fungus and disease, keeping the plants much healthier
• It is more creative by adding beauty to the garden and give it a ton of character
• Less deformed harvest, as they now have the required space to grow
• Easy harvesting with reduced need to bend or getting on your knees.