Which side of bed to trellis?

bonnie0128 3/31/2014, 10:48 am

My bed faces SSW x NNE (so if I'm standing along one short end the upper right corner is Sounth, upper Left sorta West, lower right sorta East, and lower left North).

My new beds are going to be approx 2x10 (I'm short and have a hard time reaching in to wider beds).

I grow a lot of trellised items and tall tomatoes. Should those items go on the sides that run North to West (ish)? I had thought of putting the trellis on the South to East side (for asthetics and to make a fence to block out the neighbors) but then I got to thinking it might make shade for the blocks on the other side).

Does this even make sense without a picture?

Also the bed closer to the house will get more shade on the N-E end of the bed. Am I thinking right that cucumbers or summer squash would prefer more shade than tomatoes?

**camprn** 3/31/2014, 12:47 pm

bonnie0128 wrote:
I grow a lot of trellised items and tall tomatoes. Should those items go on the sides that run North to West (ish)?

Yes

**camprn** 3/31/2014, 12:48 pm

bonnie0128 wrote:

Also the bed closer to the house will get more shade on the N-E end of the bed. Am I thinking right that cucumbers or summer squash would prefer more shade than tomatoes?

All of those are sun loving and require at least 6 hours of sun a day. The longer they are exposed to the sun the healthier and more productive they will be.

Marc Iverson 3/31/2014, 5:17 pm

Definitely. Last year the tomatoes and cucumbers I grew that had intense sun in the afternoon but generally six hours or less sun through most of the season grew, but were poor producers. The ones in full sun, some were from the same transplant packs I bought at a nursery, but were bigger, taller, wider, leafier, and bore far more fruit.

Sometimes it might even the case that a spot that gives you a little of your very favorite veggie might be better used to give you a lot more of something you like a little less. At least that way you can be happy with what you have there. This year I won't be growing either tomatoes or cukes in those spots I was talking about using last year. I'll find something that does better in partial shade.

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Which side of bed to trellis?

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