Trellis height for tomato, cukes, etc...?

I'm sure there is no "rule" on this but what's considered high enough and what's too tall.

I am going with 5 feet tall. I think that is just about right for my raised beds. I'm still gonna need a step ladder to reach the top but 5 feet seems about right and that is what trellis netting size seems to be for the most part (my beds are 6 feet wide).

Depends on what you're growing.  Grew some luffa gourds that would have been overjoyed w/ a 50' tall trellis.  Since ours is only 10', they spread out.  A LOT!!!

My pole beans seemed pretty happy w/ 10', but would have gone further up if allowed.

Watermelons/cantaloupes/honeydews tried to grab our neighbor's boat 20' away.  AND they tried to grab our Airstream.  This was after they hit 10'...

So - how high can you reach?  Are you okay w/ ladders if necessary?  Do you have room to put a ladder if necessary?

5 foot is about what I keep those plants at.  Some people let their tomatoes grow much taller.  Have you thought about making an arch using cattle panels or some such?  THat keeps them from being too tall yet gives the plants plenty of room to sprawl if that is needed.  Kay does that and also put in trellis that is slanted so it is not too tall for her but still plenty of growth room.

AtlantaMarie wrote:Depends on what you're growing.  Grew some luffa gourds that would have been overjoyed w/ a 50' tall trellis.  Since ours is only 10', they spread out.  A LOT!!!

My pole beans seemed pretty happy w/ 10', but would have gone further up if allowed.

Watermelons/cantaloupes/honeydews tried to grab our neighbor's boat 20' away.  AND they tried to grab our Airstream.  This was after they hit 10'...

So - how high can you reach?  Are you okay w/ ladders if necessary?  Do you have room to put a ladder if necessary?

My beds are raised up to about 3 feet to start. So 8 feet in total height with 5 foot trellis seems about right I think for tomato and cucumber.

Turan wrote:5 foot is about what I keep those plants at.  Some people let their tomatoes grow much taller.  Have you thought about making an arch using cattle panels or some such?  THat keeps them from being too tall yet gives the plants plenty of room to sprawl if that is needed.  Kay does that and also put in trellis that is slanted so it is not too tall for her but still plenty of growth room.

I have limited space so an arch would be tough plus the beds are raised three feet off the ground.

I ordered the trellis netting and will build frames from 3/4" metal conduit pipe. Each trellis will measure about 5 feet tall and 6 feet wide. My beds are about 4' x 5.5'

As you can see from the replies, trellis height is personal, partially plant variety-driven, and can be changed out depending on the plant or sun need.

Going straight from The book, 1/2" EMC is cheap, plenty strong, cheap, lasts forever, cheap, and comes in pre-cut 5' and 10' lengths.  Did I mention cheap and pre-cut sizes?  The EMC elbows are kind of expensive but have set screws to hold the pieces together, last forever, and can be reused.

One caution is that if you use rebar sections pounded part way into the dirt-dirt, make sure the EMC can slip over, so use the correct sized re-bar.  When rebar is cut into different lengths, there is a little tail that bends outward and unless you beat it to death with a 50 ounce hammer to get the tail back in line, you will not be able to slip the EMC over it.  

Or, install 1" sections of thick PVC pipe at the corners, inside or outside the boxes, where ever, to hold the upright trellises in place.  Easy to change out, good to insert 1/2" PVC or EMC pipe sections in for trellis or tulle support.

If you don't want to try a cattle panel arch, you can make a squared-off arch with 2 EMC horizontal sections reaching from trellis to trellis and beyond.  2 EMC sections slightly narrower than the 2 upright trellis, pre-stretched with trellis netting, held in a rectangular position with 4 elbows.  Then set spanning across 2 upright trellises, strapped in place with green stretchy tape, twine, etc.  It's fun to see melons and winter squash hanging down!

No matter how tall I make my trellis's, they are never tall enough.  The beans bunch at the tops, the cukes grow all over each other, the tomatoes go up and then down the other side. I won't even try vining squash on them. Instead they grow all thru my rhodie hedge.

I'm heading toward arches...

CC

Tshred......Look for tomatoes that are Determinates.  Most don't grow as tall as Indeterminates.  Some only grow 3'-5' tall as a rule.  As for cukes, there are several bush type as well as short vines 3 and 4' long so look for those.
Or look for container-type plants or seeds which don't grow to excess, in such things as squash, tomatoes, cukes, and even melons.  There are more and more varieties of those every spring.

quiltbea wrote:Tshred......Look for tomatoes that are Determinates.  Most don't grow as tall as Indeterminates.  Some only grow 3'-5' tall as a rule.  As for cukes, there are several bush type as well as short vines 3 and 4' long so look for those.
Or look for container-type plants or seeds which don't grow to excess, in such things as squash, tomatoes, cukes, and even melons.  There are more and more varieties of those every spring.

Thanks!

My tomatoes are San Marzanos and Gilberties, indeterminate varieties. My trellis system is about 7 feet tall. I am 5'2" tall and the trellis height is for my natural reach. To tend the uppermost parts of the plants I still need a ladder, but for the most part I can reach far enough to reach fruit. The determinate tomatoes just get staked. My pole bean trellis used to be 10 feet tall but I cut it down to 6 feet and that works well enough for me.

I grow spacemaster cukes and they do fine on a 3 foot system.

camprn wrote: My trellis system is about 7 feet tall. I am 5'2" tall and the trellis height is for my natural reach. To tend the uppermost parts of the plants I still need a ladder, but for the most part I can reach far enough to reach fruit.

+1  I'm 5'3" (now) and I have my max trellis height at 8'.  I had DH cut some new 10' EMC down to 8', my 7' reach plus 1' with a plastic step or 2-step folding stool.

sanderson wrote:

camprn wrote: My trellis system is about 7 feet tall. I am 5'2" tall and the trellis height is for my natural reach. To tend the uppermost parts of the plants I still need a ladder, but for the most part I can reach far enough to reach fruit.

+1   I'm 5'3" (now) and I have my max trellis height at 8'.  I had DH cut some new 10' EMC down to 8', my 7' reach plus 1' with a plastic step or 2-step folding stool.

+1. my trellis is 9-10 ft. i barely can reach the top. 8' probably wonuld have been better.

TSHRED wrote:

Turan wrote:5 foot is about what I keep those plants at.  Some people let their tomatoes grow much taller.  Have you thought about making an arch using cattle panels or some such?  THat keeps them from being too tall yet gives the plants plenty of room to sprawl if that is needed.  Kay does that and also put in trellis that is slanted so it is not too tall for her but still plenty of growth room.

I have limited space so an arch would be tough plus the beds are raised three feet off the ground.

I ordered the trellis netting and will build frames from 3/4" metal conduit pipe. Each trellis will measure about 5 feet tall and 6 feet wide. My beds are about 4' x 5.5'

I happen to have plenty of yard room, but my beds are 4 ft apart.  Here is my cantilevered trellis and my cattle panels between the beds.  Over all I like the cattle panels best.





ten 4x4 tabletops covered in tulle in the space

Kay,  I just love your cattle panel arches.  Just for clarification for Tshred, the tulle fabric is to protect against pests?  And the blue buckets are for tomatoes?  Last winter, the snow peas got taller than the 5' trellis, so I gerry-rigged a horizontal trellis that lay on top the fence 3' away and was strapped securely to the top of the 5' trellis   I loved being able to pick the pea pods that hung down like yours in the photo.

You can't see them because I had not planted yet, but the orange buckets were for tomatoes, the blue buckets for hot pepper and the silver buckets for sweet peppers.     Yes, the tulle is for bugs and I believe it also cuts the sun just a hair.  The picture was taken in very early spring before I put up all the cattle panels.

Kay

Kay, how do you do the sides with the tulle? I like the idea of the cattle panels and I am going to use tulle for the first time. But I still want to get to the plants without a lot of hassle.

sfg4uKim.....I just love your arch.  Wouldn't it also be great for grapes?  Such a shady, cool place to sit in the summer time.

5 ft just felt right. 
I made the frames from 1/2 conduit. 
Very sturdy.

sfg4uKim wrote:I use electrical conduit that is 5' tall no matter what I'm growing. If it reaches the top I just weave it back down. If it were to reach the bottom again . . . I would weave it back up.

Just for fun though I did make a squash arch. The cattle panels measure 50" x 16'. I then dug trenches and filled them with Mel's Mix.

Wow. Nice!

great garden beds kay!!!

TSHRED wrote:

sfg4uKim wrote:I use electrical conduit that is 5' tall no matter what I'm growing. If it reaches the top I just weave it back down. If it were to reach the bottom again . . . I would weave it back up.

Just for fun though I did make a squash arch. The cattle panels measure 50" x 16'. I then dug trenches and filled them with Mel's Mix.

Wow. Nice!

+1 very, very nice!

TSHRED wrote:5 ft just felt right. 
I made the frames from 1/2 conduit. 
Very sturdy.

tshred, I love the art design when you putt up the trellis