Make a Cucumber Tent Trellis

Keep cucumber vines off the ground by making your own cucumber tent trellis. Tendrils will grab the wires and secure the vine to the trellis as it grows.

Use a trellis to grow cucumbers in a small garden space.

A tent-shaped trellis makes a great support for cucumbers. Create your own cucumber tent trellis using farm-ready welded steel panels. One panel costs about $25 and will make 2 or 3 trellises.

Step 1

Purchase a steel utility panel, available in farm supply stores. Panels often come in 16-foot lengths and 2 to 3-foot widths. They may be called cattle panels or hog panels. You can also make the same from a length of concrete reinforcement wire.

Step 2

Wear gloves for steps 2–4. Using heavy-duty bolt cutters, cut the panel in half or thirds, depending on whether you want 2 or 3 trellises.

Step 3

Bend each piece in the middle to create a tent shape. The steel material is difficult to bend and may require two people.

Step 4

For each tent-shaped trellis, use bolt cutters to snip off one horizontal end, which creates a staked end.

Step 5

Set cucumber trellises on the ground and secure the stake ends. Plant vining cucumbers and allow them to grow up and over the tent trellises.

Vining cucumbers grow best with support. A tent-shaped trellis saves space in the garden and raises the fruit off the ground, keeping it clean and fresh.
Vining cucumbers grow best with support. A tent-shaped trellis saves space in the garden and raises the fruit off the ground, keeping it clean and fresh.
Cucumber tendrils will grab the wires and secure the vine to the trellis as it grows.
Cucumber tendrils will grab the wires and secure the vine to the trellis as it grows.

For the best harvest from your cucumber plants, be sure to start with strong, vigorous young cucumber plants Bonnie Plants®. Before planting, improve your existing soil by adding a few inches of nutrient-rich garden soil like Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics™ All Purpose In-Ground Soil (enriched with aged compost) in with the top layer. Then, be sure to feed regularly throughout the growing season with premium quality plant food, such as Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics™ All Purpose Plant Nutrition Granules. As always, be sure to follow all label directions!