Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard

Loosely bind vines to stakes and trellises as their stems grow. (Leaving ties loose helps avoid girdling, and movement of the vines in the wind stimulates growth.)

Frames, stakes, poles and trellises help support vining vegetables and most of your heavy vegetables as they grow. Depending on the materials used, some vertical supports can even serve more than just a functional purpose – they can make attractive additions to your vegetable garden. While it’s a good idea to install heavy, elaborate supports before you plant your vegetable garden, lightweight structures can also be added to your garden after your seedlings emerge or when you transplant them to their final spots in your beds.

Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/Tim Butler

Vegetables with heavy fruit (like melons and pumpkins) benefit from growing through and sprawling over a pyramid support of stout timber to keep their vines and fruits off moist soil.

Some vining vegetable plants naturally have tendrils or so-called holdfasts to support their stem’s weight. Others need your assistance to help them cling to their supports, which you can give using stretchy plastic plant tape, string or plastic-coated wire ties. Remember to carefully wind the vines and stalks around the supports as they grow, binding their fleshy vines loosely to stakes or trellises while allowing them some flexibility of movement and preventing the ties from girdling them as they grow. (Your attention might be required several times each week to perform this task while your young vines are growing rapidly.)

Heavy fruit from plants grown on vertical supports usually develop thick, strong stems to support themselves. You can aid unusually heavy fruit (like pumpkin or winter squash) by wrapping it loosely in a stretch nylon net and tying the net to the supports. (Visitors to your garden will be amazed to see large gourds, melons, pumpkins and squash just dangling in midair from your supporting frames and trellises.)