Plant the cucumber seeds in mid to late spring, after the soil has had a chance to warm up. Seeds can be started indoors in pots about a month before you plant them outside. You want to make sure there is no chance of frost. I know it is tempting, but be patient. You don't want to lose all your hard work after one cold night. Plant the cucumber seeds 1 inch deep about 4 inches apart if vines are to be trained to grow up on the trellis. When growing cucumbers, give them plenty of water. Cucumbers require more water than other vegetables. Not enough water can cause cucumbers to be small and taste bitter.

This trellis can be used to grow anything from beans and peas to flowers like Clematis and Morning Glory. Build it any size you like. Some vegetables have vines that will grow much longer than others. I built this trellis using the dimensions shown. This should give you something to work from. It doesn’t have to be exact down to the 1/8”. After all, it’s going to be covered in vines and will be sitting outside in the dirt. As long as it’s sturdy, the plants aren’t particular. Everything is made of pressure treated lumber. The corners are 2 x 2’s cut to 60” long. The top brace is what provides the angle. You’ll need 4 of them, made from a 1 x 6 or a 5/4 x 6 deck board. Cut them 10 ¼” long, with a 22 degree angle at each end. Make two “A” type frames; add the bottom brace (1 x 2 or available scrap) after you fasten the top and are able to measure across the bottom. Fasten the bottom brace 6” up from the ground. After you have the two A frames, lean them in towards each other at the same angle as you built them – use the remaining top braces as guides. Once the frame is built, use scrap wood or string to provide the trellis. Each rung spaced about 6” apart. You can use my photo as an example or come up with your own configuration. Happy gardening!

If you have some scrap wood lying around, you can make use of it in the garden by building a cucumber trellis. I built mine in a pyramid shape (plans and instructions below), but you can use your imagination on how it looks. The purpose is to give the cucumber vines something to climb up on. When planting cucumbers, space can maximized by training the vines to climb upwards using a trellis, rather than outwards on the ground. Avoid using chicken wire because it can burn the plants in extremely hot temperatures. It is best to use string stretched between two posts, a coated wire cage, or a wooden trellis (as shown here). Treated lumber will last longer, but if you'll only be using it for one or two growing seasons any wood will do. Place a couple sandbags at the bottom and tie the trellis down so the wind doesn't knock it over before the vines take hold.