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How to Build a Cantaloupe Trellis
How to Build a Cantaloupe Trellis. Cantaloupes are a delicious, juicy fruit that needs to be planted in a well-prepared bed full of organic material like compost. Fertilize your cantaloupes lightly when the vines begin to spread, and water them regularly to produce good fruit. Training a cantaloupe to grow up a trellis is vertical gardening that...
Cantaloupes are a delicious, juicy fruit that needs to be planted in a well-prepared bed full of organic material like compost. Fertilize your cantaloupes lightly when the vines begin to spread, and water them regularly to produce good fruit. Training a cantaloupe to grow up a trellis is vertical gardening that saves room in a garden with limited space. Cantaloupe vines are very strong and can hold the weight of the fruit when trellised. Construct simple trellises for your cantaloupes using inexpensive supplies.
Things You'll Need
Post hole digger
2 4-by-4s, 6 feet long
2 2-by-6s, 6 feet long
6-by-4-foot heavy-duty chicken wire
Staple gun and staples
Electric screwdriver and eight screws
Dig two holes that are 5 feet 4 inches apart to a depth of 1 foot with a post hole digger. This will keep your trellis from blowing over in the wind.
Place a 4-by-4 board in each hole. Fill the hole with soil around the supports. Stomp down the dirt around the posts using your full weight to anchor the supports well.
Lay out your piece of heavy-duty chicken wire on the ground. Staple your 2-by-6 boards to the 6-foot edges of the chicken wire with a staple gun.
Line one of the 2-by-6 boards up with the top edge of the supports. Let the chicken wire hang down. Screw the ends of the board into the supports with two screws on each end, using an electric screwdriver.
Fasten the lower board to the bottom of the supports with two screws on each end. You should have the bottom board about 1 foot from the ground.
Staple the sides of the chicken wire down to the post supports to secure the loose edges. This will help prevent accidental snags and scratches from the chicken wire.
Tips & Warnings
Lay at least a 6-inch layer of straw around the base of the trellis once the plants begin to develop fruit. Ripe cantaloupe fall from their vines, and the straw bed will cushion their fall. Or create slings of stretchy materials to support the fruit. Tie these slings to the trellis and place the bottom of the fruit in the sling.
Do not train more than five or six cantaloupe plants per trellis due to their weight.
Plant cantaloupes at the spacing listed on the seed package.
