How to Grow Pickling Cucumbers on a Trellis
- 1). Prepare the soil where you are going to sow your cucumber seeds. Dig or till the ground. Incorporate compost and manure into the soil as you do so. Remove any rocks, hard dirt clods and sticks. With your rake, smooth the surface of the soil until it is level. Leave this area to settle for several days before you begin to plant.
- 2). Plant cucumber seeds 1/2 inch to 1 inch deep in rows or hills. If you choose to plant the cucumbers in rows, sow seeds 12 inches apart. If you decide to plant in hills, plant four to five seeds per hill. Space each hill 36 inches apart. Run your rows on the north end of your garden; otherwise they will shade the rest of your garden.
- 3). Tamp the soil over the seeds lightly. This will ensure that the seed is in contact with the soil on all sides.
- 4). Water the rows or hills with a gentle spray of water. Too hard on the water pressure will wash away the seeds. Water the area well.
- 5). Position a trellis along the north side of your cucumber plants. A trellis can be a fence, A-frame or chicken wire stretched from one end of the cucumber row to the other end. You can also use a wire cage.
- 6). Watch for the cucumbers to grow. When the vines begin to have tendrils, attach the tendril to the trellis. If it won't stay, you can loosely tie the cucumber stem to the trellis to help anchor it. Once the cucumber vine entwines itself on the wire, it will continue to climb and fill in the trellis without further help.
- 7). Place a layer of mulch around the cucumber plants. This will help the soil retain moisture and hinder weeds.