Cucumbers are a vine plant. There is no need for them to sprawl all over the garden bed taking up valuable space. They are easily trained onto a trellis, which is vital if space is at a premium in your garden. Both small pickling varieties and fresh salad variety cucumbers easily grow up a support structure with just a minimal nudge in the right direction. This also prevents the fruit from sitting on the soil which leaves them prone to disease and insect damage.
Drive 5-foot wooden stakes 1 foot into the ground using a mallet. Space the stakes 3 feet apart down the back of the cucumber bed.
Lay a 1-by-1 piece of wood on top the staked and nail into place. This forms the top cross-bar of your trellis.
Cut a 5-foot length of concrete reinforcing mesh. Staple it to the top of the cross-bar with a staple gun. Stretch it out from the cross-bar to the soil at an angle to the stakes so the bottom of the mesh is 1 foot from where the stakes enter the ground.
Attach the bottom of the mesh to the ground with U-shaped garden stakes. Cut additional lengths of concrete reinforcing mesh and attach in the same way down the entire length of the cross bar.
Plant the cucumber seedlings at the base of the wire mesh. Lead the young vines onto the mesh as they grow. The gentle slope of the mesh makes it easy for the cucumber plants to climb.