Simple Guide: How to Grow Pumpkins on a Trellis
Why Trellis Pumpkins
Trellising pumpkins (also known as a pumpkin tower) can benefit you and the plant for many reasons! A vertical pumpkin trellis helps to prevent mold and disease growth on the plants by having the vines grow upward and off the ground, instead of sprawling all over the moist and damp earth, offering better air circulation and a better pumpkin harvest!
Keeping your pumpkins off the ground reduces the amount of bug infestation on they tend to congregate closer to the ground and would be attracted to the pumpkins.
A Pumpkin vine can reach as much as 20 feet in length and this can discourage many home-owners from growing pumpkins. But surpassingly, with a few simple options, pumpkins can even be grown in small container planters or garden spaces!
Takes up less garden space
Growing pumpkins vertically on a trellis is quite easy! All that you really need is the trellis to grow the pumpkin on and some good soil with water and plenty of sunlight!
There are lots of different kinds of pumpkin varieties to choose from to grow as well as size options. There are small, medium and large pumpkin and each have their own unique color, shape and growing tips. Most pumpkins take 90-120 days to mature so plan when you want to plant your pumpkins, base it off of if you want them to be ready to harvest in late summer or towards the middle of the fall months.
Pumpkin can keep for awhile after they are harvested, if they are stored in a dry and cool location.
If you are in to vertical gardening then you are already somewhat familiar with how it works and the method behind a small garden area for more efficiency in a small area.
Many gardeners depend on trellising methods and options because it generally takes up less space and consolidates the growth of the plant vertically and upward, rather then out and spreading on the ground. This allows for more garden area to be available for additional plant types and varieties.
Preventing Blight on Pumpkin Plants
No one likes to go to all the work of putting up a nice trellis for your pumpkins and then mid-summer find that your plants have succumbed to a worrisome disease or blight.
Try using some of these tips for preventing blight on pumpkin plants earlier in the season to avoid disappointment later on!
- Plant your pumpkin seeds or starter plants in well-drained soil.
- Avoid watering the plants from above, but rather close to the base of the vine. This way the leaves do not get excess water on them causing more change of blight and diseases to grow.
- Allowing air circulation throughout the plant…preventing moisture to stay on ground; not on your vines
Will Pumpkins Be too big for a Trellis
While some much larger pumpkins may pull down on the trellis, most will do great trellised and will stay supported despite their heavy weight. A strong and well anchored trellis system can surprisingly hold a lot of weight!
However if your trellis is bending beneath the weight of the heavy pumpkins, add some additional support around the trellis whether it is fence posts, wire fencing or wooden posts/rods.
How to Make your own Simple DIY Pumpkin Trellis
I’ve opted for using a 4ft x 16 ft cattle panel to create a tunnel. Pound four 6 ft tall fence posts (T-posts) into the ground: two in the garden area four feet across. Choose how wide you wish your tunnel to be (ours is about 4 1/2 or 5 feet wide) and place the other two fence posts into the ground across from the first two. Using zip ties, attach both edges of the cattle panel to the T-posts at the top, middle and bottom. Bend the long end hanging over to form a tunnel as it lands against the other fencing posts. Zip tie these in the same way.
Many home gardeners shop for their trellis supplies at familiar stores like Menards, Home Depot and Lowe’s. Most small-town hardware stores carry a great amount of options for building your own trellis. Shopping online for trellis supplies is beneficial for those that aren’t able to or prefer not to leave the house. Specific options can be found online also.
Other ways to trellis pumpkins
Some other ways that you can trellis pumpkins are with a hog panel or tomato cage. You’ll set the trellis up in the same manner that you would for beans or tomatoes.
- Plant your pumpkin plant on either side of the trellis not more than 10 inches away from the trellis.
- Check on the young vines two to three days a week, guiding any new growth up the trellis by weaving it between the trellis wire.
- Feel free to use zip ties, string or twine to loosely keep the vine growing in the correct direction.
- You may cut the string once the pumpkin vine has firmly situated itself in the encouraged growth pattern.
Get Pumpkins to Grow up a Trellis
In the early growth of the pumpkin plant, the vines will initially need some guidance by weaving them through the wire fencing. Eventually they will thrive on their own once they know which way to go. Additionally you can use zip ties, clips, or twine to attach the vine to the trellis in a few places.
I hope this article helps you see how simple and yet beneficial trellising pumpkins can be! Let me know how you trellis your own pumpkins in the comments below. I’d love to hear!
