We live on a tenth of an acre city lot. Our house and garage take up a substantial amount of that space, so we have to be creative with our gardening design. We learned a few years back that vining plants don’t care if they are growing out along the ground, or up on a fence. So we built trellises to have more produce coming in at harvest time.

The pictures in this post are from last year. We found crib slats for free at a yard sale, and we already had beat up 2 x 4 lumber. Pretty or fashionable isn’t the goal here, function is what we’re after.

My husband, Kyle, is the gardener in our home. He built the trellis system, seen here on the left. Basically, he dug holes to put the wood in, and then fastened them together with zip ties. They’re fairly easy to set up in the Spring and take down in the Fall.

He then planted cucumber seedlings in one area, and Butternut squash seedlings in another. The slats provide a place for the runners to grab hold of and then climb as they grow. The plants will grow stems strong enough to support the weight of the cucumbers and squash. Isn’t nature amazing?

At the end of the growing season, we pick any produce that’s still hanging on. Then we pull the vines and leaves off the trellises, and take them down to store in the garage for the winter.

If you have hints or tips for making more space for gardens, please leave a comment.