The secret is to grow them up, just off of the ground. While you can build a trellis and grow vines straight up, this simpler arrangement will yield good results.
1. Take a few garden stakes about 2 feet long and secure them upright about 2 feet apart in each direction. I usually use 9, ending up with a rectangle about 8 feet in each direction but you can vary the size to suit your space.
2. Plant 2 cucumbers, either as bedding plants or seeds, beside each stake.
3. Connect the tops of the little posts with more stakes that reach between them and overlap a few inches. ( see photo). I just staple some string to each post and tie in the horizontal pieces.
4. As the cucumbers grow, train them up the vertical posts, them let them drape naturally over the top, horizontal stakes. The result is a small productive cucumber factory.
Being slightly elevated keeps the fruit clean and straight, and avoids a lot of slug problems.
Author: Ron Clancy, MG, Vancouver Chapter
