• About
  • My Favorite Blogging Tools
  • Archives
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Terms & Policies

Family Balance Sheet

where family, life, and finances meet

  • Home
  • How to Budget
  • Finances
    • Our Debt Freedom Plan
    • Christmas Savings Club
    • Debt Free Stories
    • Marriage and Money
    • Medi-Share
  • Grocery Budget
    • Saving Money on Groceries
    • Freezer Cooking
    • 31 Days to Slash Your Grocery Spending
  • Recipes
    • Freezer Cooking
    • Recipes – Appetizers & Snacks
    • Recipes – Beverages
    • Recipes – Breakfast & Brunch
    • Recipes – Desserts
    • Recipes – Grilling
    • Recipes – Main Dish
    • Recipes – Sides & Soups
    • Recipes – Slow Cooker
    • Cooking ‘How-To’ Series
  • Family
    • Frugal Holiday Fun
    • Frugal Family Activities
    • Travel Destinations
    • Camping
    • Budget Travel
    • Giving
  • Frugal Living
    • How We Frugal-ed
    • Saving Money on Groceries
    • Saving Money in your Home
    • Saving Money during the Holidays
    • Gardening
  • 31 Days to Find $1000

Vertical Gardening

This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you sign-up for services or make a purchase after clicking on a link below, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Also, I am not a financial advisor. I'm a blogger who LOVES to share how I manage the finances for my household.

June 7, By Kristia 6 Comments

Homegrown cantaloupe tastes better than candy. It is my most favorite plant to grow in my garden, but the last two years, they have taken over my small little garden box and spilled into my yard.

I was nearly panicked to think of a summer without growing cantaloupes, but I just didn’t know where I was going to plant them.

How I created my vertical gardening trellis:

Last summer, I converted my 4 X 8 box to a Square Foot Garden and I was very pleased with the results. This year, I decided to follow the book’s directions to build a vertical trellis to grow my cantaloupes up instead of out and all over my yard.

The above trellis cost me about $20 and was very easy to build.

My frame is made of three 5-foot conduit pipes(1/2 inch diameter), two 18-inch long rebar (1/2 inch diameter), two elbow connectors, and trellis netting. The only variance that I made is that my trellis is 5 X 5 and the book recommends 4 X 5; I just didn’t feel like sawing one of the 5-foot pipes down to 4 feet.

Hopefully, that wasn’t an error. Because of my past experience with unruly cantaloupe plants, I planted 2 plants, instead of one per square foot. I’ll test the waters this year to see how many my trellis can handle.

I planted the melons about 2 1/2 weeks ago and they are just starting to take off. They’re not quite long enough yet to weave, but with all of the sun that we have finally been getting, they’ll be shooting upward soon. I’ll post more pictures throughout the season to show the progress.

For more vertical gardening: Update #1ย and Success.

What kind of trellis/system do you use to plant vertically? Let us know in the comments.

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate, and if you make a purchase through my link, I earn a small percentage–at no cost to you! You can read the site’s full disclosure here.

Filed Under: Gardening

Get a Free Family Balance Sheet Excel Spreadsheet download

Comments

  1. Monique says

    June 7, at 1:05 pm

    I’ve never tried cantaloupe, although I do have a watermelon plant LOL! I’ll go get some seeds soon, and we can plant them in the ground after we move. I will have to pay someone to build a trellis for me though.

    Reply
  2. Mrs. Petrie says

    June 7, at 1:20 pm

    I love the idea of vertical cantaloupe plants! We currently have cantaloupe seedlings, but maybe I can coerce my husband into making some more trellises. I’ve been reading your blog for about 6 weeks and it’s wonderful! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  3. Margery says

    June 7, at 1:58 pm

    I grow my cucumbers on a pvc pipe frame that is 10 feet long with a leg in the middle. It goes right down the middle of the bed and I use chicken wire wrapped on the frame for the cucumbers to grow on.

    I do want to get a metal on build but had PCV pipe handy so used that.

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    June 7, at 5:59 pm

    We grow our cantaloupe and cucumbers vertical too. It prevents the vines from going through our yard and we believe our yield is better, because we can find the produce before it gets rotten. We also have a snake issue and it keeps them out of the vines. My husband uses metal concrete reinforcing grid sheets that are about 4′ x 6′. The grids within each sheet are approx 6″ squares. They are originally made for putting in concrete driveways/walkways. We got them at Lowes and I believe the cost was less than 8 dollars per large grid sheet. He props and secures them against metal T-posts with tie wires. Last year was our first year using them and we are reusing them again this year.

    Kellie

    Reply
  5. Michelle@ Simplifiy, Live, Love says

    June 10, at 9:51 pm

    I got a late start to my garden this year. I had decided to let my cantaloupe and pumpkins grow up my fence and out because we have a lot of space outside the garden. After reading your post, I might reconsider. I am planning on building a trellis of sorts out of reclaimed materials from my inlaw’s farm for our cucumbers. ๐Ÿ™‚ We did find an old fence on our property that we’re using for our snap peas! You can see it here. I need to post an update on my garden because it’s really taking off now. Anyway, here’s the picture of my cool fence!
    http://simplifylivelove.blogspot.com/2011/05/keeping-low-grocery-budget-6.html

    Reply
  6. Kirstin says

    June 11, at 5:11 am

    Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I don’t think cantaloupe would grow where I’m at…not enough sunny days (C: I like the idea of vertically growing them though. I’ve thought of doing that with cucumbers, though this year I am not having a garden.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

WELCOME!

SEARCH

Get a Free Family Balance Sheet Excel Spreadsheet download

recipes

Recent Posts

  • 10 Ways to Save at Giant Food Stores
  • Start Planning and Budgeting for Summer TODAY!
  • Why not run the family office?
  • How to Save Money on Groceries
  • Ibotta Review: How I Earn Cash Back on Groceries
Follow Kristia Ludwick's board Best of FamilyBalanceSheet.org on Pinterest.

Amazon Associates Disclosure

Kristia Ludwick is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

COPYRIGHT

I love it when you share! Please keep in mind that all images and text on this site are property of Family Balance Sheet. Feel free to use one or two photos provided that a link back to my original post is included. Please do not remove any watermarks, crop, or edit any of my images without first obtaining written permission from me. Please do not replicate or copy any content from Family Balance Sheet without written permission from me. All free printables & spreadsheets offered are for personal use only. Pinning is always welcome and appreciated! Thank you!

Disclaimer

FamilyBalanceSheet.org is for informational and entertainment purposes only. I am not a financial professional. I’m a girl who loves to talk and read about personal finance and how it relates to hard working families. If you feel you need financial advice, please seek out a competent professional.

Disclosures

  • The content on FamilyBalanceSheet.org may contain affiliate and/or referral links that help support this site at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products and services that I believe in.
  • Terms of Use & Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in