Squash on a Trellis: How to Grow Squash Vertically

Growing winter and summer squash vertically encourages healthy growth and fruit production. This densely-growing plant can quickly take over a veggie garden if you leave it to grow on the ground instead of training it to grow up a trellis or other kind of support.

Growing this vining plant on a trellis or another form of vertical support allows you to maximize the soil surface area of your garden bed. You can use the soil where your squash would have been sitting if you let it grow horizontally to grow other vegetables, herbs, or flowers.

Here are some of the benefits of growing your squash plants vertically on a trellis:

• Improves air circulation: Vertical gardening allows more oxygen to reach your plant's foliage, encouraging new growth and helping to prevent fungal disease and mildew. Additionally, there will be fewer places for pests to hide in your plant.
• Improves sunlight penetration: Growing squash (or any other plant) vertically allows your plant’s leaves and vines to access more sunlight and produce more fruit.
• Prevents fruit rot: Squash fruits can grow to be very large and heavy once they mature, and allowing them to sit on the moist ground for too long can lead the fruits to rot. Elevating your squash off of the ground will help to prevent rotting.

The best squash plants for vertical farming produce lighter fruit, while heavier squashes, such as butternut squash, will weigh the support down. You can still grow large squash on vertical supports, but you should make hammocks for your burgeoning fruits (with household items such as pantyhose) as they develop. Here are some of the best squash varieties to grow up a trellis or vertical support:

1. 1. Zucchini: This summer squash is similar to cucumbers and is light enough to grow well vertically. The fruit can get very large, so it is best to harvest your zucchini before they get too heavy for your support.
2. 2. Yellow summer squash: Bright yellow summer squash grows in an aerodynamic tubular shape and lends itself well to vertical gardening. Grow summer squash on any kind of vertical support—aim to harvest it before it becomes too large.
3. 3. Acorn squash: This winter squash looks like a small pumpkin and has variegated green and orange skin. The fruit of acorn squash is very light and lends itself well to vertical gardening, contrary to many other winter squash varieties like butternut or spaghetti squash.
4. 4. Delicata squash: This plant produces large gourds with thick, watermelon-like skin. Though it can get heavy, delicata squash has a short growing season, making it available to harvest early.

Here are some of the different kinds of trellises that work well in a small garden for vertical squash gardening:

• Freestanding teepees: A teepee trellis is a freestanding structure that usually contains three posts joined together at the top with garden twine or zip ties. Teepee trellises help maximize your garden bed space. You can easily build a DIY teepee trellis using accessible materials such as plastic piping, wood, or bamboo poles.
• Obelisks: A garden obelisk is a tall structure with four sides (though some come in rounded shapes) with a pyramid or rounded top that allows flowering vines like squash vines and other climbers to grow upright.
• Flat garden trellis: You can build a simple flat wall trellis, made of a lattice of wood planks, up against a wall or garden fence if you don’t have much soil space in your garden.
• Tomato cage: If you have a conical tomato cage lying around your shed, you can train your squash vines to climb up it vertically.
• A-frame trellis: An A-frame trellis is a freestanding structure that uses two panels joined at the top. You can make trellis panels from wiring, PVC pipes, or lattice woodwork.

Follow these simple DIY gardening tips for growing squash vines on a trellis:

1. 1. Choose a site. Consider placing your trellis in a location where it will not cast too much shade on the other plants of your garden. The trellis can overshadow the other plants, depriving them of the sunlight they need to grow.
2. 2. Stake the trellis. Once you’ve chosen the right location for your trellis, stick its wooden poles into the garden soil as far down as they can go, taking care not to force it too much. Avoid puncturing any piping structures or damaging long tap roots nearby.
3. 3. Plant the squash. Plant your squash at the base of the squash trellis. Plant your specimens with enough space between them, so their roots have ample room to grow.
4. 4. Tie the squash vines to the trellis. You will need to train squash vines to climb to the trellis by gently tying the vines to the trellis. Tie the vines onto the trellis using some gardening twine, giving each vine enough room to breathe. You can also use pantyhose to tie the vines because the soft material won't irritate the vines.
5. 5. Add extra support where necessary. If you're using a tomato cage, your plant may require additional support. Drive wooden stakes against the cage’s legs or tie the tomato cage to a nearby fence to ensure it is sturdy enough to support the squash vines.
6. 6. Mulch your plants. Add mulch to the soil around your squash plant's roots to help protect them against weeds and conserve moisture.
7. 7. Water the soil regularly. The soil around your plant can dry out more easily when you elevate it, and it doesn’t have any ground cover. Check your soil regularly and give your squash plenty of water.
8. 8. Train the vines up the trellis. Train the vines of your squash plant up the trellis as it continues to grow. Tie new vines onto the trellis, and continue to tie the growing vines up the trellis so that they don’t droop back onto the ground. Eventually, the vines will learn to climb the trellis.
9. 9. Trim the ends of tall-growing vines. If your vines start to outgrow your trellis, prune the vine ends at the top to keep your squash from growing too large. Pruning the ends will allow your plant to redirect energy and resources to new growth.

Grow your own garden with Ron Finley, the self-described "Gangster Gardener." Get the MasterClass Annual Membership and learn how to cultivate fresh herbs and vegetables, keep your house plants alive, and use compost to make your community—and the world—a better place.