Trellis/Lattice with Hugelkultur

Hi everyone. I have been using these forums for information, but this must be my first post.

I recently finished my first hugel bed with more to come. I want to grow vining plants (tomato, squash, cucumber, melon, etc) and would like to trellis them. Has anyone here used a trellis with a hugel bed?

I will have some beds that will be parallel and I am thinking of constructing an arbor between them, either a triangular design or standard. Thoughts?

Thanks,

Ryan

Howdy Ryan, welcome to permies!

Sounds like a good idea. Give it a try and post some pictures!

I put a trellis at the apex of a hugelbed last year and grew beans a cucumbers on it. Worked great and increased its growing capacity. Highly recommended.

I use 6"x6" concrete reinforcing mesh to make cages for the vines to climb. Very often you can find scrap pieces at building sites. If a contractor is putting in a driveway and has 10 feet left over from a roll, it doesn't get saved for the next job, it goes in the dumpster.

If you leave 6" of spike on the bottom of the cage, you can stab it into the hugelbed and it takes quite a strong wind to blow it over. If you are in a place with frequent high winds, I would suggest additional spikes to nail it into the hugelbed.

I have seen the concrete remesh. It seems a little too flimsy for me as I have a lot of wind. I was thinking of getting cattle panels as they are made of heavier gauge wire. Still undecided, though I am starting to really like my original idea of something similar to an arbor, with the concrete remesh used as the lattice on the sides.

Ryan

Hi! I wonder if the OP or others have since experimented with more types of trellis that work well. General question re: trellising vegetables of any vining type. I am still new to hugelbeds - in my second year. This 2nd year, I am looking for ideas on trellising the hugelbeds; and that will withstand seasonal gusts that travel down my driveway, approaching 70kph, or more. My 9yo cut down young aspen to help me build in a primitive fashion. Each successive attempt is more sturdy than the first. I am going home to take pictures & will post them next time I have a connection, for your amusement.