Katherine Liu, Horticultural Advisor, shares her tips for creating useful and environmentally-friendly crop supports
Easy guide
Supports in a vegetable bed are traditionally thought of for climbing beans, but they are also great way to create extra vertical space to grow all sorts of long-stemmed veg like squashes, sweet potatoes vines, cucumbers and cordon (single stem) tomatoes. You can also use them in larger containers to increase growing space further.
There are many types of plant support available from local garden centres or online, including ubiquitous bundles of bamboo canes. However, supports in a vegetable garden needn’t be just functional, they can be attractive too. Plus, I love to fashion my own using upcycled materials I already have in and around my garden. To maximise vertical space I have two rows of 6ft long bamboo canes (reused from previous years) placed on the edge of two facing raised beds. This arrangement forms a tunnel, with a path down the centre, so the children can run underneath (or sometimes even help picking!).
I start by inserting the uprights about 20cm apart in a row and then joining the two rows at the tops with twine to create a line of A-shaped frames. To add strength I add a horizontal cane down the centre (where they cross at the top) to add some extra strength.
For the squashes (make sure you grow trailing not bush cultivars) I create low A-frames constructed from the sides of an old rabbit run. The frames are sturdy, made from a mixture of wood and coated steel mesh that hold the heavy weight of developing fruit well. Although the frames aren’t particularly pretty, by the time the squashes get going the masses of large leaves hide the structure, eventually looking like giant pyramids of lush foliage.
I also set up tall tee-pee/wigwam supports using three to four bamboo canes within the flowerbeds to grow beans and sweet potatoes in the gaps. This adds great vertical interest in the summer months since their flowers have ornamental value even before they fruit. Additionally, I plant a few climbing nasturtiums, too, that mingle with these beautifully.
Use what you have
In my garden a willow tree which I hard prune (coppice) in April makes for useful material. The long bendy stems make ideal supports for fast-growing dwarf peas. I simply push branches at intervals into the soil in rows, then direct sow the peas next to them. Peas only need a little support in the beginning, but once they get
