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My whole squash trellis came down in a storm last night
Spent a good chunk of Sunday building a new trellis for my butternut squash, used some old wooden stakes and a roll of that green plastic netting. We got that heavy wind around 2 AM, and I woke up to the whole thing flat on the ground, plants tangled and a few stems snapped. I just stood there in my pajamas with a flashlight, totally defeated. Has anyone had better luck with a specific type of support for heavy vines?
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scott.miles1mo ago
Heard cattle panel fencing works great for heavy vines. Did you use anything to anchor the base of your stakes into the ground?
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the_wren1mo ago
Cattle panels are solid but they can really catch the wind. I sunk my posts in concrete and it still feels like a sail sometimes. You might want to add some diagonal bracing if you're in a windy spot. It's a bit more work but saves a lot of worry later.
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the_wren22d ago
Wait, you didn't put anything at the base of your stakes? Man, I'm shocked you haven't had them pop right out of the ground. I used some heavy duty ground anchors, the kind you screw in with a T-bar, and even then I had one pull loose after a big storm. Those cattle panels catch the wind like a big sail, especially when the vines fill in. I'd recommend going with at least 18 inches of concrete or some serious screw anchors, because that panel will shift on you otherwise and mess up your whole trellis line.
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