Victory Garden Plants for Vertical Interest

Many gardeners are wondering “How can I save money by growing my own vegetables, but still have an attractive landscape with curb appeal?” By using attractive edible plants in their garden design, new gardeners can have both, produce and an attractive landscape design.

Pole Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) on a Garden Trellis or Archway

Many gardeners are looking for a way to expand the amount of produce grown in their gardens. Pole beans are an easy-to-grow vegetable that could easily substitute for morning glories or other ornamental vines in the edible landscape. Gardeners can grow pole beans over an archway designed for jasmine, roses or other flowering climbers, and harvest the crop without difficulty as the bean pods hang down through the trellis.

Many pole beans have attractive spring flowers that will provide interest in the spring garden before the fruit begins to set. Gardeners can also choose varieties with colorful bean pods for additional interest in the edible landscape!

Pole beans will take full sun, and moderately fertile soil. Gardeners can expect to begin harvesting beans in 55-75 days depending on the variety of climbing beans planted. Growing pole beans as privacy screens, along existing fences, over arbors, or on existing trellises, will allow gardeners to grow these delicious vegetables even in a small garden area.

Grow Cucumbers or Small Squash up Garden Fences

Most cucumbers, summer squash or small winter squash plants will grow easily up a supporting fence. By training the plants to grow up a fence, trellis or arbor, instead of spreading out over a large garden mound, gardeners will not only save space in the landscape, but create an attractive vertical accent.

Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) prefer full sun and soil that is rich in organic material. Gardeners will want to mulch their cucumber plants to help preserve moisture as well. A favorite salad vagetable, cucumber plants can be easily trained up trellis, poles, tomato cages or tied to strings on a fence.

Members of the squash family include zucchini (Curcurbita pepo), pumpkin, gourds, winter squash (Curcurbita moschata), and summer squash varieties. All prefer full sun and will produce large, ornamental flowers in late spring through early summer.

By choosing the smaller fruiting varieties, gardeners will be able to grow these vegetables as trailing plants from raised beds, hanging baskets or containers. Or train the vegetables up a trellis, fence, arbor or other vertical support to increase the harvest potential of a small garden space.

Cucumbers, squash, pole beans and other climbing produce plants should be a staple of the victory garden. By growing vegetables vertically, small-space gardeners will be maximizing their garden’s potential.