With zucchini and cucumbers, is it better to use those rope cones used for tomato plants?
Cucumbers do far better when they can climb. i found this out accidental when one climbed up a telephone pole . that vine go up all of 18 feet, have the biggest and most of all the vines that year. now i plant subsequent to the fence so they all can climb. sorry i don't feel it would help the zucchini as they are more of a bush. Never heard of that. Tomatoes grow up and bush out. Most cucumbers, except bush cucumbers, and zucchini trail on the ground. They a moment ago trail out and produce. If made to trail upwards the fruuit would be so heavy it would break the vine.
I wouldn't they can become lodged inside the wire and clear it difficult to remove. First of all zucchini plants will get colossal but they don't vine out like a cucumber.
See photo below
http://www.flickr.com/photos/montanarave...
The ((( links )))) below provides a way to trellis your cucumbers
http://www.geocities.com/green_cache/cuc...
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/gr_fruits_...
The join below gives you what is called a giant tunnel
for commercial growers and space conservation.
I would imagine the yield would be unbelievably more since you could plant more.
http://www.hightunnels.org/ForGrowers/Wa...
I use rattan poles attached at the top with small hole and wire strung through to hold it contained by place "Tepee" style.
Answers: Because cukes grow on a vine, The cones would not work. Its better to plant them near something they can grow upwards on. I always plant mine a few inches from the cyclone obstruction. When the vine gets tall adequate to reach the it, gently lace them contained by and out between the wires. they will then cling to the fence themselves. It keep the cukes from touching the wet ground when watering, less bugs, They bring back more sunshine so they grow faster and bigger, and that way its much more convenient. If you don't have a paling like that, any thing that they can cling to that will hold the solidity. like wooden stakes. Zucchini will grow right out of the ground.
Two years ago we grew our cuc's on vines. We ran 4' posts down the rows and run a heavy jute twine back and forth for them to attach too. They did fine and the jute could be composted at the stop of the year. As far as the zuc's go, they would be to heavy and spread out to far for a shut within. Your best off planting them in rows 4' to 5' apart. With both the cuc's and the zuc's, I would spread straw down around the plants adjectives the way down the row. This will help to retain moisture, prevent weed and help to prevent rot on the fruit resting on the dirt. Do not use hay for this since it might contain seeds from weed. Good Luck. You'll do fine with the cones...I have mine surrounded by a wire cage structure in recent times like the tomatoes and they are doing better than ever...a friend of mine has a small plough and produces cukes every year to sell, they grow in cage too and the vines have never broken under the cargo of the cucumbers.
With cucumbers it is often a good belief to give them something to climb up. I use netting attached to a tripod of wooden poles. If you let cucumbers trail on the ground they repeatedly get dirty and rotten where they touch the soil.
Zucchini grow contained by bushes and the zucchinis are held off the ground by the plant, unless they get too big. The plants are awfully heavy so those cages would not be capable of hold them, and are not necessary.
You can use them..sure. Zucchini is not really a vine though but you can use them for cucumbers or any other climbing veggie.