I used vertical supports to hold my four zucchini plants off the ground this summer. I had given up using tomato cages a few years ago for several reasons. But, I still had the cages hanging around the garden. Employing them as supports for my zucchini was one of those “Huh, I’ve never done this before, so why not give it a try?” ideas that I am glad crossed my mind.

The Whys and Why Nots of Tomato Cages

“If you didn’t want to use them for your tomatoes, why use them for zucchini?” Great question. First, let me tell you the main reason I don’t use tomato cages for tomatoes. With our rocky soil, it really is quite difficult to insert the cages into the ground without hitting some rocks. Inevitably the cages are never inserted deep enough into the ground to support the weight of the tomato plant. They always tip over. The reason I resorted to using them for the zucchini is “user error” on my behalf. I had planted four hills of zucchini seeds each about 2 feet from each other. I knew when I sowed the seeds that they were a bit close. So, I figured I would just separate them when they grew bigger. That never happened.

When the zucchini plants were about 12-18 inches tall with their leaves and vines still growing somewhat upward, I knew I didn’t have much time before they began to grow into each other. I was able to insert each cage over each young zucchini plant and gently guide the branching leaves up and through the wires. Off to a great start.

So, how’d it go?

The Pros of Vertical Supports for Zucchinis

Having so many zucchini plants so close together was a tangled mess waiting to happen. But the tomato cages helped in several respects:

• With occasional guiding of leaves through the higher rings of the cage, I was able to keep the plants from growing into each other all season.
• With the leaves and vines off the ground I was able to water the base of the plant directly without wasting water by getting the leaves wet.
• The leaves were off the ground and not getting wet. This meant the occurrence of powdery mildew happened much later than it normally would. That was soooo wonderful.
• The developing fruit were easier to spot, and they were kept off of the ground, so they weren’t so dirty and didn’t have yellow spots from lying on the ground.

The Cons of Growing Zucchinis on Tomato Cages

There were just a few negatives about growing zucchinis in cages.

• The wire gets hot. Some leaves resting on the wire burned. I never noticed this so much with tomatoes, but maybe the tomato plant has more biomass to shade the wire rings.
• Squash vine borers were still able to get to the base of the plant, lay their eggs and drill into the vine. And with the vine growing up, I think the insect has access to the whole circle of the vine in which to lay their eggs rather than just the portion of the vine that is not lying on the ground. You guessed it—I completely missed the signs of squash vine borer infestation on one of the plants and wasn’t able to save it.

I am definitely a convert to growing zucchini vertically from now on. I am glad I had this summer to practice the technique. The cages aren’t going into the scrap metal pile quite yet.