I grow two types of summer squash - true vining (8+ feet) and more bush-like that, for me, produce a very short vine. I've tried trellising them both. I can second Dave's experience that a heavy, hollow squash vine will bend and break when draped over a wire or sharp tie (twine, green twine). Especially if it is your (well, my) best loved squash, Romanesco. I have had move success gently training short vined types up the trellis by supporting them carefully with soft, white rope (don't know what it is called). Some short-vine/bush-like varieties can be planted closely and trained up about three-four feet - particularly Coosa, Sarzana and Odessa. Romanesco and Striato d'Italia really do not like trellising, despite their tendency to vine a bit. For true vining (8+ feet) summer squash, try Trombachino, Tatume, Mayeras or Gialla Nostrale. I tried to find a picture from last year, but I can't find one. Why don't I take more pictures??! Bellatrix

Thought I'd update with my project. I finally installed the trellis kit -well, part of it, on our family room wall. Montana 'Mayleen' finally put on good growth after last spring. In the fall I put on a lot of discs and wired up far enough to hold the vine over winter. I fed the long vines through it so I'd have blooms this spring. I did not wire tightly, so as to give the vines some space between the siding and the wire. Today I just strung more wire higher up to hopefully accomodate this year's growth. This year wasn't as scary climbing higher up as I insisted my husband spot me. The discs adhesive is in fine shape, no wear. No loose ones as I fed wire though the disc hoops. I suppose the adhesive may face the toughest test with the room facing southwest. Have a ways to go until I reach the peak. The opposite end of the room had a Mayleen going but died early last summer, so I have to get another to climb that side and meet at the top with this one.

If it's an integrifolia which doesn't climb well on its own, I plant in the middle, but for most clematis I plant two on the the outside on opposite sides. It only took an hour or two to do these. I used 3/8" steel rod cut to length with a hacksaw, but precut 1/2" rebar can be bought in 8' (I think) lengths at the big box stores. Wire twists used by concrete guys join the rods at the top of the tripod (though you can also use black or brown plastic zip ties or hose clamps) and an old cable from a garage door that got replaced is what spirals up the trellis, but any kind of rust resistant heavy wire would do. So all those are all fairly easily found materials in a hardware or big box store. They get topped with whatever I can find that creates a sort of a finial to camouflage the place where the rods join: glass lamp globes, an old plastic doll head, part of a brass candlestick, or in this case, an old truck spring and the steel circle from an old wagon wheel hub which may get a light-weight ball in the center if I can find one I like. I also have made flat trellises from folding metal bakers' racks that I've found used and free or inexpensive. They are held upright by rebar planted a couple feet into the ground next to them and fastened in place with more wire concrete ties or zip ties. On this one (photographed before I fastened it to its support rebar) I spot welded the shelves in place and the hinges to hold the side panels open, but the one I'm doing now, I think I'll just be using wire again. From Mar 17, 2011 I tend to browse Craigslist, our transfer station's metal bin, or curbside recycling with the thought of whether I can make a functional trellis by recycling an inexpensive item.

That's a trellis wire anchor. They come in a kit that includes the anchors, wire, and silicon glue for attaching them to a wall. Here's a link to where I found them. Jim Here is a link that might be useful: Lee Valley