Consider adding vertical garden vegetable options to your layout as you plan what to grow next season. As climbing vegetables grow upwards along posts, trellises, or even fences, gardeners can maximize their space.
If you live in a temperate or tropical climate, you can even grow some perennial vine vegetables year-round. The following are some of the best, and tastiest, vegetables that grow on vines.
Annuals
In the warm season, annual vines are prolific growers, but when the first frost comes, they will die back.
They produce some of the most delicious and popular vegetables that keep you and your family well-fed all summer long, so they are worth adding to your garden.
These climbing vegetables can also be grown during cooler weather and can be planted in spring or fall.
Tomatoes
There is no doubt that tomato plants are one of the most popular trellis vegetables among gardeners. The vine-like nature of tomatoes makes them an excellent vertical garden vegetable, especially those of an indeterminate variety.
Most tomato plants need some kind of support to grow upright, and while most gardeners use cages or stakes, tomato plants can be trained to grow on trellises or hung upside down.
The productivity of a vining tomato will be much higher when it is properly trained and not left to grow on its own.
A tomato vine can grow from 4 to over 10 feet long, depending on the growing season.
Cherry tomatoes, monster beefsteaks, and everything in between are available in a variety of sizes, flavors, and colors.
To tomatoes, if you’re looking for an easy-to-grow, tasty vine for your garden, look no further.
Pole Beans
For gardeners with limited space, pole bean vines are a great option.
Climber vegetables can only reach about 10 feet in height and do well in containers. Beans with a longer harvest window are considered more flavorful and sweeter than bush beans.
With their flowering vines, they make your vegetable garden more attractive, and they are easier to harvest than other beans.
Peas
Peas are also vining legumes that grow quickly and are easy to grow. This is one of the best options for a container garden, but they do well planted directly in the ground as well.
It is recommended that peas be caged to promote their growth since they grow up to about 3 feet tall.
Despite their need for full sun, peas do well in partial shade as well. Early spring or fall are the best times to plant them, as they prefer cooler weather.
It is even possible to grow them between December and February in some areas with milder winters.
Cucumbers
In your vining garden, cucumbers are another great plant to include with so many varieties to choose from.
Compared to bush cucumbers, vining cucumbers are more productive throughout the growing season.
Although cucumber vines can be allowed to grow on the ground, they should be trellised whenever possible.
By doing this, you will be able to support their growth, save garden space, make harvesting easier, and keep your cucumbers clean and pest-free.
For cool, crispy, and delicious cucumbers, trellised cucumber vines need full sun and consistent watering.
Squash
Winter squash as well as summer squash are vining plants that produce delicious vegetables in abundance.
There is no need to support summer squash vines because they are short and manageable.
In contrast, winter squash produces long vines that can reach ten to twelve feet in length. To save space and keep them protected from pests, including squash bugs, they can be grown vertically.
Pumpkins
On vines that can reach 12 feet or more, pumpkins are one of the most popular vining vegetables. In addition to the many varieties of pumpkins, many are bred for taste, size, or aesthetics.
In spite of the fact that some types of pumpkin can be grown vertically, many varieties produce heavy fruit that cannot be supported by a trellis.
You will need to add netting to support the fruit even if it is able to grow upward.
When grown on the ground, a pumpkin plant can cover 50 to 100 square feet of garden space.
Perennials
Unless they are in areas with mild winters or in tropical climates, the following vegetables are perennials only in tropical and subtropical climates.
You may even be able to bring them indoors to keep them alive during the winter if you grow them in containers.
Scarlet Runner Beans
Perennial runner beans produce dried beans in vibrant colors and patterns that are often used as garden ornaments. You can eat the leaves, green beans, and roots of this plant!
This climber produces edible bright red flowers that will attract all kinds of pollinators to your garden. The vines can grow from 6 to 15 feet tall and produce upward-growing vines. You can grow bean pods as long as a foot long from this plant.
You can dig up its tuberous roots before the frost hits and bring them indoors. In spring, replanting the root will result in a much faster flowering plant than one grown from seed.
Chayote
In subtropical and moderate climates, this tropical vine gourd produces pear-shaped vegetables. In recipes that call for summer squash, the fruit can be eaten raw or lightly cooked.
Good drainage, ample moisture, and full sun are necessary for it to produce a plentiful harvest. Growing it on a trellis or even a pergola is the best way to ensure long, productive vines.
You can bring it indoors when the frost threatens if it is grown in a container.
Loofah
Although most people consider this vine to be more of a bath sponge than a vegetable, young squash-like fruits can be harvested from this perennial.
You can eat it raw, like a cucumber, or cook it into a variety of dishes, including delicious curries.
A medium vine will grow with tendrils that attach themselves to almost any surface. Container plants can overwinter indoors before frost if brought indoors before the onset of winter.
A natural sponge is formed when the fruit ripens and dries on the vine.
Malabar Spinach
The malabar spinach vine can still be grown in milder climates as another tropical perennial. Until the onset of the cool season, it produces plentiful harvests of delicious leafy greens.
Growing in a container is fine, but it needs a lot of support for its vines to grow well.
You should trellis it and give it plenty of moisture, as it will blossom when dry, making its leaves bitter. The stems can be pruned and replanted before the frost, where they will re-root and grow an additional plant. Cuttings of the plant can be grown from cuttings, and the stems can be replanted into containers before the frost.
You can eat it cooked or raw, and you can use it in any recipe you like.
In Summary
The vining vegetables on this list would make a great addition to your garden, whether you have limited growing space or want to maximize your growing space.
By growing vertically and keeping your plants off the ground, you can not only use the sun and your space more efficiently, but also ensure that your vegetables stay disease- and pest-free.
You can also turn your garden into a productive food forest by growing upward, incorporating your vegetable garden with your landscaping aesthetic, giving your growing space a unique and natural appearance as you utilize all the available space.