How to Grow Plants on a Wire Frame

Vegetables

• 1

  Cut 1-inch wide lumber planks into four 5-foot-long pieces and four 4-foot-long pieces. Lay the sections on the ground so the longer sections are the top and bottom edges and the shorter sections are the side edges. Nail the planks together with two 2-inch long nails at each corner to secure the longer section to the shorter section. You will have two frames that are the same size.

• 2

  Cut two sections of chicken wire that are the same dimensions as the measurements as the frame outside edges. Lay the chicken wire over each frame and staple it in place around the edges of the frame. Lean the frames against each other so the tops of the 5-foot long sides touch. Screw two metal hinges on each end of the top edges to secure the frames together into an A-frame structure that stands on its own.

• 3

  Read the seed packet or plant tag to verify the spread and space requirements for the plant. Set the wire frame in the garden at a spacing appropriate for the type of plant growing. Plant the vegetables about 6 inches from the bottom outside edge of the frame.

• 4

  Train the the vegetables upward along the wire frame so they grow in a vertical direction. Vine vegetable plants will grasp the wire naturally and hold in place. Tie non-vine vegetables to the A-frame with soft cloth ties to give them support.

• 5

  Fertilize the vegetables once the seedlings are about four weeks old, or approximately 6 to 8 inches tall using a vegetable 10-10-10 fertilizer. Avoid making contact with the plant stem.

• 6

  Provide 1 inch of supplemental water to the plants each week when there is no rainfall. A once-a-week soil soaking is better than periodic shallow soil soakings to promote strong and healthy roots.

Topiary

• 7

  Insert the wire topiary frame flush to the ivy or evergreen plant. Use caution to prevent damaging the root system.

• 8

  Train loose growth around the frame by twisting and wrapping the plant stems and foliage carefully around the wire. Hold the growth in place temporarily using lightweight cloth ties. Repeat this process until the wire frame is lush and covered with growth. Remove the ties as the foliage matures and forms the growth pattern of the topiary.

• 9

  Prune excess growth to maintain the plant shape around the wire frame with a clean pruning clipper in the spring and early summer.

• 10

  Fertilize the topiary with a liquid houseplant 30-10-10 fertilizer every two weeks during the active spring and summer growing season.

• 11

  Keep the soil evenly moist, but not over-saturated with water. Monitor the soil moisture regularly, especially if the plant is growing in a container.