Like people, many plants need support to grow, thrive, and be their best selves. For beginner gardeners it can be daunting to figure out which plants need what type of support.
Fear not! You’ve got us. And this blog. Aaaaaaaaaaand C-BITEs.
We’ll go over what needs support (garden-wise, naturally) and how to provide it.
Veggies That Need Support
Tomatoes. This one is a no-brainer. If you’ve seen tomatoes growing in a garden, you’ve seen some type of support used to help support the vertical growth and heavy clumps of fruit. Instead of tomato cages that only last a few seasons and seem to always get bent, use C-BITEs and stakes to create a custom support for your plant! There are so many ways to use C-BITEs to support your tomato plants, including a four-sided structure, three-sided structure, using C-BITES to help connect strings onto stakes, or using them to extend singular stakes for tall tomatoes.
The main goal is to make sure your tomato plants are given support at the base stem and that they won’t fall and let the fruit touch the ground on rainy or windy days as this can cause soil-borne diseases. Read our complete guide on tomato supports.
Peas/Beans. If you don’t give peas and beans a solid structure to grow on, they’ll flop onto the ground and have trouble producing. Many varieties will grow as tall as you let them! The easiest way to support these types of plants is with some type of fencing/trellis planted behind the row. You can use C-BITEs on garden stakes to connect netting or fencing. See examples and a video below. It’s so easy that our photographer/garden tester is going to use C-BITEs to create temporary fencing around her vegetable garden to keep her animals out!
Cucumbers and Small Squash. Cucumbers and smaller squash can be grown without support and will do fine climbing on the ground, but if you provide a trellis for them to grow on you’ll have better quality fruit and less diseases. For both of these types of plants, you’ll want to provide a strong trellis that will support the weight of the fruit. Again, you can use C-BITEs to attach a wire or strong string trellis to stakes.
Flowers That Need Support
There are a variety of show-stopping flowers — both annual and perennial — that are super easy and fun for beginner gardeners to grow, but also require a trellis. Easy peasy! Like peas and beans, use two or more garden stakes and connect netting or wire in between them with C-BITEs for an easy support system.
Some of our favorite climbers:
- Sweet Peas
- Clematis
- Nasturtium
- Morning Glories
- Black Eyed Susan Vine
- Climbing Hydrangea
- Wisteria
Peonies. The sweethearts of the late spring garden, Peonies are beloved by gardeners and non-gardeners alike. To ensure your beloved blooms don’t flop onto the ground and get ruined by rain and dirt, provide a cage-like structure that supports the heavy flowers. Learn more about cutting Peonies in our blog.
Dahlias. A beloved cut flower, Dahlias show off on the table and in the summer garden. Like Peonies, their huge blooms are prone to flopping over and touching the ground, so you’ll want to provide a similar cage-like structure to ensure they don’t get ruined. Tip: because they grow and bloom much later than Peonies, once your Peonies are done blooming simply remove the C-BITE structure and place it on your Dahlias!
Use our Incognito C-BITEs for flowers. They blend right in!
Other tall flowers with bigger blooms, like Sunflowers, Foxglove, Asiatic Lilies, and more may need support as the season goes on. If you notice them flopping over, a single stake with a C-BITE connecting it with twine can help keep the plant strong and bloom tall in the garden.
So there you have it. Plant supports are an important but simple aspect of gardening. Start with a variety of stakes, C-BITES, and netting, and you’ll have fun building the supports you’ll need to keep your veggies and flowers strong and healthy throughout the season! Plus, you'll feel like a kid again creating your own design from start to finish. Win. And win.