To realize the maximum potential of your raised bed garden, grow vertically. Using the space above your beds will make your garden more productive. In addition to increasing yield, the practice helps fruit develop off the ground, keeping them cleaner and less susceptible to rot. Elevated crop canopies dry quicker, reducing the risk of foliage disease. Spraying, pruning and harvesting are easier when crops are grown vertically.
There are many support systems gardeners use to grow plants vertically. The one used most extensively at the Noble Foundation consists of cages constructed of 6-inch by 6-inch concrete reinforcing mesh and used to support crops such as tomato, pepper, eggplant, pea, bean and cucumber.
A 5-foot by 150-foot roll of re-mesh costs about $60 and will make 37 cages 4 1/2 feet tall (height above soil level) by 15 inches in diameter or 74 cages 2 feet tall by 15 inches in diameter. If you need only a few cages, check out local construction sites. Chances are you can find enough scrap pieces to suit your needs.
Plan on using the taller cages when growing pole bean, pea, cucumber and indeterminate tomato. The shorter cages work for eggplant, pepper, dwarf pea and determinate tomato.
Another popular trellising method known as the 'stake and weave' or 'Florida Weave' uses layers of twine attached to metal or wood stakes to provide plant support. Typically stakes are driven into the ground about 1 foot and spaced between every other plant. A larger (stronger) stake should be located at each end of a bed. After plants reach 1 foot in height, nylon twine is tied to the first stake at the end of the bed then looped around each stake down the row. Throughout the process, it is important to keep the twine taut to prevent sagging. At the end of the row, the twine is looped around the end stake and passed along the other side of the plants, again looping each stake until it is finally tied to the end stake at the beginning of the row where the process started. The first string is placed at approximately 10 inches above the ground and another string is added as the plants grow each additional 10 inches. The stake and weave method is ideally suited for tomato, pepper and eggplant.