Lol, glad to hear I'm not the only one doing such things.
I need to remember this towards next year, because it's not only the watermelons, but I also have two pumpkin varieties and three melon varieties growing vertically.
Last year I thought I was smart and added a trellis to the back of my gardening bed inside the greenhouse. I didn't forsee that there would be fruits growing at the backside of the trellis. Since it was built against the wall of the greenhouse, I couln't get to them. I had to take down the entire trellis before I could reach them, lol.
I started growing things vertically to save room, but also because we had a lot of slugs last year. By keeping everything off the ground, I could minimize the slug damage. Because of the heat and the drought, there are barely any slugs this year, but I didn't know that would happen when I planted everything :0)
So now it's all about being creative in finding ways to support those heavy fruits. At one point last year, I used some old bras as hammocks, which worked perfectly, to be honest... :0)
That is a cool idea - never thought to use bras or even old tights as hammocks.
I love growing vertically, I think it looks beautiful and we also have slugs. Nothing seems to keep them away from the garden. I think our garden might be a pilgrimage spot in the world of slugs. They seem to travel here from far and wide. (haha). :(
Have you ever tried planting cloves of garlic all over the place. And if your garden is not too big, a good solution is to spray your plants with a garlic spray. Slugs hate anything with a strong smell.
It worked very well for me last year.
You can find my recipe here: https://steemit.com/freedomfirst/@organicgardener/garlic-the-best-remedy-against-garden-pests-garlic-recipe-included
I must have mutant slugs because we are aspiring garlic farmers and there is garlic ...everywhere! They do fall for the beer traps though.
Thank you for the recipe, my mum was just asking me for one so she can spray her roses so I'll send her yours! :)
It's the world upside down, lol. Beer traps never work, while here in Belgium, we have the best beer in the world.
Maybe you should send your slugs here - they would probably love the beer - , and I will send you mine, since they don't like garlic... problem solved. ;0)
(Not that I would have many to send right now. Because of the drought, I only find two or three a week... )