I love your arches. They will be perfect for peas or pole beans, which, for my tastes, are the best tasting beans. There's no reason in the world you can't mix in some morning glories or moon vines with them if you like. You could also plant Scarlet Runner Beans or Purple Pole beans, both of which are ornamental AND edible. (We love the purple beans.)

Alot of people grow cucumbers, squash, and even melons (complicated, but possible) on fences. They take a bit of assistance to get going up the fence, but they do quite well.

The only problem I see with the arches is how shady they will be when vines cover them. However, you could certainly experiment with lettuces, carrots, onions, and maybe even beets under them. These are cool season crops in my area, but with your cooler climate and the shade of the vines during the heat of the day, you might very well be able to make it happen. The only way to know for sure is to try. Be sure to let us know how it goes.

Thanks Donna - I did put in some Moon flower vine and Morning glory seed on the arches yesterday. Also some nasturtium with the beans. I grew my cucumbers on a fence last year and they did well, and the melons I planted are small, MN midgets and Yellow Doll watermelons, so they should trellis well. I think getting in the rest of the raised beds and getting rid of most of the grass is going to make a big difference in the look.

how about an updated pic?

I don't know if morning glories and nasturtiums re-seed in the spring in your area, but I end up pulling them like weeds when they get in my vege garden!
I plant them in different areas OUTSIDE the garden or they come back as pests the next year.
Nancy

I hear you on the morning glories. I planted them the first year I had my garden, 3 years ago. I haven't had to replant them since. I just pull up the ones that aren't near my trellises.

Mandolls- your arches look strong enough to support nearly any veggie vine. How about trombocino squash? I'm trying some this year. They're really starting to take off after having to replant them. (Hehe, I apparently filled the cell pack with seed starting mix labeled it nicely and then didn't plant any of the seeds. I got suspicious when all the other squashes were up and growing and no trombocino....)

I have grown trombocino squash on a cattle panel arch for several years now and it works great.

OK - here are some updated pics. But I am afraid that my garden is still a mess. I had half of my yard excavated for a new septic system, and the weather has been uncooperative this summer (hot hot hot - or rain rain rain.) I still haven't formalized the paths, so it is kind of weedy. Still, parts of it are looking beautiful, and the weather is cooling down, so I am hoping to at least get it to the point where next year I have something solid to work with.

The melon trellace is looking lush, not a lot of melons, but there is still at least a month before frost.

{{gwi:91916}}

The tomatoes have turned into a giant wall, which blocks the view of the rest of the graden from the house, so I will change that next year.

The cucumber arches are lovely with the morning glories on them. But the cuckes have some sort of fungus, so I am battling that.

{{gwi:67799}}

This is a over all view from the back of the garden

Productive veggies growing there & lots of options with those arches. Lovely red tomatoes. I'm jealous as I only have greens here in western WA.

Perhaps, the cucumbers need more air circulation, so removing some of the flower vines might help. Is it mildew?

Gorgeous!! And I love your arches too.

In the second pic, to the right of the melon and in front of the tomato... what are those beautiful green things on the posts?

Thanks - I know that once I get it all together I will be proud. Right now its difficult for me to see anything other than all of the work I still need to do.

The tomatoes just started to ripen, I ate the first 3 last night!. It has been fairly productive, except for the beans. During the septic installation a tree crashed onto the bean arch and pretty much yanked them all out of the ground or broke them. I made a curry last night with eggplant, tomato, cabbage, red peppers, jalapeno, and broccoli all from the garden.

The cukes have some sort of blight, not mildew. The worst off are the Armenians which are not in the pics. I will move them away from the woods next year and give them a little more space.

Growing in front of the vegetable garden are about 35 Dahlias, They are behind this year. Most have buds and a couple have started to bloom, but in a month they will be a riot of color.

I know what you mean. I have so many projects, and it's so hard to see anything except what needs to be done.

And now I have another project, building me some of those bean hoops!!