Karen that looks great, but I wonder if you have more pots there than you should and they may eventually get tangled with each other

Another thing you can do is just grow them in pots like i have done for several years.

I use a 12 inch pot filled with the regular miracle grow potting mix. Put one seedling in the center and add a 2 1/2-3 foot plastic stake in the center.

Then I take a couple of wire coat hangers that the local dry cleaner gives me for nothing, pull it out to sort of make a diamond shape and stick a pointed end into the ground.

As the seedling grows I wind the vines through the coat hangers and up on the stake. Has worked beautifully for me and gives me more opportunity to grow more MG, as my fences keep getting filled with them and have no more room.

these are in the pots as described above.

{{gwi:373359}}

{{gwi:373361}}

I've also grow them in hanging pots, same miracle grow soil and one seedling in a pot.

{{gwi:358559}}

{{gwi:373360}}

and I've grown them in a pot growing up the railing on the front steps.

{{gwi:424831}}

{{gwi:373355}}

Fran

I have too many containers similar to yours and need the space for other plants. BTW your MG's look great. Not being able to use the area near the fence is a real problem this year. I would like to get these started vertically and then let them spread across the top. I'd started adding the string across the top and then figured I wouldn't knock myself out until it was necessary, if it does become necessary. lol I'm going to try to keep them climbing the twine for several feet before letting them spread which I've never tried before. I have absolutely no idea if it will work.

if those pots too close together then someone better tell the japanese that because thats how they do theres but a single string for each one.

Dragonmist Joseph's pic of the MG grower in Japan is what gave me this idea. Too bad I don't have the space to set it up the way they do. Mine are only on a single string for the first 5'. I could continue some along a single thread but with the shape of the frame it would only work for the plants in the center. If it works great, if not it was worth the try. We had so much damage from the monster snowfall last winter and not everything has been repaired yet so I'm limited on planting space.

The frame seems to be working well. I had to criss cross more string on the top portion as it would have been too difficult to try keeping it going straight up. Some of the vines are growing much faster then others but hopefully all will catch up in about a month and completely cover the frame. I won't be able to tell which is what once they grow over the top but it should look nice. Only about 2/3's of the vines are visible in these pics.

{{gwi:498882}}
{{gwi:498883}}