I remember growing up watching my two grandmother’s in their respective gardens. They lived in totally different parts of the state but had gardening and the local garden clubs in common. One of the favorite items that they both used was trellises. This was also the first time I had ever seen trellises used in a vegetable garden for things like cucumbers and cantaloupe.
While one grandmother used hers mostly for flowers in her flower garden, my mother’s mother would place a trellis parallel to the ground and stake it about 4 to six inches from the ground. This let the cucumber and cantaloupe plants roam freely throughout the trellis close to the ground and since it was staked up high enough, the fruit would either develop on top of the slats or underneath them. I don’t think I have ever seen this anywhere else but I know it works in my garden.