A garden trellis is one of the best gardening investments you can make with your time and effort. You don’t have to be a master craftsman or handyman to pull this off!
Table of Contents
Trellises are fantastic additions to gardens, especially for those with limited space. Many plants, including flowers, veggies and fruits such as strawberries require vertical space and something to cling to as they reach for the sun.
Growing vertically is a simple way to make the most of your available growing space, whether you have a small piece of land or acres.
The type of trellis you construct should be chosen considering the amount of effort and available time.
Planter trellis, wall trellis, panel trellis, fence trellis and arch trellis are all great options for a garden trellis. Depending on your own preference, any of these designs might be a stunning addition to your yard.
Step-by-Step Instructions in building a garden trellis
- Create a base out of rebar (a rectangle or square) and cut it to the necessary size.
- You should lay out the pieces. Build a rebar frame and tack weld it together using the ground as a flat edge and a magnet. This is to ensure accuracy in squareness. After checking for squareness, finish with full welds.
- To make an arch, you should bend the rebar. This can be bent either using a flam or by hand.
- After ensuring everything is square to the foundation, put the arch inside the frame and start tack welding. Repeat the process with full welds.
- Tack weld the concrete mesh in place as you curve it over the rebar in an arch. Working from one side of the arch to the other is the simplest method. You can secure the rebar with tack welds. However, if you require full welds for a more permanent fix, you can always go back and go over the tack welds again.
- You should use a cutting wheel to remove surplus mesh and a grinding wheel to make it smooth.
- Planter boxes should have trellises attached to them. Either use a bigger screw to anchor it to the planter box or fix it by drilling a hole through the rebar and the planter box. You can secure the trellis to the planter box however you like, so long as you’re confident it will not topple.
Materials needed to build a trellis
A trellis can be made from one of four different types of materials:
- Plastic
It’s lightweight and bendable, but it might not hold up to heavier fruit trees or vines.
- Metal
Durable, yet more difficult to work with than wood. Some metals, if exposed to air without protection, will oxidize.
- Wood
It’s simple to manipulate but doesn’t hold up as well without any kind of protection (like sealer or stain).
- Types of Plants
Which plants do you plan on using the trellis for?
There are a few key considerations when settling on trellis material, including:
- Durability
Just how long does the material last?
- Availability and cost
How much does the material cost? Should you pay more for something that lasts even longer?
- Effort
How challenging is working with the material if you’re constructing a trellis from scratch?
- Availability
To what extent is the material readily available? Are you able to quickly obtain additional materials in order to perform repairs?
Tools required to make a trellis
To construct your own wooden trellis, you will need:
- To secure the corner plates and any anchoring brackets, you’ll need an electric screwdriver.
- A hand saw for customizing the length of the posts and the slats
- Hammer for driving staples into wood frame slats
- A drill will help you make holes in the posts so that you can attach the brackets to them. Additionally, if you want to anchor the brackets, you will need to drill holes in the decking or pavement.
- Sandpaper
- A spanner to help tighten the bolts that hold the brackets to the posts
- Utility garden gloves
- A square, a meter ruler and a pencil
Ideal wood to make garden trellis
If you want your garden trellis to last, make sure it’s built with rot-resistant wood like pressure-treated pine or cedar. To preserve your wooden trellis, use a primer or stain and paint designed for outdoor use.
Steps to making an inexpensive DIY garden trellis
Materials you need
- Scissors
- Drill or screwdriver
- Chicken wire
- Zip-ties
- Screws
- 2 garden stakes
Step 1:
Support your garden with garden stakes fastened inside the bed.
Step 2:
Chicken wire should be strung between the stakes.
Step 3:
Use zip ties to secure the wire, then trim any excess.
Step 4:
Line the bottom of the trellis with seedlings and watch them develop!
This simple and affordable DIY garden trellis is ideal for supporting a wide variety of ornamental plants and edibles.
Erecting a freestanding garden trellis
A freestanding trellis doesn’t necessarily need to be fastened to the house in any way.
A freestanding garden trellis takes on some of the characteristics of a boundary fence while remaining unattached to other buildings. This is a major benefit compared to trellises built against the side of a home, which climbing plants can damage.
- Digging Holes
At both of its ends, the trellis’s segments are each supported by fence posts. Similarly, when constructing a fence, start by using the post-hole digger to drill two holes.
The holes should have a depth of approximately two feet and a half and a width of approximately nine inches.
- Setting Posts
Fill the holes up to a height of roughly 6 inches with all-purpose gravel. Use a 4×4 post to compact the gravel. Place the 4×4 in one of the holes and use quick-setting concrete to fill the hole. Make sure you get all the way up and around the post.
Fill the hole with clean, cool water until it is even with the surrounding ground or as directed on the concrete bag.
Check that the post is even with the ground using the bubble level. Allow the concrete to cure and set for four hours while you bolster the 4×4.
Repeat this with the second post.
- Attaching 2x2s to the Posts
2x2s should be cut to a length of 5 feet.
Use four of the brackets designed for 2×4 galvanized flat rail fencing, two for each post. Place the upper brackets approximately one foot below the post’s top and the lower brackets approximately one foot above the ground.
Fasten the 2x2s to the inner surfaces of the 4×4 posts until they are level with the brackets. Put them in so their lowest point is roughly six inches below the posts’ height.
Use screws to fasten the 2x2s into the brackets’ holes.
- Attaching horizontal slats
Attach the lath strips horizontally to the 2x2s, leaving roughly a 5-inch gap between each nail. Start with the upper strip and adjust it until the bubble is level. The bottom strip should then be nailed in.
You’re free to experiment with different margin sizes as you see fit. Widening the space between the top and bottom garden rows is one way to break up the grid pattern.
- Attaching vertical slats
Fasten the 1×2 horizontal slats in a vertical position. If you’re hand-nailing something and want to avoid shaking, have someone hold an anvil or other heavy object behind the surface you’re nailing.
You might also use a nailer that operates on compressed air or is cordless. Back support is helpful but optional here.
Put these slats about 12 inches apart in the middle and evenly spaced down the line.
- Add finishing touches.
The finishing touches on your garden trellis are the post covers and the ornate wood strip.
The last lath strip should be nailed to the top of the vertical members first. Put this last piece of wood in place with the flat side parallel to the floor.
Attach the post caps to the tops of the 4x4s by nailing them in place. These caps not only make the posts appear better by preventing water from collecting atop them, but they also make them safer.
How to keep a wood trellis from rotting
Apply a wood preservative like disodium octaborate tetrahydrate or sodium borate to the trellis stakes. This is to keep them safe from termites and deterioration.
To prevent the trellis’s wood from decaying, simply use a paintbrush to apply one of these treatments straight to the wood.
How deep should a trellis post be?
The standard depth for installing the posts is 2 feet. Once you drill the hole, insert the post into the ground while being carefully positioned along the string line with the aid of a spirit level.
How tall should a garden trellis be?
A trellis of 6 feet in height will provide most plants with enough room to climb while still affording you easy access to most of your harvest. Arch trellis, A-frames, and lean-tos are good options for plants with more than six feet of growing height.
What to use instead of a trellis?
In need of an alternative to a trellis? To make a trellis, you can use a pallet, ladder, or window you’ve found; with some creativity, you can even use a collection of old gardening tools.
You can be sure that one of these trellis project ideas will work for you, no matter your degree of experience, your budget, your goals or the aesthetic you’re going for (be it rustic or modern).
Build you own trellis – DIY
Constructing a trellis is an enjoyable and satisfying do-it-yourself activity. You can accomplish this with a wide range of resources.
A trellis may be built for your outdoor space or garden with the correct combination of tools and some basic skills. Make sure your trellis is straight and level using precise measurements and a level.