5 Types Of DIY Trellises For Your Vegetable Garden

If you're an avid food-growing gardener, you're probably already familiar with the vegetables you should grow in your garden with a trellis. Think peas, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, and all kinds of squashes. The issue is typically not with knowing which vegetables need a climbing frame but how to make a trellis without breaking the bank. Arches, tunnels, and frames made from cattle panels are easily the most talked about DIY trellis idea on the internet right now, while a string trellis consisting of a frame wrapped in some sort of garden twine is one of the most do-able low-budget ideas. You can also craft a climbing frame from pruned tree branches, PVC piping, or all kinds of up-cycled or thrifted items, from a retired garden hose to mattress springs and old window frames.

Before you start building a trellis for your vegetable garden, you need to consider a few things to determine what type of trellis would work best. First, take a close look at your planting plan and note the height and attachment style of any climbing vegetables you need to support, as well as how heavy the fruit they produce is. Squash vines, for example, need a pretty sturdy trellis, whereas peas will climb on something as lightweight as garden twine. Also, take measurements of the area where you plan to mount the trellis. There's no use buying materials or building a trellis only to find it doesn't fit your garden bed. Finally, decide how long you want the trellis to last — one season or many years — and whether it needs to be portable — for example, taken in during snowy winter months — or permanent.

Cattle panel arch trellises span the pathways between raised beds or the raised bed itself, thereby extending your garden vertically. Take advantage, too, of the shade created underneath and plant shade-loving vegetables like lettuce inside the arch. Cattle panels are strong, so this trellis is best for larger vining vegetables — think loofah, watermelon, butternut squash, pumpkin, gourds, cucumber, and indeterminate tomatoes.

A standard 16-foot-long cattle panel will get you an ideal width of 5 to 7 feet once you bend it into an arch. A four gauge wire cattle fence panel with a galvanized finish is thick and weatherproof; buy it from retailers like Tractor Supply, Orschelns, or your local farm store. While there, pick up two to four 6-foot t-posts and the wire ties that come with them. You'll also need a post driver to drive posts into the ground (this tool works better than a sledgehammer or mallet), some cable ties, and gloves to protect your hands.

Drive two posts into the ground first, then curve the panel over to the other side to figure out where to put the other posts. You need a friend to help you maneuver the cattle panel into place or hold one side while you manipulate the other. Drive the second set of posts into the ground, and then use cable ties to loosely tie on the panel. Once everything's in place, go around again and more securely attach the panels to the posts using the t-post wire ties or clips. They'll last longer than the plastic cable ties.

Looking to DIY a strong garden trellis on a budget with items you may already own? A string trellis is probably the right fit for you, especially if you want to grow more delicate vegetable vines, like peas or beans. Those wanting their string trellis to last longer should use a plastic twine, like this Xpose Safety Polypropylene Tying Twine, for a bit over $50. Use string made from natural fibers — hemp, cotton, sisal, flax, and jute — if you prefer something biodegradable. A roll of XSEINO Natural Jute Twine costs just $7.

Tomatoes are vining plants that need lots of airflow to stay healthy. To make a trellis that reduces crowding, tie lengths of string to a wooden frame about a foot apart. Secure them at ground level with metal stakes. The antithesis of this method is running twine horizontally between poles or t-posts; it's an efficient option for those gardening in large, long beds. Weave the plants through each line of string until they reach the top. Alternatively, use both vertical and horizontal strings, knotting them at the junctions where they meet to create a trellis net. Another style to explore is a teepee trellis. Tie three or four tall, straight stakes of any material at the top to form a tent-like structure, and push the wide end into the soil. Wrap string around the frame, tying the string to the poles as you pass them. Bonus: The circular design of a teepee trellis makes them perfect for use in container vegetable gardening.

PVC plumbing piping is cheap, pretty much unbreakable, and, of course, water-resistant. It's also relatively pliable; you can bend lengths into curves and cut it at home with a hacksaw, pipe cutter, or circular saw. Most PVC pipe trellis projects call for ½ to ¼-inch diameter lengths, elbow or tee connectors, and little to no nails or screws. The easiest build is a flat frame you lean against a fence or mount to the wall above your garden bed. Add some braces for extra stability. Lean two of these frames against one another, connected only at the top, and you have a tent-style trellis.

Master this style, and you can make, for example, a vertical frame. Take a long length of 1-inch diameter PVC pipe (cut into two shorter side lengths and one longer top bar), two 90-degree angles, and two couplings. Mount the side poles to either side of your raised garden bed, then connect the top pole using the angles and couplings. Fill the interior of your frame with string, netting, or fencing. Connect two of these frames together using more PVC poles, and you will have a box-style frame. You can even mount the frame in concrete blocks for a no-nails build. Don't discount the simple arch, either. Bend lengths of piping into a steep curve and push the ends into either side of a raised bed. The railings will keep them in place, or you can pop the long pipes over an anchor, like smaller pipes or rebar, that you drive into the beds.

Tree branches or sticks you've cut or foraged yourself are free and biodegradable. Plus, aesthetically speaking, there's no denying the rustic charm a trellis made from knobbly natural branches and natural fiber twine adds to a vegetable garden. The downside is that they won't last forever unless you stain, paint, or otherwise treat the branches. Under the attack of timber-hungry bugs and the weather, they'll eventually break down. Consider this when deciding what plants to pair the trellis with; a tree branch trellis works best with seasonal climbing vegetables (those you plant each year) versus perennials that need long-term support.

Create a ladder-style trellis by pushing two long, vertical branches into either side of a raised vegetable bed and tying six or so short, thinner branches horizontally across them, starting at the top and working your way down for stability. Alternatively, prop the ladder up against a nearby wall or replace the vertical branches with rope — water-worn driftwood or pliable willow limbs are particularly quaint if you can find them. You don't have to limit yourself to branches. Any sturdy, relatively straight stick from the garden will do. A clever way to reuse sunflower stalks in the garden is to turn them into a trellis. Cut some stalks of strong-as-steel bamboo from that clump fast taking over the back corner of your yard, or buy a bundle online — a bundle of BOVITRO Natural Bamboo Garden Stakes costs about $19 — and turn them into a trellis using a bundle of twine and your knot knowledge.

Another waste- and wallet-conscious option for reigning in wayward climbing vegetables is to turn discarded or donated items into usable garden features. A surprising number of everyday household items, including furniture, make very usable trellises — some even with little to no changes required. DIY your own trellis with this easy and affordable garden hose hack, whereby the hose becomes the strings within a frame that the peas, beans, or cucumber plants clamber up. Breathe new life into an old door by turning it into a stunning garden trellis — we're talking a screen door here, one with an open frame. Affix the door to a wall or bury one end in a raised bed and tie rows of twine across the frame. Old window frames found in a salvage yard can serve a similar purpose and look super aesthetic doing it.

Taking inspiration from indoor furniture, a retired wooden (or metal) ladder makes an instant tent-style trellis, providing the legs are still sound. Drag out that old steel headboard that's been gathering dust in your garage and stand it up in your vegetable bed so your squash plants can ramble over it instead. To reuse mattress springs as a trellis, mount them within sturdy frames built from thick wooden planks. Tie two wire shelves together on one of their short sides using cable ties, then open them up to form a triangle and pop them into your plot. If you're willing to push the limits of DIY creativity, pretty much anything can become a trellis — rusty rakes, bird feeder stands, even dress forms!