Garden trellises put the “fun” in “functionality”. Okay, but really! A garden trellis is so much more than a simple structure that expands your growing space, although that is the main purpose. In this post, I will show you exactly how to build an easy and inexpensive trellis that will add character and versatility to your garden. After all, a garden you enjoy spending time in, is a garden you will tend well.
What are the benefits of a trellis?
- Maximize growing space!
- Plants are easier to maintain/harvest
- Blooms are more accessible for pollinators
- Vining plants will be healthier with more air flow
Things I like about this easy and inexpensive trellis
I really enjoy the look of natural materials on our farmstead and especially in the garden. That being said I also adore our cattle panel arch trellis! But this wooden fence type trellis adds an old-timey cottage garden feel and I am so here for it.
Aside from aesthetics, the openness of this trellis will make it easy as pie to clean all the old plant material from at the end of the growing season, unlike the wire cages we’ve used for several years. Hallelujah. Also speaking of those wire cages, this trellis won’t blow over in a storm. Double hallelujah.
And, as if I needed another reason to love this trellis, we spent less than $5 on it! I know that won’t be the case for everyone, but I highly encourage you to use whatever materials you have available, take this simple design and make it your own and tag me on the socials when you do. 🙂
What can I grow up this trellis?
- Peas
- Pole Beans
- Cucumbers
- Indeterminate Tomatoes
- Melons
- Squash
- Sweet Potatoes
- Raspberries and blackberries
- A wide variety of flowers
This is not an exhaustive list, I’m sure there are many more things I’m not thinking of!
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We knocked out two of these trellises in just a few hours’ time. So, one would take roughly 1.5 hours with two people from start to completion. Let’s get to it.
First, Gather your materials
Listed here are the materials needed for one 22-foot trellis, but you can adjust this to whatever size fits your space.
- 7 Posts, 2″ x 6′ is what we used.
- I am lucky that Sage cuts hedge fence posts for a living, so he just pulled these out of one of his stacks. You can use anything you may already have, 4×4’s from the lumber store, or if you have access to trees, cut your own posts.
- 24 wooden slats, .25″ x 2″ x 3-4′ is what we used.
- We got these old wooden slats from a friend retiring their farm, they’ve been setting around forever. Like the posts, use whatever you have handy! You could even use smaller 1″ posts or bamboo if that’s all you’ve got. Check your local area for any real estate auctions, you never know what kind of buried treasure you might find, and you can bet it’ll be cheaper than buying new.
- Screws, 48 1.25″ screws.
- We opted for screws rather than nails for this project. Sage buys screws in bulk so we always have plenty around and hammering nails into hedge posts is no easy task, we’ve done it before (and by “we” I mean “he”) but it takes forever. We do have a nail gun that makes nailing into hedge posts a breeze but it’s too powerful for these older wooden slats that needed a more delicate touch.
tools you will need
How to build an easy and inexpensive trellis
- Drive your posts.
- Measure from the ground up 8″
- Drill a screw into one end of the wooden slat, drilling it to the post
- Use a level to adjust the height of the other end and repeat step 3.
- Repeat until your bottom row is complete.
- Measure 8″ up from the bottom row, repeat steps 4, 5 and 6 until you’ve reached desired height.
And there you go, that’s all there is to it! It really is that simple but continue reading if you want a full tutorial and more tips.
step-by-step instructions for building this easy and inexpensive trellis
Prepping and driving posts
The very first thing you want to do is sharpen the bottom end of your post so that it is drivable, then using your post drivers, drive the post into the ground at least one foot, we did most of ours a foot and a half. Repeat with all of your posts. Sage builds fence on a regular basis so he didn’t bother with setting up a string line to ensure straightness, but if you need to set one up to help keep things in line feel free to do so.
Laying out the first row
After all of the posts were in, we laid out six wooden slats for the bottom row of our trellis.
Attatching the first row to the posts
To start, we measured eight inches up from the ground and drilled the wooden slat in place on the first post. Using the level to determine exact placement, we drilled the other end of the slat to the next post. We repeated these steps until the bottom row was complete.
Repeat, Repeat, repeat
For our next three rows, we measured eight inches up from the bottom row on both ends of the wooden slats. Since we leveled the bottom row, there was no need to use the level on the following rows. Sage likes to measure center to center for the most accuracy.
final touches
Almost done! The last step is optional, but we like to cut off any excess of the post tops. It gives the trellis more of a finished look in my opinion. And yes, Sage is not wearing proper safety gear here, hence the squinty eyes! (He has had a freak experience with a splinter being thrown in is eye by the saw and we take the safety glasses seriously around here… except for this moment, I guess.)
and just like that… your easy and inexpensive trellis is ready for growing!
So, there you have it! Our very easy, very versatile and very inexpensive garden trellis. It literally cost us almost nothing and I am quite pleased with it. I have actually already planted a mix of sugar snap and shelling peas below it and I’m anxiously awaiting their sprouting. Depending on our weather those may finish by June or July and then I’ll plant cucumbers to grow up it for the summer.
If you enjoyed this post or found it useful, share it with your friends or pin it for later. I’d love to hear what your favorite plants are to grow up trellises, comment below and let me know!
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