Learn how to build your own garden trellis that you can use to grow peas, cucumbers, and more vine vegetables. This DIY project will cost you pennies and is so easy to do—I’ll even share some of my own insider tips!
When the sun starts shining, those seedlings will soon be reaching up to meet it. Some plants have really nice strong stalks to hold them up, but others need our help. Peas, beans, and other vining vegetables need some sort of trellis to support their growth towards the sky.
This garden trellis tutorial shows you how to easily build a wooden garden trellis with only one piece of material.
Yep, you guessed it…bamboo! However, if you don’t have an ample supply of bamboo nearby, don’t worry. You can also do this project quite simply with sturdy branches.
Let’s get into it!
Types of Garden Trellises To Build For Your Garden
Before we get into how to build this trellis, let’s talk about planning for it. Do you know what kind of garden trellis you need for your veggies to grow? Yes, if you didn’t know, there are options—isn’t that fun? I’ll show you the most popular types of garden trellises so you can find the ones that work best for you.
- Arches – These are much more decorative. Many people tend to use them for flowers like roses.
- Flat Trellis – These are also used for flowers. They are often used for privacy and are often made out of wood or metal.
- Tripod – These are functional and beautiful. Your plants can grow up and inside of the trellis.
- Cages and Ladders -People most often use these for their tomato or vegetable plants since they are so strong and tall.
- Fencing and Porches – Climbing plants like roses love these! You can even use a chain-link fence.
- Woven Garden Trellis – This is the one I made. Just weave bamboo or even some sturdy branches and you’ll have a fantastic trellis.
Tips and Tricks For Building Your Own Garden Trellis
You can create a garden trellis out of all sorts of different things, like twine and reclaimed wood. I personally love exploring and trying new things in my garden. As you’re playing, there are a few things you’ll have to keep in mind when you create your own trellis.
Choose Sturdy Supports
The first thing you need to consider with your garden trellis is using materials that are sturdy enough for your vegetables to grab onto. That’s why I love using bamboo. It is heavy-duty and can handle even the heaviest cucumbers.
You also want to pick out weatherproof materials. Remember, this is going to be outside during rainstorms and inclement weather. Refrain from using anything that will break down in the wind and rain.
Bamboo is durable, and so is twine. You can even choose to use galvanized metal, reclaimed wood, or sturdy branches from around your own yard.
Decorative Or Not
Next, you’ll want to decide whether the garden trellis’s job is to be decorative, to show off the plant, or to give the plant space to grow.
If you want it to be decorative, then you should buy something like an arched trellis. Other trellises, such as tripods, are much more functional because they were built with the sole purpose of supporting the vegetables on the vine.
Consider The Type of Plants You Are Growing
Finally, you should choose a trellis based on the type of plant that you’ll be growing. Vegetables and flowers all climb differently. For example, pea plants climb in a different way than cucumbers or roses do.
Take some time to research how your planted vegetables will grow and climb. Then, using this information, choose the trellis based on this information.
Based on my own experience, here are the best types of vegetables and flowers you can grow on a bamboo trellis without breaking it.
- Cucumbers
- Beans
- Peas
- Flowers
- Cucamelons
- Cherry Tomatoes
Avoid trying to grow heavier plants on it, like melons, as it will not be supported and it may ruin the way everything grows.
If you do want to grow heavier veggies on a homemade trellis, you can lean it to the side and support it so that it looks like a triangle. This will make it stronger and able to hold heavier vegetables.
How To Make a Garden Trellis Out of Bamboo
Now that you have probably narrowed down the trellis that would work best in your garden, it’s time to make one! Today, I will be teaching you how to make a wooden woven trellis using bamboo.
Let’s take a look at how we can use this trellis with pea plants.
Pea plants grasp onto netting, twine, or thin bamboo poles with their curly tendrils. This pea trellis made with twine is a perfect solution to fit a lot of peas into a small space, but it can also be as successful and a bit more sturdy to use a woven bamboo trellis (plus it’s better for those less gentle pea pickers, AKA kids and the dog).
Since the only material is bamboo, the importance lies in the size of the poles you choose to use.
1. Choose Long Bamboo Poles for Your Pea Trellis
Pole beans wind themselves around poles, so they will need a bit more support than a twine trellis can handle. They love to grow up high in the sky, so make sure that you get really long bamboo stakes for a pole bean trellis.
Cucumbers and squash can also do very well climbing up a trellis, but there needs to be enough strength to hold the thick vine and then the heavy fruit as it ripens. Depending on the size and weight of the fruit, you can choose a thicker and stronger bamboo pole to weave. Alternatively, you can lean the trellis to the side so it looks like a triangle (as discussed above).
2. Space The Bamboo Poles The Appropriate Distance Apart
Now that you have your bamboo poles, you can start to build. Place poles about 6″-12″ apart (depending on the size of what you are working with) by firmly staking the end into the ground. This smaller pea trellis is spaced 4″ apart with fairly thin bamboo that measures 5′ high.
3. Cut and Weave the Bamboo
Cut the bamboo that you will be weaving to 6″-12″ longer than the distance between the two end poles. Weave the length of bamboo through the stakes by passing it alternatively behind and in front of each stake. Slide the pole down through the stakes to about 6″ from the bottom of the stakes.
Repeat this step with another pole but alternate how the pole weaves front to back with the first pole. Continue this process until you have a sturdy trellis that has the spacing you were hoping for.
Can You Make A Garden Trellis Out of Branches?
You will be surprised at the strength of this trellis and how easy it is to make. If you have access to a lot of sturdy and straight branches, you could also make this structure from branches. It will look beautifully rustic and will also be totally free!
You can’t beat that.
Weave the Plants Through the Garden Trellis Poles
Now all that is left is to wind the plants through the first few poles and let it grow.
As they start to grow, teach the vines to grow up the trellis by gently laying them across the bamboo poles. Eventually, their vines will grab the poles and the will crawl up vertically without any help!
Bamboo Garden Trellis FAQ
If the bamboo is dry and dead, it shouldn’t begin to rot for two to three years. I’ve seen it last upwards of 10 years! Green bamboo might not last as long.
You don’t need any fasteners or twine, though you’re more than welcome to add some. The beauty of this woven design is that it’s pressure-fitted. You’ll be amazed at how strong it is.
I stick my bamboo in the ground as far as it will go. My area is protected from the wind, so it holds up just fine. You can also hammer in each stake a bit more with a rock or a mallet.
Building your own garden trellis can be pretty simple. I hope this inspires you to try to create your own trellis for your garden. If you have climbing flowers, add a decorative trellis to show them off. The fun thing about gardening is the marriage of research and creativity!
Try a few things and see what works best for you.
More Ideas for the Home Vegetable Garden
As you keep exploring new ways to make your garden grow, check out these articles next.
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
