How to Build an Inexpensive Garden Trellis
Space is constrained in my personal garden raised beds, so I have to garden vertically so I can
and make use of every square inch. This year, I decided that squash and cucumbers would share
a 4'x8' bed. The cucumbers would need area to grow and so I needed to build a trellis.
If you're looking for a fancy trellis created by a woodworker or somebody who can bend and
twist wrought-iron in order to make art, then you'll have to look elsewhere. This is a fast and
easy trellis made of wood and twine.
The posts are 1x2's. You could use 2x4s but 1x2s are less expensive and they are sufficiently
strong to support the weight of most vegetables so why not save a few bucks. You need two 1x2s
to use as posts and another as a cross-piece that goes across the top.
I avoid the whole old pressure treated wood (CCA) vs. new pressure treated wood (ACQ) in the
garden argument by using ordinary lumber. It's going to decay in a few years, but at $1.88 for an
8 foot 1x2, I'd rather replace the wood rather than worrying about chemicals leaching into the
soil. Will they or won't they? That is a query for someone else.
Each post should be buried at least 18" deep or if you are building a trellis that goes inside a
raised bed like mine, then you can secure it to the framework with 2 more screws. Keep in mind
that you will want the two posts to be exactly the same height so the cross piece is level. A laser
level is an excellent tool to easily accomplish this. If you don't have a laser level then put the
cross piece on top and use a regular bubble level. Use a hammer to carefully tap the posts into
the ground. Should you continue banging the cross piece off, then duct tape it. Once you are
level, use two 3 inch galvanized screws to secure each joint. If you are worried about the wood
cracking, then pre-drill your holes.
Now measure and make pencil marks one-foot apart going down from the top and then along the
cross-piece. Partially drill a short screw with a large head (or perhaps add a washer) into each
mark. These screws are specifically for affixing your twine. Tie a knot around the first screw and
then screw it in the rest of the way so that the twine is secure. Fasten the string going
horizontally across the trellis then going vertically, screwing the screws in while you go. When
going from top to bottom, tie a knot within the twine each spot that it crosses the horizontals.
After enjoying a nice harvest of cucumbers this summer, I was very happy with the results of this
garden venture. As mentioned before, my trellis might not look good enough for a gardening
magazine but it certainly did the task.
For more information on how to best utilize a garden trellis go to the website My Garden Trellis.