Build a Simple Garden Trellis

A Home-Made Trellis

Pole beans grow on a trellis made of EMT conduit
and some 5-foot polypropylene trellis netting

Not everything we plant in our gardens grows up close the ground. Plants like peas, beans, cucumbers and some squash are great climbers. Their advantage is that they let us expand small gardens upward instead of having to spread outward, but the trade-off is that we'll have to provide support for the climbers. A trellis on the side or end of a garden bed is just the ticket for climbers, and dirt-simple to build.

A wooden trellises is heavy and making one requires time and patience, but the widely-available trellis netting is easy to mount, surprisingly strong, and will last for years. If that sounds good to you, head for the local hardware and buy the parts for a frame to support it. Our instructions will make a frame five feet by five feet.

Materials for a Trellis