How to Build a Garden Trellis, Step One

Introduction

I love building things. And while I’ve built a few small homes with friends, I’ve never attempted to build something as simple as a garden trellis. But after taking some time to think about what it would look like and how best to build it, I realized that this project was doable for me — even if it was just for fun! So if you’re interested in learning how to construct one of these handy structures for your garden or patio space, keep reading!

Step One: Choose your materials. A garden trellis is a frame used to support climbing plants as they grow.

In this section, we’ll discuss the different types of materials you can use to build your garden trellis. It’s important to choose materials that are durable and weather-resistant so they will last for years. Additionally, it’s helpful if the materials are easy to work with—for example, wood or PVC piping should be easier for you than metal tubing would be.

  • Types of wood: You can choose from many types of wood depending on what you want your finished product to look like and how much time you want to spend building it. Consider using cedar because it’s relatively inexpensive yet very durable (and therefore long lasting). If cost is an issue, consider other less expensive woods like pine or redwood which have similar qualities as cedar but may not last as long outdoors in direct sunlight due to their lower density rating than cedar does; however these woods still hold up well over time compared with other low cost alternatives such as pressure treated lumber which has been treated with chemicals designed specifically for outdoor use only (not indoors where children play).
  • Types of metal: Metal pipes come in various thicknesses based on their intended use; these include 3/4″, 1″, 1/2″ diameters but also come in custom sizes too! The benefit here is being able to customize exactly what size pipe fits best into each hole drilled out into each post – no guesswork required! Another benefit here is being able *to drill holes yourself without having them pre-drilled by someone else beforehand…

Step Two: Highlight the location of your trellis.

To find the right height for your trellis, stand back and look at your garden. How high do you want the trellis to be?

  • Draw a line on the ground with chalk or string where you want the top of your trellis to be. You can use stakes as guides for this step if it helps, but remember: when you’re done building your garden trellis, these stakes will have to come out!
  • Mark where each post will go with an X (or other marking). This will help keep track of where everything is going and make sure that all four posts are in exactly the same place when we start stringing our twine later on.
  • Use some measuring tape (or yardstick) to measure how long each section should be – don’t forget that this includes whatever length of wood needs between them as well! Once again, I recommend using pencil so that no marks remain after we hammer in those stakes later on.

Step Three: Calculate the height of the trellis and draw a line.

To calculate the height of your trellis, measure above the ground and mark where you want to place it. For example, if you want your trellis to be placed at three feet off of the ground, then mark a line on the ground at three feet with a chalk line or string line.

We recommend that you use a tape measure and not just guess how tall your garden trellis needs to be because guessing will almost always lead to disappointment when building it later on in this process.

Step Four: Drive stakes into the ground to hold the corners of your trellis in place.

  • Drive stakes into the ground to hold the corners of your trellis in place.
  • Be sure to drive the stakes straight, so that your trellis will be level.
  • Use a measuring tape or yardstick for accuracy and make sure each stake is at least 18 inches away from any other part of the border.

Step Five: Drill holes in your wooden plank, and attach it to the stakes with screws.

Now it’s time to attach your trellis to the stakes. You’ll want to drill holes in each corner of your wooden plank, so that you can screw it onto the stakes.

Drilling holes is simple: just use a drill and bit that are appropriate for wood (most things with a hand-operated engine should be able to do most types of wood). Drill through one side of each plank, and then flip it over so that your holes are facing downward. Then, simply screw into place by inserting screws through those same holes!

Step Six: It’s time to add the crossbars for support.

Now that you’ve built your trellis frame and added the diagonal bracing, it’s time to add the crossbars for support. If you’re building a trellis in a greenhouse or other structure with walls, use wall studs as your crossbars. If not, keep reading for more options.

Wooden dowels are the most common choice for adding crossbars to garden trellises; they’re easy to find at any hardware store and have an organic look that blends well with natural materials. Using wooden dowels requires drilling holes into each post (the ones where you put in nails or screws) before attaching them with glue or small pieces of metal brackets.

As an alternative, try using aluminum tubing instead of wood as your trellis material—it won’t rot over time and is lightweight enough so you can bend it into different shapes without breaking it! To attach this type of material: simply drill four holes every 5 inches through all four posts (two on either side), then slide in pieces of aluminum strap into each hole until they reach somewhere between 50% – 80% capacity (you don’t want too much slack here). The straps should be positioned inside-out so they won’t scratch any skin while working in close proximity.”

Step Seven: Screw on L-brackets.

  • Use the L-brackets to attach the wire fencing to the wooden plank. The L-brackets should be screwed on at a 45 degree angle, and they will help hold your wire fencing in place.
  • You can also use zip-ties to attach your garden trellis together! Zip-ties are great because they’re cheap and easy to install, but they aren’t as strong as other methods of attaching things together like screws or nails. If you have an area where you think it might get a lot of wind, zip ties may not be strong enough for your needs.

Step Eight: Cut wire fencing to desired size, and use zip-ties to attach it to the trellis.

You can also use zip-ties to attach the wire fencing to the trellis. This is a much quicker method, but it may be necessary if your trellis is not perfectly square or if you want to change things up later on down the road.

Once that’s done, make sure you cut off any excess zip-ties with some scissors. It’s better to cut them too short than leave too much hanging over like an unfinished haircut from the 80s!

Step Nine: Put this baby in the ground!

Now that you’ve got your trellis all assembled, it’s time to put it in the ground! If you can wait a few days, I recommend waiting until after your last frost date so that your plants have a chance to settle in before they start climbing.

However long you choose to wait, remember that once those plants start climbing up the trellis and putting on leaves is when the fun begins. The whole point of making this garden structure was to make something pretty for me and my family to look at while we eat our meals outside during summer months (and not just because we live in California). Now that our new garden structure is finished and ready for action—I mean…gardening—we can sit back with some lemonade or glass of wine at night and admire how well our hard work paid off!

Follow these easy steps from start to finish, and you’ll have yourself a garden trellis.

Follow these easy steps from start to finish, and you’ll have yourself a garden trellis.

  • Step 1: Collect your supplies. You’ll need wood that’s at least 12 inches wide, including some scrap pieces for the supports. You may also want to buy some extra nails and screws, depending on what you have on hand or what works best for your situation. If you don’t want to make the structure out of wood, consider using metal poles instead (though this may require more heavy-duty materials).
  • Step 2: Draw out how many lattices you need for your garden trellis so that each one will fit through two wooden posts and be held up by another post on either side of it; this makes sure that everything stays sturdy throughout its lifetime without falling over too easily.* Step 3: Use screws or nails (or both) in every joint where two pieces come together—this way they’re all connected firmly together without any chance of coming apart during use!

Conclusion

Now that you know how to build a garden trellis, go out and get started!

Leave a Reply