Raised Bed Trellis for Under $5
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Some call it thrifty, but I will admit it, I am cheap. Ā Growing up, whenever my sister or I would ask for the latest toy or fad, my mother, after hearing the price, would usually reply with “I can make that for less than half the price!”. Ā It was often met with complaints or eye rolls from me and my sister who just wanted the latest cool new thing.
In the 80s we had handmade Cabbage Patch Kids (mom even autographed the butt like the real ones), in the 90s homemade MC Hammer pants. Ā My mom could do it all, and as a kid I didn’t appreciate it, but I sure do now! Ā As a kid I never thought I would be like mom as an adult (I might have even sworn I wouldn’t). I figured I would happily shell out $50 for $10 worth of material with a name brand tag when I was a grown up. Ā But as it often happens, I turned out just like my mom and often find myself saying “I could totally make that”.
I was in the market for a new trellis system for my peas & cucumbers for my raised beds and couldn’t find anything I liked that wasn’t going to cost me a small fortune, so I came up with my own super easy and super cheap solution. Ā (Want to read about my cheap solution for raised garden beds? Ā Click here!).
Most of my garden beds are 8 feet long and I wanted something that could span that distance without having a huge footprint so it could work with my square foot garden plan (click here to read more about square foot gardening!) and of course it had to be affordable.
Materials you will need:
Wooden raised garden bed (you could use non wooden beds too though by sinking the post into the ground)
2″ or 2.5″ screws
two 2×3 boards (8 feet long)
roll of twine or wire
Instructions:
Cut the two 2×3 boards down so they are about 6 feet tall. Ā This is optional, you could leave them 8 feet tall, it’s just sort of overkill, 6 feet should be enough to support almost all climbing veggies.
Screw the boards to the side of your raised bed (and/or sink them into the ground at least 1 -2 feet for extra stability)
String the twine or wire in between the posts, tying it to the post at each endĀ to keep the line taunt. Ā Keep the lines fairly close together so the plants will have plenty to grab onto
That’s it! Ā It doesn’t get easier than this, or much cheaper. Ā The 2x3s were $1.99 each and the ball of twine cost me $1. Ā Seriously, where can you buy a 8 foot long and 6 foot high trellis for $5?? Ā The only thing I am slightly concerned about with twine is birds snipping it and making off with it for their nests. Ā If you are worried about that you could replace the twine with a spool of metal wire. (UPDATE – the birds didn’t touch the twine).
Ā The great thing about this system is it inexpensive and easy to store in the off season, but also that it is adjustable. Ā Short on space? Ā Screw the support posts on straight up and down for a completely vertical climb. Ā Have a little more room or growing a heavier climber? Angle the support posts a bit when you screw them in so the vines can rest on the grow wire with the harvest hanging below.
What’s your favorite way to trellis vine plants in the garden?
Thanks for sharing this solution! Great idea, think I might try it š
I really love your idea. We have just built a large raised bed area and was wondering how I would do my cucumbers. I will definitely try this. What about watermelons since they are so heavy?
Thanks Rhonda, I grow my cukes every year on this trellis and they do great! I haven’t tried watermelons on it, but cantaloupes grew well on it. I think watermelons might be too heavy to grow on a trellis unless you were supporting the fruit somehow
Im a first time gardener this year and judging from the height of your trellis, I may have made my first big mistake:( With 2 cucumbers plants, can I get away with 2 four foot poles?
Do you know what kind of cucumbers you are growing? If you have bush cucumbers you will be fine with that. Vine cucumbers can grow up to 8 feet, which is what I normally grow
Hey there this is exactly what I was looking for just wondering how the twine did with the birds? And making sure I understand correctly that it holds up to the weight? Iām a new gardener what is your suggestion about how far apart to plant cucumbers thank you
The twine actually did just fine, the birds left it alone and it held the weight of the plants. Check your seed packet for the type you are growing, but most cucumbers are planted 6-12 inches apart
Thank you for the tips! I need help with tomato trellises that are inexpensive. I’ve used the typical cages in the past and they aren’t sturdy enough for the. bigger tomatoes my family loves.. I hate to pay a ton for new ones. Any suggestions?
You could totally adapt this idea for tomatoes, just do two sets placed about a foot apart. Then plant the tomatoes in a row in between the trellis set. I would suggest using a thick wire instead of twine though to give the heavy branches better support