We’ve been using this garden archway trellis for years. Aside from being a great way to raise climbers in an enclosed garden space, it was the perfect little tunnel where the kids could play and monitor the growth of our fruits and veggies.
To build your own archway trellis, you’ll need:
- Roughly 20-feet of untreated wood. 1×8 or 2×8 are good dimensions.
- 2″ screws
- Drill
- 12′ length of 16-gauge galvanized fencing
- Four pieces of 4-foot rebar or other strong stakes
Cut and Assemble Planter Boxes
I use scrap wood for projects whenever possible. For this project, I knew I would need to build two rectangular boxes for raised garden beds, so I chose to use some weathered barn wood.
You can see in the below picture that the assembly wasn’t complex:
- Cut 8 pieces and lap the corners (I cut four 4-feet long pieces and four 1-foot long pieces)
- A few screws are all it takes to hold them together
- If you’re using 1x boards like I did, be sure that the wood screws are at least 2″ with a 1″ shank, and always predrill the holes to prevent splitting – whether the wood is new or old. Throw it back, Codeman! We miss you, bud.
- Transfer those boxes into your garden. Position them parallel with a preschooler-sized pathway between them… ~18-24″.
Anchor the Archway
Four pieces of 4′ rebar are used to support the archway. Put one rebar post in each inner corner so that it’s sturdy and upright, with about 2.5′-3′ of rebar extending above the soil and into the air.
The arch itself is a 12′ length of galvanized rolled fencing, and a little feisty to wrangle. Start by weaving one end of the fencing through two pieces of rebar so that it fits down into one of your planter boxes. Create the arch by weaving the other end of the fencing through the other two pieces of rebar.
Make adjustments until the shape of the arch is perfect. Depending on how tightly the coil of fencing was bound, it might need a little bending and finesse. It will come together, I promise!
Plant Your Garden
Fill the planters to the brim with soil. I used ordinary garden soil and mixed in some nutrients, too. Use it as an opportunity to teach your kids about gardening and seed starting. We use our trellis for cucumbers, and it is great even when the plant was loaded and heavy. Nasturtiums would be wonderful; climbing beans would be fun too.
The height of the arch isn’t tall enough for an adult to stand upright, but it’s still spacious enough to access when it’s time to harvest.
As the plants sprout and grow established leaves and tendrils, train them to grow up the fencing. It’s likely that they’ll grab on themselves, but it doesn’t hurt to guide the end of the plant back and forth upward through the fencing throughout the growing process to assure a neat, passable archway.
You’ll be able to access your harvest from the inside of the trellis as well as out. The wire fencing is strong and durable, and you will be able to reuse this structure for years to come.
11 Comments
This project looks very doable! I’ll include this on my spring projects. Looks amazing too! :)
I would love to have that much outdoor space. What a great project!
Aww Cody. I always love a good howling Cody photo. *sniffle*
I really wish you lived closer, I was just telling Robert I want to start a vegetable garden. You would be the perfect person to help me with that, if only we didn’t live so far away! (Sidenote: I’m always surprised with how much Hattie has grown, and then I’m like “omg, that lunch was 3.5 years ago”.)
I second that! And any excuse to get to FL, really. Hattie is a totally big kid now; those pictures of her in the garden are from last spring!
Oh I know! I’ve been seeing your skiing videos/photos, and I’m constantly having to remind myself that she’s a big kid now!
We do have an actual guest room now… ;)
Fantastic guide, thank you for sharing!
Ooooo… I absolutely love this! Can’t wait for spring to come so I can make it! Thank you for sharing this!!!
I absolutely love this project, I love that you use scrap wood. I have some wood lying around ill give it a try!
Scrap wood has is so often disregarded when there are so many great ways to put it to good use. Great project.
Thank you for the great idea and the amazing post!
Great use of scrap wood from a project to make a pretty addition to any garden – thanks for the tips.