How To Build The Perfect Garden Archway Trellis

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

Raised planter boxes and a metal archway trellis support the weight of multiple cucumber plants.

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″.

Reclaimed wood raised planter boxes.

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!

Assembled boxes and archway.

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.

Planting cucumber seeds in raised containers.

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.

Cucumbers growing in planter boxes up an archway trellis.

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.

How to build an archway trellis.