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A Multifaceted Trellis
If you grow vine producing vegetables then you know how important it is to have a sturdy, yet portable trellis to move around the garden. It can be used to support cucumbers, peas, squash, melons, tomatoes and gourds. You can usually find some sort of trellis made of plastic, redwood or cedar at garden centers. Many of the garden supply catalogs also offer different shaped trellises for sale. One that I spotted in a garden catalog was a simple ladder shape that stood about 60 inches high and sold for about $23 not including postage and handling. After looking at the picture I got the impression a ladder shaped trellis wouldn't be all that difficult to make. Mix in a little creativity and the basic ladder trellis can be combined with other ladder shaped trellises to make all kinds of interesting plant and vine supports.

My project started with a trip to the Home Depot where I purchased several 8 - foot 1 by 2's and 2 by 2's. The 1 by 2s were 98 cents each and the 2 by 2s were $1.98 each. If anything the ladder trellis was going to be sturdy. I also purchased some galvanized 2½ - inch finishing nails and some 2½ - inch all purpose screws. As the project developed other hardware including wing nuts, bolts, washers, hinges and screw eye bolts were obtained at a nearby Ace hardware.

A redwood stained trellis of 2 by 2's and dowels acts as a backdrop and support for tall summer grown zinnias.

The ladder's dimensions can fit individual gardener's needs. I chose 7 - foot side rails and 20 - inch rungs that would be spaced 12 inches apart. One screw and one galvanized finishing nail on each side of the 1 by 2 rungs were used to hold everything in place. Tools used in the project included a tape measure, square, pencil, handsaw and an electric drill and screw gun. An electric palm sander was used to smooth any rough edges of the wood before the pieces were assembled. When finished, I had constructed four equal ladder sections and one oversized ladder section that was eight feet long with 23 - inch rungs spaced at 12 inches. I also used up some old 1¼ - inch closet hanging dowel pieces in the oversized ladder section just to get rid of the doweling that had been gathering dust in the storage shed for several years..

A quick and easy way to join two ladder sections is to drill holes and insert rope tying the ladder together. An additional support is needed on the sides to provide stability.
For a sturdier connection of the ladder sections small three inch or small strap hinges can be used.
Bolts, washers and wing nuts make it easy to assemble and unassemble any braces used on the ladder or other trellis designs.
Screw eye bolts are attached near the bottom of each ladder's side rail so the finished trellis can be securely anchored in the garden.

Large screw eye bolts were added to the bottom of each leg of the ladder about ten inches off the ground so a piece of metal rebar or plant stake could be inserted through the screw eye and hammered into the soil. The trellis leg would then be tied to the metal or wooden stake. This is to keep the trellis from blowing over in a heavy wind from a summer thunderstorm or occasional dust devil that might pass through the garden. Wing nuts, bolts and washers were used to attach the ladder side supports so that the trellis could be easily assembled in the garden or taken apart for storage.

Once there were more than two identical ladder sections it was easy to combine the parts and add necessary wood braces to produce various shaped trellises. (See photos below.) Bolts, washers and wing nuts or small hinges were used to combine the different parts. No matter what design is used all of the trellises should be securely anchored so that the weight of growing plants and gusting wind won't topple the trellis.


The ladder shaped trellis used two side braces for added stability. The monkey bars shaped trellis used four supporting braces. The triangular trellis was hinged and tied together. The three ladder trellis used four hinges. The tomato cage type trellis used four ladder sections that were bolted together near the top and bottom of each corner.

I've got cucumber plants growing in peat pots that will be ready for the vegetable garden before the end of March. Two of the ladder shaped trellises will be used to support the plants. When my gourd plants are ready to be transplanted in June, I'll try the monkey bar shaped trellis to support the vines.

The trellis sections will be sealed with either paint, wood preservative, or a wood stain before they are put to work in the spring vegetable garden. (2002)