DIY A-Frame Veggie Trellis

comments (11) March 10th, 2010

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Greg Holdsworth, contributor

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With some plywood, hardware cloth, fasteners, basic tools, and a little time, you can fashion a hinged A-frame trellis to support peas, beans, tomatoes, or other vining plants.

Download the plan for this trellis, and build it soon. Youll be glad you did. Illustration by Greg Holdsworth; © 2010 Your Own Victory Garden

The frame of two 3-foot and two 6-foot pieces

With some plywood, hardware cloth, fasteners, basic tools, and a little time, you can fashion a hinged A-frame trellis to support peas, beans, tomatoes, or other vining plants.

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I would guess you've probably already swept up the sawdust from the last project I gave you, the DIY soil sifter. If so, don't put away those wire cutters just yet. I've got another reason for you to head back over to the hardware store - the DIY trellis.


	The four "frame" pieces, laid out

	The hinge assembly connecting the two sides at the top

	The adjustable and replaceable feet

	How wide you make your "A" shape is up to you. The wider it is, the more stable it is

	Your veggies can start from both sides of the frame

	The finished product

This design represents one of the many different ways you can employ what Square Foot Gardening's Mel Bartholomew calls "vertical growing". I've used this design for years, so it's a "once you build it, you have it" kinda thing.

If you use raw plywood as I do, it will take at least 3-4 years for the wood to weather to the point of needing replacement. If you use higher quality wood or weather stain it, it will go even more.

My design has a unique feature that I haven't seen anywhere else. It actually came out of necessity due to some termite damage and rot the trellis sustained one year. It builds in replaceable "feet" that you know in time will deteriorate.

That way you're not having to replace the main lengths of wood. This design will produce one trellis approximately 6 feet tall by 3 feet wide. Moving along...

The list of things you'll need:

• 7 Pieces of 1" x 4" x 6' plywood, treated or untreated (you only really need 6 - one's for backup)
• Box of wood screws (#8 - 1 1/2" will do nicely)
• 36" x 25' roll of Hardware cloth
• Saw - manual or power electric
• Screwdriver - manual or electric
• Staple gun - manual or electric
• Wire cutters
• Pencil and tape measure

Optional:
• Square edge
• Wood sealer or varnish

Construction

1. Cut 2 of the 6-foot pieces in half to get 4 3-foot pieces.

2. Put two of these 3-foot pieces, along with two of the 6-foot pieces together at the edges, forming a "picture frame" shape.

3. Connect these four pieces with wood screws. Then repeat with the other 3-foot and 6-foot pieces. So now you have the two "sides" of the trellis.

4. Roll out enough hardware/fencing material to cover one side. Using your staple gun, staple it to the frame. Tip: Pull the hardware cloth tight as you are stapling it to the frame, otherwise it will sag in the middle.

5. Repeat for the other side/frame.

6. Screw in the two hinges at the top of the frame to connect the two frames. Tip: Do this while the two frames are laying open on the ground.

7. Make the "feet" pieces by first cutting another 6-foot piece into two 3-foot pieces.

8. Then, cut diagonally across the 3-foot piece to create two "feet" pieces. The pointed side will point downward and stick into the ground.

9. Repeat for the other two feet pieces

10. Screw the four feet pieces to the frames

The warmer weather is just around the corner... get 'er done!

Get the plan
I've uploaded a schematic/instruction sheet on my blog to assist you. You can download it here. Hi-resolution photos are available on request.

After you try it, show it off to other members in the
gardener's gallery.
Post your photos

posted in: Projects, trellis

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Comments (11)

MikeTheGardener writes: Looks very sturdy .... I would use this more for cucumbers than peas.
Posted: 2:13 pm on April 16th

Downsizing writes: I recently retired, sold my house & moved into a bachelor unit ... I MISS my garden & all hints, advice and "small space" designs are a blessing. I live on the coast & have become a "beachcomber"; timber reclaimed from the sea will be used as a climbing frame for my peas on the balcony, but the hinges will certainly help for the supporting pieces. Thanks!
Posted: 2:03 am on June 5th

diystudio writes: Thanks so much for this wonderful project. I tweaked mine a bit...added twine rather than the wire, and also added lots of color and a growth chart. You can see our kid fun and friendly version here: http://diystudio.net/blog/2011/03/peas-if-you-pl…veggie-trellis/

Thanks so much for the inspiration and instruction and happy gardening!
Posted: 3:28 pm on March 28th

Lyonsy writes: Thanks for the post. Very nice design. One quibble though. People should never use treated wood in soil. The toxins are awful and get into the soil.
Posted: 12:53 pm on September 16th

draiodoirmna writes: I just made this trellis today. Thanks for the helpful instructions. This was only my second "woodworking" project ever so I'm glad it was simple enough for a novice to make. I now have my Early Hanover Melon vines creeping up the trellis. I wish I could post a picture of my success. Thanks again.
Posted: 5:25 pm on July 3rd

link_larken writes: I found the hardware cloth or chicken wire was pretty expensive for the the roll. I ended up using 2x3x8's for my lumber and used the oragne contruction fencing. The roll was exactly 4ft wide which allowed me to staple it up top and roll out to the bottom. It also cost half the price. Tomatos are taking to it well. Next season I'll build more for my other veggies and the rest of my 'maters.
Posted: 1:35 pm on June 22nd

MKenyon2 writes: We just found Square Foot Gardening at a local Goodwill store! I grow cucumbers, and have tried a similar idea with the mesh, just putting it between two posts. This seems more stable. I'll have to try it. Thanks!
Posted: 11:34 am on April 25th

plumstone writes: Replaceable feet - a great idea! In the UK we call the mesh "chicken wire".
Posted: 2:58 pm on April 23rd

gardennewbie writes: What is in the background? Are those floating row material type cages? I don't see a link to those when searching contributions.... I had a heck of a time with bugs last year...broccoli just fell over one day.
Posted: 11:11 am on March 26th

Jillberto writes: I have two similar trellises in my garden now. One is made with lumber from wood scavenged from election signs.
I like the replaceable feet idea. Not sure about the chicken wire - I use twine that I can easily cut down and compost each year. I would hate to have to pull out all the little vine pieces at the end of the season!
Posted: 8:29 pm on March 11th

Creative_Concepts writes: Mr. Holdsworth, this design rocks and the replaceable feet idea is pretty innovative. Again, thank you for another great project. Once I get my outdoor food grow going I'll post pics and give props. This is definitely a very informative site.
Posted: 9:45 am on March 11th

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