Building a (cheap) Garden Trellis

Last year, my husband went in search of a trellis.  If you've never priced them, trellises (and small ones at that) are very expensive.  At least, for our budget they are.  So, my hubby went in search of the most economical way to get a good sized trellis out of a little cash.

He decided on a 6' A-frame style.

Supplies needed:

a roll of plastic 40" x 25' garden fence

8 - 6' long 1x4s (cedar fence pickets)

nails

a staple gun

3 hinges

We started off by stapling the garden fencing to two separate pickets.  Each 1x4 has the garden fencing run the length of the 6 feet.  These two pieces will be the right and left sides of the trellis.  Since the fencing isn't wide enough, the plastic fence pieces will overlap each other in the middle on the finished trellis.

I suggest stapling the fencing down to your picket before you cut off the final length.  Sometimes it can shift and move and you may come up short if you pre-cut it.

After you have both pieces stapled down, you lay a single picket from one finished piece to another across the top and bottom of the trellis creating your frame.  Even up your corners and edges, and then secure the cross boards with three nails at all four corners.  You should have a square frame.

You'll have to flip the frame over and secure, with a staple gun, the loose plastic fencing to the top and bottom boards that you just nailed together to complete your frame.  Trim off any excess plastic hanging over the edges.

You'll need to make two of these frames.  When you have both frames completed, you can tie them together at the top. OR it's best to place three hinges, one on each end and one in the middle, across the top, joining the two frames together, so you can open and close it to your desired width.

Perfect for beans, peas, cucumbers, or any other climbing plants!

 Approximate cost for a 6' x 6' A-frame trellis:  $20

This is my second attempt at a tutorial, let me know if you have any questions!