How to Make a Vegetable Trellis With Recycled Materials

Recycled metal racks make an effective trellis.

Growing vining vegetables, such as cucumbers, beans and peas, on a garden trellis does more than save space in the garden. Because this technique holds the plants above the ground, it increases air circulation, protects the fruits and foliage from damage from garden pests like snails and slugs, and makes harvesting them a breeze. Commercial trellises may seem like the obvious choice, but recycled materials work just as well, and are often free.

Things You'll Need

• Window/screen door frame
• Nails, small
• Twine
• Garden stakes
• Hammer
• Floor lamp post
• Bed springs
• Metal racks

Instructions

1. Look around the home or visit yard sales and flea markets for recycled materials that provide a surface for vines to climb. This includes old bed springs, metal racks or discarded stepladders. Because these objects already have supports for the vines, they can be placed in the garden as is, or given a fresh coat of paint and displayed in the garden.

2. Remove the glass or screens from recycled window frames and screen doors. Place small nails or screws 2 to 4 inches apart along the top and bottom inside of the frame. Run strings to connect the nails. Repeat the procedure by inserting nails on opposite sides and running strings from side to side. This creates a grid of squares for the trellis. Anchor the frame in the garden by inserting garden stakes -- one for each end of the frame -- into the soil to a depth of 1 foot. Wire the frame to the stake to secure the trellis.

3. Erect the base of a floor lamp in the garden to make a pole trellis. Anchor the bottom of the lamp into the soil by either driving the bottom of the lamp post into the soil, or inserting two to four garden stakes into the soil around the base and securing them to the base of the lamp post with wire. This provides a solid pole suitable to support two to four pole beans.

4. Make a teepee trellis from the floor lamp post by tracing a circle in the soil approximately 2 feet from the base of the lamp post. Insert 1-foot garden stakes into the soil, spaced 4 to 6 inches apart, around the traced circle. Anchor them securely in the soil. Run garden twine from each stake to the top of the lamp post and tie off securely. Plant vegetables, such as peas or pole beans, around the individual stakes. This creates a teepee for the plants to climb.

5. Place old bed springs in the garden to create a trellis for cucumbers or melons. Lay the bed springs on the long side and anchor both ends with garden stakes and wire. Check that the stakes are sturdy enough to support the frame. Large bed springs may require a middle stake to support their weight. Insert a garden stake approximately 2 feet from each end of the bed spring. Run a wire or rope from the top corner of the bed spring to the stake and secure tightly for additional support, if necessary.

6. Stand recycled metal racks upright in the garden to make a tall trellis for climbing vegetables. Bury the bottom of the rack 6 to 8 inches in the soil to secure it. Otherwise, insert garden stakes in the soil and wire the rack to the stakes to prevent tipping under the weight of the vegetables.

7. Place old stepladders in the desired location. Anchor the legs in the soil to depth of 6 to 8 inches to secure the ladder. Plant vegetables around the ladder and allow them to climb the rungs to create a mass of foliage.

Tips & Warnings

• Check junk yards and metal recycling centers for unusual pieces for trellises.

• Remove any sharp edges on recycled materials to prevent injuries.

References

• University of Florida Extension: Recycling in the Garden

Resources

• University of Minnesota Extension: Trellises and Cages to Support Garden Vegetables