How to Make Trellises & Stakes for the Garden

Bamboo makes a sturdy stake or trellis.

If you don't provide the vines in your garden with something to climb, they'll find it for themselves. That usually means they'll climb and choke neighboring plants or spread out beyond the garden. Other vine-like plants, such as tomatoes, need support or they'll sag over, looking sad and exposing their fruits to the ground. A stake made from 1-inch-diameter bamboo can provide a crutch for bent-over tomatoes, while a bamboo trellis can make a vertical playground for your climbing peas and cucumbers. Use 1/2-inch bamboo for smaller plants, such as peas, and 1-inch bamboo heavy heavier plants.

Things You'll Need

• Several lengths of bamboo, 1/2- or 1-inch diameter
• Small handsaw
• Black marking pen
• Wood glue
• Twine
• Hammer or rubber mallet

Instructions

1. Measure the lengths of bamboo to the height you want your stake or trellis to be. Trellises for peas or cucumbers can be up to 7 feet tall; tomato stakes for tomatoes are usually about 4 feet tall. Provide at least an extra foot of length for the bamboo to be sunk into the ground.

2. Cut your stakes to length with a small handsaw. Saw off the bottom of each stake at a sharp angle that can be driven into the ground.

3. Saw enough vertical pieces for your trellis to provide a foot between each. For a trellis that's 5 feet wide, cut six vertical pieces.

4. Cut horizontal pieces to the width you'd like your trellis to be. Saw enough horizontal pieces so they can be spaced about a foot apart. For a 6-foot-tall trellis, cut six horizontal pieces.

5. Saw off the bottom of each vertical piece at a sharp angle.

6. Lay out your trellis pieces in a tic-tac-toe grid. Leave a few inches on either side and on the top. Allow about 2 feet at the bottom so the trellis can be sunk into the ground at least 1 foot deep.

7. Mark all vertical and horizontal pieces with a black marking pen where they cross.

8. Cut notches into the vertical and horizontal pieces with your handsaw so they fit snugly together at the intersections.

9. Assemble the trellis by applying a bit of wood glue on each piece of bamboo at the spots where it intersects with other pieces.

10. Wrap twine around the intersections and tie the ends to secure the joints.

11. Pound the stake or trellis into the ground in your garden, using a hammer or rubber mallet.

Tips & Warnings

• You can make bamboo tomato cages in much the same way. Simply make three narrow trellises and bind them together in a triangular shape, or make four and bind them into a square or rectangle.

References

• Fine Gardening: Build a Bamboo Trellis