How-to Guide
How to Build a Garden Trellis for Climbing Plants
The short answer
The simplest reliable trellis is two vertical supports with mesh or wire suspended between them. Pound metal or wooden stakes deep enough that the trellis won't tip in a strong wind — a six-foot stake driven about a foot into the ground leaves roughly five feet of climbing area — and space stakes about five to six feet apart, adding a middle stake for wider spans. Attach the mesh with nails, staples, plastic ties, or wire, choosing heavier mesh for vigorous, heavier-fruited crops.
Plant your climbers at the foot of the trellis at their normal spacing, then train the vines as they lengthen by gently weaving the growing tips through the mesh every few days. Peas and beans need something to climb; cucumbers, squash, and melons grow straighter, cleaner fruit off the ground on a trellis.
Build it
- 1Drive the end stakes — Pound metal or wooden stakes in deeply — deep enough to stay upright in wind. A 6-ft stake set ~1 ft deep gives ~5 ft of trellis height.
- 2Space and add middle support — Set stakes about 5–6 feet apart. For a wider trellis, divide the width and add a stake in the middle.
- 3Span the mesh — Suspend mesh or netting between the stakes and fasten with nails, staples, plastic locking ties, or wire. Use heavier mesh for larger-fruited, more vigorous crops.
- 4Plant and train — Plant at the base at normal spacing, then weave the growing tips through the openings every few days as they climb.
Sources
Reviewed 2026-07-18. We cite university Extension, government, and established horticultural sources — and never invent pesticide rates or dangerous treatments.
- University of Minnesota Extension — Trellises and cages to support garden vegetables — Two vertical supports with mesh, stake depth and spacing, heavier mesh for vigorous crops, attachment methods, weaving vines, crops that benefit.
- Royal Horticultural Society — Vertical veg — Climbing/vine crops such as peas, beans, cucumbers, squash and melons grow well trained upward.