Garden Trellis Tutorial

So I have this pile of sticks on the back of our property beside the compost bin from months of old man winter beating on our old trees. Over the winter, we do our best to use the pile for kindling in the fireplace. But come spring, the pile always seems to get bigger.

I was trying to think of ideas of what to do with this pile and then I thought of my Aunt Jean. She made beautiful lattice work for her two front windows out of sticks from her woods. Why couldn't I do that but use it as a trellis for the garden? I'm always tying up perennials with twine as the summer progresses and they get out of control.

Now, mind you, I did not go to the extreme effort that she did to make them perfect, they're for the garden! But I'm quite pleased with the result.

I also must apologize for the horrible backdrop I used for these pictures (old sheet/drop cloth). I promise I'll do better next time and invest in a nice clean white sheet but I just couldn't wait to get this project finished.

So here are your steps...

Gather a pile of sticks that are relatively straight, and I use that term loosely because you end up tying them together and they sort of straighten out in that process.

Look at the space in which you are going to put your trellis and get a feel for the width. Measure if you like, I didn't.

Lay out your boarder sticks leaving about 6" - 8" at the bottom for the posts to go into the ground. I tried to select sticks that had a sharp edge for the bottom to make it easier to go in the ground. It also helped that we've had a TON of rain this spring!!!

Tie all of the corners with wire. Use an "X" pattern so you go around all sides of the sticks. I used spool wire but really any you may have on hand will do. Try to stay away from a really heavy gauge though, it's harder to get thick wire tight.

Then lay out one row in a diagonal pattern. Again, tie off with wire at the top and bottom of each stick.

Next, lay out another diagonal row going in the opposite direction. Again, tie at the top and bottom of each stick. Also tie a few spots through out the middle to reinforce the trellis.

Finally, use your pruners to clip off the ends of the sticks that hang over the outer edge and position in your garden.