The scene: Father’s day, my wife and son had gone to church. At home by myself, I was bored. My wife had decreed that I wasn’t to work on my boat until some things were done around the house; that sounds bad, she’d have let me get away with it on Father’s day… I think. Not wanting to scrape and paint the house’s windows, I decided to see what else was about that needed doing. We had discussed removing a bit of what was probably once white picket fence (the house was built in the 50’s afterall) and replacing it with a trellis for some as yet to be determined climbing plant. I did have a bunch of thin strips of wood leftover from building spars for the boat… I wonder if I could build a trellis from them???Tools:Hand saw for cutting strips to length
Pliers
Wire cutters
Materials:
Thin strips of wood approx. 3/8-inch x 1/4-inch, size not critical – thin bamboo would work nicely
2 large plastic wire “zip” ties
16 small plastic wire “zip” ties – more if you screw up or break some
Beans are a practical and healthy addition to any garden, but they grow best when they have something to climb. Sure, you could buy a trellis, but it's extremely cheap to build your own.All you really need are some long poles and twine. Michelle Reynolds at Made+remade suggests bamboo, but long dowel rods, or even PVC, would probably work just as well (though they wouldn't look as nice). Basically, you need to tie together a few tripod-like structures with the rods, and hang two additional rods across the top and bottom of the installation. Once everything is secure and firmly planted in your garden, run a single long strand of twine in a zig zag pattern across the entire structure.Once you're done, wait for your bean plants to sprout, and then manipulate them onto the loops of twine to "train" them to climb. In no time, the whole structure should be filled with the edible products of your own backyard garden. For some great pictures and a step by step guide, be sure to click through the source link.Make a Simple Bean Trellis for Your Garden | Made+remade
An easy to make, inexpensive, weather resistant Trellis that can hold two standard planter boxes.
1- six foot length of 2 X 6, I used pressure treated, but use what you can get.