This easy-to-make DIY garden trellis gives vines a place to climb, and provides visual interest in winter too. Get the free garden trellis plans here!
After a long winter, I'm ready to get back into the garden! Our privacy fence makes the backyard feel more secluded, but the flat expanse of planks is so boring! This DIY garden trellis provides a place for beautiful flowering vines to grow and covers up the plain backdrop. I created something similar with this clematis trellis on the other side of the backyard fence too!
If you're looking for something a little different, check out my list of DIY arbor and trellis ideas to find your perfect project!
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The small garden area I'm working on is a great spot for a climbing vine. The previous homeowner must have thought so too, because there are climbing roses attempting to make their way up the fence. Unfortunately, there's not much for the rose to cling onto, so it just grew straight up about 8 feet!
I'm not much of a rose person, and this particular plant isn't producing many blooms anymore, so I decided to start with a fresh slate. I cleared the entire area, and mixed some compost into the soil so my new vines would have plenty of nutrients.
There are a lot of choices when it comes to vines. Check out my post on how to choose the best climbing vines for your trellis to help you find the right one for your space.
Materials Needed for DIY Garden Trellis
- Three 5 ½" wide, 6 foot flat-top fence pickets
- If you don't have a table saw, you can also use 1 x 2 cedar boards. You'll need six of them.
- Table saw
- Any saw you prefer for crosscuts (miter saw, circular saw, jigsaw, or even a hand saw)
- Sander and sandpaper
- Outdoor wood stain
- Speed square
- Measuring tape
- 1" nails
- Brad nail gun (optional, but make the process much faster)
Don't forget your safety gear when woodworking! Here are my recommendations for safety glasses and ear protection. No excuses!
Click here to download the plan!
The wood you choose for an outdoor project is important. Cedar doesn't rot, so it's the perfect choice for a garden trellis like this. I used cedar to build my outdoor sofa and loveseat, and it looks brand new even after a winter of non-stop rain!
I bought these cedar fence pickets, which are the cheapest source of rot-resistant wood you can find. You'll need three pickets per trellis, which costs a grand total of $7.50. Can't go wrong with that! You can also use 1 x 2 cedar boards if you don't have a table saw, but you'll pay the same price for a single board.
Give both sides of the fence pickets a good sanding. It's ok if they're not perfectly smooth (it might actually help the vine cling), but you want to take off any splinters on the surface.
Cut Pieces for DIY Garden Trellis
Set your table saw to 5 ¼" wide and run each picket through to remove one rough outside edge.
Now set the table saw fence to 1 ½" wide. Place your freshly trimmed edge along the fence, and rip three strips. Make sure to use a push stick when you get down to the last cut. Safety first!
Three of these 1 ½" strips will be used as the vertical supports of the trellis. You can set those aside for now. The rest will be cut down to various lengths to create the horizontal slats.
Cut List for Horizontal Slats
- 1 @ 21" (bottom slat)
- 1 @ 44" (top slat)
- 2 @ 16"
- 2 @ 20"
- 2 @ 22"
- 2 @ 24"
- 2 @ 26"
- 2 @ 30"
Click here to download the plan!
It might seem like a lot of cuts, especially if you're making three trellises like I am. Using a stop block at the miter saw makes the process a lot faster. You can learn how to set up a stop block here, or check out how I use the Kreg stop block system on my miter saw stand.
As you make the cuts for your DIY garden trellis, mark the length on the back with a pencil. That way you won't be pulling out the measuring tape every time you switch sizes during installation.
It's much easier to stain the individual pieces at this point, using a rag to quickly coat each side. I had some of Behr's outdoor stain in Coffee left over from my outdoor sofa project, and I thought the dark espresso color would be a nice contrast to the natural cedar fencing.
Assemble DIY Trellis
Once the stain is dry, it's time to start assembly! Lay out your three 72" vertical supports, and find the 21" and 44" slats.
Click here to download the plan!
Mark the center vertical support 7 ½" up from the bottom with a pencil. Then mark the center of your 21" slat. Line up the bottom of the 21" slat with the 7 ½" mark and center it. Check that everything is square, then nail it into place. I used my Ryobi Airstrike brad nailer, and it made assembly incredibly fast and easy!
The outside vertical supports are 12" apart. Use a board flat against the bottom to keep the ends even. Once you have them in the right spot, put ONE nail in each side. You'll need to pivot the top of the supports to get the right angle.
Place the 44" slat three inches down from the top of the side vertical support. Then measure 3 ½" in from the ends of the slat, and line that mark up with the edge of the support. Nail in place.
Then mark the middle of the slat, and line that up with the center vertical support. Check for square and nail into place. Now you can go back and securely attach the bottom slat that only has one nail.
That's the hardest part! The next part is sooooo much easier if you have a 3" wide piece of scrap wood (about 2 feet long should be enough). This scrap is used as a spacer between the slats, and makes assembly a breeze.
Click here to download the plan!
The rest of the slats are assembled in this order:
Mark the bottom edge of the 16" slat 3 ½" from the end. Place the spacer above the bottom slat, and lay the 16" slat with your mark lined up with the edge of the vertical support. Nail in place, move the spacer, and attach the other 16" slat on the other side. Keep alternating sides while adding more slats until you get to the top.
DIY Trellis Installation
Once your DIY trellis is assembled, out to the garden it goes! You can choose to simply lean it against a fence or siding, but I decided to mount it with a few nails through the vertical supports. If you want to give the vines a little more room, you can add additional spacers to raise it off the fence.
Give your vines a little hand getting started by weaving them through the bottom slats of the trellis. Soon they'll take off and cover the entire piece with beautiful blooms! If you can't decide what to plant, my post on choosing the best climbing vines should help!
Want to make your own?
Click here to download the plan!
Is this DIY trellis not quite what you were looking for? If you want to hide an ugly fence without building a trellis, try bamboo instead! Here are my tips for planting bamboo without it taking over the neighborhood.
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Hannah says
Super cute! Spring is still only on the horizon here in Alaska, but I'm excited for it. Something like this would be perfect at our house, or maybe even at the school. I could see my students enjoying helping me with a project like this.
Vineta says
Spring is just barely here in Seattle, too. It's taking its sweet time this year! What a great idea for your students to work on it!
Angie ~ ambient wares says
I love these! We have a portion of fence that's an ugly chain link with thin metal slats woven through it. These would mask the ugliness! 😀 Pinned & sharing
Larry Ward says
How cool is this....I just planted 5 climbing vines and was trying to figure what the best way to prepare for them upon growing tall enough to attach to my fence....and pop goes the weasel....here you are with this great idea for climbing vines...oh my vines are Grape, Blackberry, Blueberry, Raspberry and a senior moment as to what the fifth one is....I am 70 years old and still kicking...not very high anymore...but......Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vineta says
I'm so glad I could help! Sounds like you're going to have quite the harvest in a few months with all those vines!
Ann says
What a great idea! When my husband and I move to a larger place with a yard I'll have to have him make a trellis for me, lol! For now I'll enjoy my garden from the containers on our balcony. Thanks for sharing!
Milena | Craft Beering says
Great idea and tutorial. Was just planning garden work yesterday and determined we will be planting many more trellis needing veggies. Have a great growing season!
Nikki Gwin says
Very cute and you make it look so easy! What vine did you plant?
🙂 gwingal
Vineta says
I planted an akebia vines and anenome clematis vines. They didn't grow very well last year, so I might try something different this spring.
Denise says
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing! -From Pretty Pintastic
Two Chicks and a Mom/Donna says
Great plans and the trellis looks nice! Thanks for sharing at Party in Your PJs.
Kim says
Love your garden trellis! I'm so ready to get my hands in the dirt this year! Thanks for sharing your post on the Encouraging Hearts and Home blog hop! I featured your post this week at daytodayadventures.com which means I gave it some extra love on social media! Make sure you come link up today! Have a great week!
Vineta says
Thank you so much for featuring me, Kim!