It’s spring, and for those of us in colder growing zones, we are going stir crazy! It’s too soon to plant outside, but we are dying to get out in the garden, amiright? Well here’s a fun little project that’ll take you an hour to do, will only cost you about $40, and you’ll be glad to have once you begin planting.
I give you: The Garden Archway Trellis!
This archway is the perfect place to grow pole beans, peas, cucumbers, or even climbing flowers like sweet peas or roses.
I liked this so much I decided to put two in my garden! One, you’ll see, has raised garden beds on the outside. That’s where I grow pole beans or peas. The other I plant sweet peas at the base of. I love walking under an archway of flowers. And picking beans that are right over my head is way easier than reaching up a traditional trellis.
Supplies:
4 metal fencing posts
4 metal t post clips
1 cattle panel (16’x4′) or hog panel (16’x2’10”)
If you wish your archway to be longer, just double the supply list and make two side by side.
Instructions:
Pound two metal fence posts about 3.5 feet apart (or about 2.5 feet apart if you’re using the hog panel). This will hold one side of your arch.
Decide how tall or wide you want your archway to be. If you want it to be 7 feet at the tallest center point, place the last two fence posts 4.5-5 feet across from the first two. If you want the tallest center point to be a little over 6 feet tall, place your posts 6 feet across from the first two.
Now, I’m short, so I don’t mind an archway that’s just over 6 feet. But I’ll assume that you have tall friends, and maybe your archway is going over an entry or gate to your garden. If that’s the case, follow the dimensions of your entry.
Pound the fence posts in until the top 18 inches are above ground. Now set your panel against the first two posts that you set and, pressing the panel against them, bend the top of the panel over until it fits sits on the inside of the two opposite posts. There will be tension, and it will hold on its own until you place your post clips.
Place your T post clips, one on each post, as shown, being sure to secure it around a horizontal section of your panel:
And Viola! You have an archway in your garden for your climbing vegetables or flowers! Wasn’t that easy! What will you plant at your archway?
