How to Put up a Trellis

Reviewed by Ben Barkan

Last Updated: December 12, 2024

A trellis is a useful structure for a yard or garden. It gives climbing plants and flowers a place to grow and prevents them from damaging the siding of your house. A trellis can also lend visual interest to a landscape when plants lie dormant. Follow these steps to put up a trellis.

Steps

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This distance will give you space to access the back of the trellis for pruning and maintenance and allow air to flow freely to the trellis' plants.^{[1]
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Mark their places on the ground.

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Make sure the holes go deep enough to clear the ground's frost line.^{[2]
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The gravel will act as drainage. Tamp the gravel in the holes.^{[3]
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The foot of its uprights should be next to your dug postholes.
Have at least 1 other person help you with this.
Check that it is even and add more gravel to make the trellis level as necessary.
Place 2-inch deep by 4-inch wide (5 by 10 cm) boards on the sides of the trellis. Drill holes and screw the boards for the trellis into place.^{[4]
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Use a mixture of soil and gravel. Tamp down the dirt and gravel for every 6 inches (15 cm) that you fill.
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Tips

Leave 12 inches (30 cm) of clearance space between the trellis' bottom frame and the ground.

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Use 2 by 4s (5 by 10 cm) made of cedar or pressure-treated wood, depending on the type of your wood trellis.

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Mark the posthole digger's handles with tape at the depth for your trellis' holes. You will not then need to stop and measure the depth of each hole while digging it.

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Warnings

These instructions for installing your trellis are for wooden trellises. Your trellis may be made of a different material and require different instructions.

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