How to Build an Arch Trellis: Easy DIY Verticle Garden Ideas

An arched trellis is a beautiful focal point in the garden and a great way to maximize your garden space. Here you’ll find details on how to build an arch trellis to add to your garden beds.

How to Build an Arch Trellis for Cheap

Building cattle panel arch trellises is an affordable way to build a garden arch trellis that will last you for years to come. It’s an easy DIY project you can install over a couple of garden beds or arching between two raised beds. Your climbing plants can grow to the top of the arch, creating the beautiful garden you’ve always wanted.

You can go with just one cattle panel trellis or you can create a stunning arched tunnel by installing several garden trellises down a row. Installing an arch trellis is a simple way to add beauty and practicality to your vegetable garden space. 

How to Build an Arch Trellis: Supplies Needed

With a quick trip to the store to gather a handful of supplies, you’ll have everything you need to build sturdy, cattle panel trellises in your garden space. Grab your best helper and you’ll be ready to sow your seeds under your trellis arch in no time.  

• One 16-foot-long Steel Cattle Panel
• 4 Metal T Posts
• T Post driver
• Heavy Duty Zip Ties or Wire Tie
• Your Best Helper

How to Build an Arch Trellis: Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1: Choose Your Location for Your DIY Arch Trellis  

Will you have it arching over a few garden rows or between two raised beds?  My arch trellis is installed on one side of an in-ground garden row, arching over one, and landing on the edge of the next in-ground garden row.  That way I can have two rows that climb each side of the trellis and a row in the middle for shade-loving plants.  

Step 2: Measure Out the Location for Your T Posts

The end of the cattle panel is 50 inches long, so just over 4 feet.  I like to have two metal t-posts in the ground, two feet apart on each side.  That will give a sturdy base to attach the cattle panel to. 

Truth be told, I’ve even done it with one post on each side. Two posts are much sturdier though. 

Step 3: Install Your T Posts

Once you have the location of your posts figured out you’ll want to install them.  Using a t post driver is the best way.  If they are six feet tall, you’ll want them at least two feet in the ground, three if you have really sandy soil. Place the notches on the t-post facing inward so the cattle panel can rest within the notches. 

Step 4: Install the Cattle Panel

This is where a helper is really handy.  Start to bend the cattle panel into an arch, placing one end on the soil, up against your installed posts. Once you have one end in place go ahead and get the other end of the arch in place.

Step 5: Secure It With Heavy Duty Zip Ties or Wire Tie

Now that it’s in place, secure the cattle panel to your t posts. I like to use at least three zip ties per t post. 

Step 6: Plant Your Seeds Along Your Garden Arbor

Now the fun part. What will you grow over your beautiful arched trellis?  Sow your favorite climbing plant seeds along the base of the trellis so they can get busy climbing up the side of the arch.

How to Build an Arch Trellis: Building Costs

At my local big box hardware stores, cattle panels are going for $34, while metal t-posts are just over $5. Hopefully, you already have a t-post driver. If not, you can use a hammer to pound them in as well, so you don’t incur that extra cost.  For another $10 you should be able to get plenty of zip ties for the project.  

That will put you at a total cost of around $65 for a garden arch trellis. The best part is that it will last you for years to come.  I do believe that I have had mine for at least four years now. You should be able to find everything locally at your Home Depot or Tractor Supply. 

Getting Your 16 Foot Cattle Panels Home

Part of learning how to build an arch trellis is knowing how to get a 16-foot cattle panel home. We have gotten them home on a really long trailer or arched and secured on a smaller trailer.

Tractor Supply will even deliver them to you. If you shop there regularly and sign up for their neighborhood rewards club you can often save enough points to get a free delivery. 

What Types of Plants Will Grow on Arched Trellises

• Morning Glories
• Pole Beans
• Sweet Peas
• Green Beans
• Yard Long Beans
• Grape Vines
• Heavy Fruits, like Melons
• Cucumbers
• Spaghetti Squash, or any other climbing squash 
• Luffa and other climbing gords
• Indeterminate Tomatoes

Other Trellis Ideas for Climbing Plants in Your Garden Space

If you aren’t interested in building an arched trellis there are other inexpensive ways you can trellis climbing plants in the garden.  You can install a cattle panel or a piece of lattice horizontally a couple of feet above ground level. This will maximize your vertical space down a single garden row.  

You can also trellis plants along your existing garden wire fencing. However, I will say that one of my favorite ways to trellis is to use inexpensive tomato hooks. 

Trellis With Tomato Hooks

To be honest, I fell in love with using tomato hooks. Not just for tomatoes either, I found that cucumbers did extremely well trellised with a tomato hook.  As a matter of fact, I had a row of cucumbers growing up tomato hooks, directly under the center of my cattle panel arched trellis. My cherry tomatoes grew on the arched trellis. 

That gave me a total of three rows with trellised plants. It was beautiful. You can see a quick video on how I trellis my tomatoes here. You can also take a tour of my garden with me below.

Pros of Vertical Gardening

I love verticle gardening for a few reasons. First of all, vigorous climbers usually thrive with the extra support of a sturdy arch trellis. 

Growing vertically increases air circulation, which is important for crops that are susceptible to mildew, blight, and other diseases. Furthermore, it makes it so easy to see and harvest edible plants when they are ready. No more hunching over to find them. 

Verticle gardening also expands your growing space by not taking up valuable ground space with sprawling plants. Did I mention verticle gardening is also a great way to show off all those beautiful leaves and vines?

Cons of Building a Trellis

The only downside to building an arched trellis is the upfront cost, as it may not be in everyone’s gardening budget.  Cattle panel arches are relatively inexpensive to build if you look at them as a long-term investment for your garden. However, if you want to build a wooden arched trellis it will cost you a pretty penny with the cost of pressure-treated lumber these days. 

Now That You Know How to Build An Arch Trellis

Go ahead and dream big about the garden space you’ve always wanted and build a beautiful arched trellis. It will last you for years to come and create a stunning focal point in your garden space.

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Happy Homesteading & Gardening,

Jenny @ The GrahamStead Family Farm

Jenny and her family have been homesteading for more than two decades. They currently live on a 10-acre farm in Northeast Florida, which they built from the ground up, nine years ago.

On the farm, they grow 100% of their meat and most of their vegetables. With a small herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle, pastured poultry, sheep, and seasonal pigs, they not only meet their family’s meat needs but also sell their surplus to the local community. They are dedicated to sustainable practices like making compost, seed saving, and processing much of their garden and animal harvests at home. You can find Jenny wandering through her garden, making herbal tinctures, preserving food, making bone broth, and one of Jenny’s favorite hobbies, tanning all types of hides.