You’ve seen these on Pinterest. This is not a new idea. In fact, it was post after post of these cattle panel garden arches that kept popping up in my Pinterest feed that made me finally build my own! So, I’m adding our own into the mix.
We put in a bunch of raised beds this year and I thought it would be fun to add some trellises to some of them for our climbing vegetables. Scroll down to step 4 to see what we planted.
But first, let’s talk trellis…arch. Arched Trellis? You can probably see now why my title reads like a list of descriptions. Ha!
My favorite part of this type of cattle panel arch is that it costs around $40 for each arch! So, you can get a lot of wow factor in your garden (once it fills up with plants) for just a small investment.
A raised garden bed with an arch trellis is one of the hottest trends in gardening right now. This simple addition can transform a basic vegetable or flower garden into a beautiful focal point in your yard. Arch trellises not only look great, but they also serve an important function – providing vertical support for vining crops like tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, and peas.
In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of adding an arch trellis to a raised bed, popular arch trellis designs, tips for constructing your own, and the best plants to grow on these vertical structures.
Why Add an Arch Trellis to Your Raised Beds?
There are several advantages to incorporating a trellis arch into a raised garden bed
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Maximize space – Vining plants like tomatoes and cucumbers can quickly take over a garden, spreading horizontally along the ground. Training them to grow vertically saves a lot of space and keeps plants tidy and organized.
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Improve growth – Climbing plants thrive when given structural support to climb up. An arch trellis gives stems something to latch onto, promoting upward growth.
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Increase yields – Plants grown vertically on a trellis tend to be more productive than those sprawling on the ground. More sunlight exposure leads to higher fruit production.
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Improve air circulation – An open, arched trellis improves air flow compared to dense, sprawling foliage. Better airflow decreases pest and disease problems.
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Create focal point – An arching trellis instantly becomes a striking focal point in the garden. It adds vertical interest and a feeling of entering a special garden space.
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Provide easy access – Walking under and tending to plants grown overhead on an arch is much simpler than stooping down to ground-level plants.
Installing an arch trellis is one of the most impactful improvements you can make to maximize the productivity and aesthetics of a raised bed garden.
Popular Arch Trellis Designs
There are many creative arch designs to inspire your trellised raised bed. Here are some of the most popular options:
Classic Arch
A simple rounded or pointed arch shape is the most common. The graceful curve draws the eye while providing maximum support for climbing plants. This traditional arch design works with any garden style.
Gothic Arch
The steeply pointed Gothic arch brings a touch of medieval flair. It creates a dramatic tunnel effect perfect for delicately trailing vines or flowers.
Hex Arch
The hex arch has a unique six-sided design that makes a bolder statement. Its facets capture and reflect light in interesting ways while providing lots of vertical surface area for plant attachment.
Cross Arch
Two arches intersecting at right angles create a square or rectangular opening underneath. This offers even more potential support for vigorous climbers like pole beans, hops, or kiwi vines.
Double Arch
Some designs join two side-by-side arches together. Others use two arches – one nestled inside the other – for a rippled effect. These allow very dense growth along the length of the bed.
Obelisk
Obelisk trellises have four sides that create a tall, narrow pyramid shape. They can be tucked into the corners of a raised bed or at intervals along the length.
There are no limits on possible arch designs. Rounded Roman arches, zig-zags, waves, and asymmetric shapes all add unique personality.
DIY Arch Trellis Construction
It’s easy to build your own arch trellis right over a raised garden bed using simple and inexpensive materials:
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Bamboo or wood – Use 3-4 bamboo poles or 2×2 wood posts for each side. Lash together at the top and secure each end in the ground or in the sides of the raised bed.
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Branches – Make a rustic arch from diagonal branches lashed together. Prune apple trees or willows for suitable flexible branches.
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Conduit or PVC Pipe – Bend electrical conduit or PVC into graceful arcs and connect the ends with elbows. Paint it with fun colors!
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Cattle Panels – These heavy-duty wire grids make sturdy pre-formed arches when bent into shape. They need minimal additional framework.
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Trellis Panels – Lightweight metal garden trellis panels can be bent into arch forms and attached to wood frames or posts at the ends.
For a quick and customizable option, purchase connectors and thin rebar or PVC pieces to assemble into any DIY arch shape imaginable. Let your creativity run wild!
Best Plants for Arch Trellises
Once built, what should you grow on your arch trellis? Here are some top options for taking advantage of the vertical space:
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Indeterminate Tomatoes – These vining types readily wrap stems around supports as they grow, making big harvests easy to access overhead.
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Pole Beans – Beans grow quickly up strings and will produce heavily along the entire length of an arch.
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Cucumbers – Let cucumbers climb instead of sprawl across the garden. Just be sure to provide slings for their large fruits.
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Peas – Tall climbing peas, like sugar snap and snow peas, thrive on arch supports. Pick convenient waist-high harvests.
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Cantaloupe or Squash – Contain sprawling vines by training melons or squash up the sides. They’ll be tidy and productive.
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Grapes – For a permanent planting, grow table grapes on the sun-drenched roof of an arch.
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Rose – Let fragrant blooming vines like roses or clematis decorate and perfume the archway.
Get creative mixing edibles and ornamentals. Annual vines grown just for one season can eventually be replaced by perennial vines or espaliered fruit trees trained along the sides. The possibilities are endless!
Adding an arch trellis over a raised garden bed is one of the best investments you can make. With a little planning and imagination, it can be constructed fairly easily from things around the yard or purchased materials. The end result will be a beautiful focal point and a productive, space-saving way to grow crops through vertical gardening. This season, consider taking your raised beds to new heights by incorporating an arch trellis!
Step Two: Dig a trench in the raised beds.
Dig a trench between each pair of T posts in each raised bed where you want the cattle panel to go.
Step One: Install T posts.
Measure placement of the T posts and then pound them in with a post pounder at least a foot below ground level (not including soil in the raised beds).
We found it helpful to lay the cattle panel on top of the raised beds to see where we wanted it. One of the long sides of the cattle panel has a narrower spacing between wires as well, so it helps have the panel in place to get the spacing accurate.
DIY Cattle Panel Trellis | How to Make a Garden Arch Trellis
FAQ
What vegetables should not be grown in a raised bed?
- Corn: Competes with tomatoes for nutrients when planted close together
- Potatoes: Can impact the growth cycle of tomatoes, which are planted later in the season
- Squash: Can get too large and take up too much space in a raised bed
- Mint: Can spread out above and underground, pushing out younger plants
- Fruit canes: Might not be ideal for raised beds
- Sprawling crops: Might not be ideal for raised beds
- Invasive herbs: Might not be ideal for raised beds
- Crops with large root systems: Might not be ideal for raised beds
What vegetables grow well on an arch?
- Armenian cucumbers.
- asparagus beans.
- luffa gourds.
- malabar spinach.
- small melons.
- small gourds.
- tomatillos.
Is it cheaper to buy or build raised garden beds?
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Cost per square foot:Building your own raised beds typically costs much less per square foot than buying pre-made ones, especially if you can source scrap wood or use inexpensive materials like cinder blocks.
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Customization:Building allows you to tailor the size and design of your raised beds to fit your specific space and gardening needs.
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Labor vs. Cost:While building requires time and effort, the initial cost of materials is usually much lower than buying pre-made beds.
What is an arched trellis called?
Some trellises are placed on walls as decorative pieces. Others are part of the arbors (some arbors are called “arched trellises”) which allow vines to crawl up the sides. Trellis refers to more of a style of design, rather than a functional structure.