Get ready for spring by learning how to build a DIY raised garden bed with trellis, perfect for growing trailing plants like blackberries, raspberries or squash!
Every year, we keep adding to our backyard with new plants, gardens and outdoor structures. When we first moved into this house, the backyard was a complete blank slate. Not a single tree or bush to be found in the entire backyard.
The thing with planting in our backyard is that it cooks. There is sun baking the backyard from sun up to sun down with no breaks whatsoever thanks to the angle of our lot. That means we have to be careful with what we do.
The only break is that the side parts of our backyard get a little shade in the morning and afternoon from the houses on either side of us, which is why we planted our veggie and flower gardens in those locations so they get sun, but also get a little bit of a breather.
Last year, we planted a random blackberry bush next to our raised air conditioner and then realized it was starting to grow like crazy, so we built and mounted a wood and wire trellis to the side and the blackberries thrived. Even better, our daughter went nuts for them and ate them by the handful.
So, we wanted to continue that to the other side of the house by adding more blackberry plants and add some raspberry plants to get a new fruit crop.
We developed a DIY raised bed garden with a modern trellis that can handle tons of berry vines and we can’t wait to see how much we get. Let’s show you how we did it!
DIY raised bed with trellis
We’ve been doing raised garden beds ever since our first house. With our terrible clay soil here in South Carolina, it’s the best way to plant fruits and vegetables each season.
Raised bed gardens can be extremely simple by just screwing together a long front and back board and two shorter side boards and filling them up with soil. But you can also get a little more interesting with them.
We designed this DIY raised bed with trellis to leave a space to add a bench for sitting and watching the kids play while looking at the sunflower garden we have a few feet away. This could obviously be left out and just do a straight front, but we wanted to mix it up.
We mounted a DIY trellis to the other side of our house last year and it exploded with blackberries!
How do you build a raised garden bed with trellis
Building a DIY raised garden bed with trellis is one of the easier DIY projects you’ll do in your yard this spring. If you want to grow climbing plants in your yard, this is the way to do it.
Here’s what you’ll need and the basic steps, but make sure you grab the full printable PDF woodworking plans that have everything you need to make this your own!
Don’t miss this DIY storage bench with trellis on the back!
Materials needed:
- 2x10s
- 2x4s
- 2x2s
- 3″ screws
- Bed liner
Step one: Build raised garden bed
The first step to building this DIY raised garden bed with trellis is to build the raised bed itself.
We used a circular saw and our Kreg Portable Cross Cut (click for our full review!) to make all the cuts right in the yard!
As we mentioned, we chose to add an indent along the front to allow for us to fit a garden bench in there, but you could also follow our instructions for how to build a simple raised bed and just do that instead.
We built the entire thing with cuts and just attached with long screws. You can add glue if you want or decorative hardware.
Step two: How do you attach a trellis to a raised bed?
The next step is to add the garden trellis to the raised bed. For this, we used four 2x4s to create a simple frame.
We attached two of the 2x4s to the inside back edges of the raised bed, then spanned one across the top and added one to the middle.
This trellis frame is perfect for standing upright and can accommodate anything you want to grow on it.
You can also build this simple cucumber trellis and put it inside a raised bed!
Step three: Create trellis pattern
Next, create your trellis pattern. A common pattern is to create a criss cross pattern, but we wanted to go for a more modern look.
We decided to just do simple horizontal boards between the center and side posts to allow the vines to climb and grow.
Doing this pattern does require a little ingenuity of screwing in your screws at an angle on one side at the center because you can’t go in directly from the side. Just make sure you angle it up and into the center support board.
What can I use in the bottom of a raised garden bed?
After you’ve built a beautiful raised bed with a trellis, you don’t want to have weeds and grass growing up from the ground. So, on the bottom of your bed, you’ll want to lay down a good weed prevention barrier to prevent weeds from growing up.
We used this weed barrier when we did our metal raised beds for flowers!
Cut your weed barrier fabric and put it on the bottom, lining the bottom entirely and stapling excess to the sides. This will prevent weeds from being able to grow up from the bottom of the raised beds.
Then, fill the bottom with good soil that is made for raised bed gardens. They have great options at hardware stores or Costco.
Once the soil is in place, add your plants and watch them grow!
DIY raised garden bed with trellis woodworking plans
Love this design and want to make one for yourself? We have woodworking plans for you!
These DIY raised garden bed with trellis woodworking plans are downloadable and come as a PDF, complete with a material shopping list, cut list and step-by-step instructions with computer model imagery.
Our DIY trellis plans will help you along the way to make the exact same bed we made!
What is the cheapest way to make raised garden beds?
The cheapest way to make raised garden beds is to use three 2×10 boards, cutting one into side pieces and screwing them together. This will create a rectangle that is perfectly fine for a raised garden bed.
Then simply line the bed with weed barrier fabric, fill with soil and add your plants. This option will keep your garden happy and will succeed with very little effort.
What are the best fruits and vegetables to grow on a raised garden bed with trellis?
The best fruits and vegetables to grow on a trellis are ones that product long vines and have active fingers that grab onto the trellis. This way, they will twist around the trellis, climb up and create the best growth.
The best fruits to grow on a trellis are blackberries, raspberries, tomatoes (yes, they are a fruit), and grapes.
The best vegetables to grow on a trellis are cucumbers, squash, zucchini, and peas.
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Hey there, I’m Sean, the woodworking enthusiast and builder behind CharlestonCrafted.com! Since 2012, I’ve been sharing the magic of turning raw materials into beautiful creations. I love teaching others the art and satisfaction of woodworking and DIY. I try to inspire fellow crafters to make something extraordinary out of nothing at all.