Whip Up A Garden Trellis On A Budget With A Clever Use For An Old Hose

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Garden hoses often wear out faster than we like — springing leaks, splitting, or just becoming a nuisance rather than a help in the yard. Instead of tossing your old garden hose, think about upcycling it by making your own garden trellis. You'll have to buy a new hose anyway, so why not save on your trellis?

A trellis can be an important tool in your garden bed, especially for plants that need extra support, such as green beans or tomatoes. These vining vegetables might bear more fruit in a smaller space if they can grow upward. If left unsupported, however, tomatoes can languish on the ground, where they're more likely to rot or to be devoured by slugs. Plants such as squash, cucumbers or small melons will also benefit because they'll grow straighter, less misshapen fruit on a trellis. Also, a trellis gives plant stems more space and allows for better air flow, which keeps plants healthier.

If you head to your hardware or garden store to buy one, you might find a metal or wooden trellis can cost anywhere from $40 to well over $200. Why spend that kind of money when you could make your own trellis with things you might already have lying around your house? But if you don't need a new trellis, you can also DIY your own durable outdoor rug by transforming a regular garden hose. For everyone else, to make a trellis, all you'll need is an old garden hose, scissors, two metal stakes, and hanging wire.

Let's get started on making your own garden trellis. First, figure out how wide you want it. Your average garden trellis is probably about five feet wide. You'll also probably want to put at least a foot of the stake beneath the soil to secure the trellis in the ground well enough so a high wind or storm won't blow it over. Want a wider trellis? No problem. Just put a third bar or stake support in the middle.

Next, measure and cut the length of hose that will act as rungs on your trellis ladder. If you don't like the color of the hose, you can always spray paint it. Just be sure to use spray paint designed to hold up to the elements and adhere to plastic. Cut wire to fit each length of hose, thread the wire through, and secure each end to the metal stakes on either side.  

Now, it's all about training your vegetables to grow up your new trellis. You can wind plant leaves and vines between the hose rungs. If the branches or vines keep slipping downward, attach them to the rungs with something like Biostretch soft garden plant ties for indoor and outdoor plants, which you can cut to fit any size stem or hose. As the plants grow upward, you'll have to continue to adjust these ties, fixing them to higher hose rungs to keep your plant growing vertically.