How to Make a DIY Tomato Trellis
Updated on May 31, 2019
Now that spring is here, the time to plant tomatoes that will be nice and ripe all summer has finally arrived! We’re no vegetable farming experts, of course, but we’ve been growing our own tomatoes for the last few years now, among other things, and this year we’re intent on doing whatever we can to make them the best they can possible be. That’s why we’ve been looking up all different ways to build awesome tomato trellises that our plants can climb in order to grow high and healthy!
1. Tomato cages from cattle panels
Just in case you actually live on or near a small farm and would always rather upcycle the supplies you can access from there rather than just buying things new, here’s a fantastic tutorial from Growing a Greener World! This guide shows you, in quite simple terms, how to build standing tomato cages from wire cattle panels.
2. Tomato cage/stand hybrid
Have you actually been scouring the internet hoping to find a simple wire design similar to the one we’ve just shown you, but you’re not interesting in building cages that are fully enclosed like cylinders and you’d rather have them stand open and tall? In that case, we think you simply must take a look at the way Old World Garden Farms made their tomato cage and stand hybrid design using wooden planks and the same wire caging you saw above.
3. Wood frame tomato cages
Perhaps you’re actually a perpetual fan of things that are made of more natural materials, no matter what it is you’re building, so you can’t help wondering whether you might build your own tomato stands using wood instead? Then we think you’ll be very pleased indeed to learn that this kind of wooden framed stand is precisely what Ella Claire Inspired is here to teach you how to make!
4. Easy garden obelisk
If you’re going to build a stand for your tomato plants to climb, would you rather make one that’s a little more tall and grand, keeping them in one place since your patch is quite small rather than making many and dotting them around the yard? Then we think perhaps you’ll get along a little better with something like this easy garden obelisk outlined step by step on Flower Patch Farmhouse. We love the way they painted theirs purple to make it a little more decorative in their yard as well!
5. DIY PVC pipe tomato cages
Perhaps you’re actually working on a budget and you’re interested in using materials that are a little more light and affordable rather than using heavy wood or hard bending wire? Then we’d definitely suggest taking a look at how I Dream of Eden chose to make their surprisingly simple and sturdy tomato cages from PVC pipe cut to specific lengths and fit together with corner pieces!
6. Folding tomato ladder
If you’re going to build yourself a large tomato structure in your yard, would you actually prefer to make it something that’s easy to store away in the off season when the tomatoes are finished growing and done for the year, since your yard is quite small? Then we’d absolutely suggest taking a look at how Mother Earth News made these wooden folding tomato ladders in just a few simple steps.
7. DIY tomato teepee
Perhaps you’re actually in a little bit of a hurry and you’d more interested in getting your tomato trellis built quickly than you are in making it custom or with fancy extra features? In that case, we’d definitely suggest taking a look at how The Elliot Homestead created this tied stick style tomato teepee design instead. This might be the simplest suggestion on our list so far!
8. Wood and twine tomato cafe
Are you finding that your tomato plant has actually gotten very heavy and has a tendency to dip to the side in any direction, but you’re still looking for something crafty, affordable, and simple to put together? Then we have a feeling that something like this wood and twine tomato cafe set up from Fifth Floor Diversions might be a little more up your alley!
9. Bamboo tomato cage
Were you a pretty big fan of the idea of making yourself a tomato “teepee” that’s been bound at the top but you don’t like the way the rough, rustic looking sticks look? Perhaps you’re just having trouble finding branches that are quite tall enough for what you’re looking for. Then perhaps you’d prefer the slick, neat look of the way The Painted Hinge built theirs using sticks of bamboo!
10. High, X-frame, vertical tomato stand to grow many at once
Have you actually been scrolling through our list and hoping to come across an idea that might help you grow and stabilize many tomato plants at once? Then we’re pleased to announce that A Piece of Rainbow has just the DIY idea for you! Their tutorial walks you step by step through the process of making a large, wooden X-frame stand that will help your tomato plants grow vertically.
11. Tomato trellis archway
Did we actually really catch your attention when we started talking about tomato trellis ideas that might be a little more decorative in your yard but you just haven’t seen an idea that quite meets your standards of fancy design yet, compared to what you’re picturing in your mind? In that case, we’d definitely suggest taking a better look at this tutorial from Learning and Yearning in order to learn how this fantastic tomato trellis archway was built.
12. The “indestructible” tomato trellis
Have you actually been scrolling through our list and hoping to find yourself a tomato trellis tutorial that will help you make something practically indestructible, since you live in a place with occasionally harsh weather and you’re growing many tomatoes at once? Then we have a feeling Caboose Spices might have just the idea for you! They show you how it’s done using metal poles and strong plastic string.
13. Tall A-frame tomato trellis
Perhaps you’ve been browsing our list hoping to find a tomato trellis concept that might hit the nail on the head right between being practical and being decorative? In that case, we think perhaps you might get a real kick out of the way The Vegetable Gardener made this A-frame trellis that looks almost like a swing set and puts your tomato plants on a kind of pretty green display.
14. Making a Florida weave tomato trellis
Are you finding that the tomato plants you’ve grown this year are rather stubborn indeed and seem intent on bending towards the ground, even though you’ve actually already tried a number of different kinds of stands? Then we think you might have a little more success with something like this slightly more binding Florida weave style tomato trellis that’s outlined step by step on This Natural Dream.
15. Upcycled tire tomato trellis
Perhaps the idea that we’ve mentioned so far that caught your attention the absolute most through our list was the concept of making a tomato trellis from upcycled materials that you might already have access to, rather than buying your building supplies new? In that case, especially if you love a repurposed visual aesthetic, we think this awesome old tire trellis concept featured in detail on Garden Up Green might be a little more up your alley.
Have you made other kinds of homemade tomato trellises before that you were very happy with but that you don’t see here on our list? Tell us all about it or link us to photos of your finished work in the comments section!