How to Build a Log Trellis

Rustic decor for a home uses raw building materials, especially logs and twigs. One rustic addition for your garden is a log trellis. The base of this trellis is constructed from sturdy logs installed a foot underground for stability that will even keep your tomato plants in place. The thatched lattice that plants climb on is made from twigs and thin branches that can be collected directly off any tree.

2 logs ¾- to 1-inch diameter, 3 feet tall
1 log ¾- to 1-inch – diameter, 1 ½-feet tall
Drill, screwdriver bits
2-inch wood screws
20 to 30 branches, at least 1 ½-feet long
Wood glue
Twine

Instructions

- 1
  Lay out the logs so that the 3-foot pieces are separated by the 1 ½-foot piece, creating an upside down “U” shape. Once the trellis is finished, the longer 3-foot pieces are partially underground.
- 2
  Set the 1 1/2-foot piece on top of the 3-foot piece and drill a 2-inch wood screw through the 1 ½-foot piece down into the 3-foot piece on both sides.
- 3
  Set 10 to 15 branches lengthwise across the trellis, gluing each into place with wood glue. Leave 1 foot at the bottom without any branches, as this part will be underground. Tie the branches for further reinforcement with twine. Ideal length of the branches should be 1 ½-foot and wide enough to not break.
- 4
  Weave 10 to 15 more branches upward through the secured branches to create a lattice shape. The branches you are weaving in will only go halfway up the trellis, so tie them off with twine and continue at the same spot with the next branch.

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