Build A Budget Friendly DIY Cucumber Trellis For Max Yields

The best garden trellis ideas are often simple and cheap! And this super-easy design is exactly that.

Whether you dress it up with bamboo poles or keep it inexpensive with T-posts and string netting, this project will definitely help you grow more, healthier cucumbers in less space! Let’s build an inexpensive DIY cucumber trellis to help you take your cucumber harvest to the next level.

DIY Trellising For The Win

If you aren’t new to MIgardener, you probably already know I use multiple trellising designs in my garden. I like to take the DIY approach to keep costs low instead of purchasing a lot of expensive premade trellises.

And I love passing those savings on to you by sharing my free vertical gardening designs with you! For more great DIY trellis projects, check out this sturdy grape vine trellis, Florida weave trellis for tomatoes, ladder trellis for peas, DIY trellis made from sunflower stalks, and this arched cattle panel trellis.

The Benefits of Growing Cucumbers Vertically

Even though modern cucumber varieties are more of a domesticated ground crop, people like to grow them vertically as vines. Training cucumbers to grow on a trellis has many benefits.

A trellis allows you to keep the plant growing in a nice, orderly manner instead of sprawling all over the place. It saves space, improves airflow, keeps the plant healthier, allows more pollinators to access the flowers, and makes harvesting much easier because fruits are more visible and accessible! Pro-Tip: If you let cucumbers go too long without harvesting, the plant will stop producing!

Essential Materials for A DIY Cucumber Trellis

These are the supplies that I use to quickly build a trellis that will support my cucumbers:

• T-posts - You will need two to five 6-foot tall metal T-posts per trellis, depending on how long you want your trellis to be. Get enough posts to space them at 3 to 5-foot increments along the desired length of your trellis, with one at each end. Pro-Tip: Some people like to use bamboo stakes or other materials instead of T-posts because they think it looks more attractive. If you want to use bamboo, go for it! (Note: Bamboo will not last as long as metal T-posts and may cost more upfront.) Whatever you use for your supports, just make sure it is very sturdy so it can hold all the foliage and fruit that will form! 

• Vegetable Trellis Netting - I like to use this heavy-duty nylon trellis netting. The 5-foot x 15-foot size supports up to 60 pounds! It is inexpensive, durable, and reusable year after year. Pro-Tip: You can also use concrete mesh reinforcement or remesh if you want something more rigid and permanent, but it is more expensive. 

• Zip Ties - To secure the netting to the T-post, you will need 3 or 4 medium zip ties per post.

•  C-Clips - *Optional: While you do not need C-Clip Supports to build the trellis, I highly recommend them because they are very effective at safely attaching and supporting cucumber vines. Inexpensive C-Clips can be used with twine, nylon netting, and stringing. They work great for tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, and small melons or gourds. 

Tools You'll Need  

Grab a few basic tools before you get started:

• Hammer - Grab a hammer or mallet for driving the posts into the ground.

• Scissors  - You will only need these if your trellis netting is longer than your desired trellis length.

• Measuring Tape - The measuring tape will be used to plot the distance between T-posts if you don’t want to approximate.

• Level - *Optional: You can use this to ensure your trellis is straight and level.

Assembly Instructions for a DIY Cucumber Trellis

1. Choose Location - The cucumber trellis should run along the garden row or raised bed where you have planted your cucumbers. (Read this blog post if you want to learn how to plant and grow cucumbers.) Pro-Tip: If you plant your cucumbers east-to-west facing, they will not shade each other on the trellis or compete for sunlight.

2. Measure - Measure the distance you want your trellis to span and calculate the placement of each T-post, planning for a T-post at each end. Pro-Tip: Don’t exceed 5 feet apart! This spacing provides adequate support without overbuilding. If the posts are too far apart, the trellis may sag and bend under the weight of the plants.

3. Drive Posts - Starting at one end and spacing the T-posts 3-5 feet away from each other, hammer all the posts into the ground about 1 foot deep. 

4. Unfurl the Netting - Open the nylon trellis netting, taking care not to tangle it. Lay it out along the ground at the base of your trellis.

5. Attach to the First Post - Grab the top corner of the trellis netting and use a zip tie to secure it to the top of the first post. Then use 2 or 3 more zip ties to secure the outside edge of the netting to the post. Pro-Tip: Work from the top down. It is better to have slack at the bottom than at the top. You will thank me later!

6. Attach to the Next Post - Pull the top of the trellis netting to the next T-post and secure it with a zip tie. Ensure the top of the trellis netting is taut before securing it! Moving down the post, continue to secure the trellis netting to the post with 2 or 3 more zip ties, keeping it taut and removing the slack as you go.

7. Attach to Remaining Posts - If needed, repeat step 6 for the remaining T-posts. If excess trellis netting hangs over the end of your trellis, simply trim the end off with scissors.

8. Secure Plants to Trellis - When your cucumber plants are tall enough, pull them up carefully, so they don’t break, and use C-Clips to secure them to the trellis netting. The crook of the C-clip cinches around the string or trellising material to keep the vine held in place. Pro-Tip: Place the C-clips under a leaf joint on your cucumber plant. This makes a good anchor point to hold the weight of the plant.

While you secure your cucumber plants to the trellis, take time to prune off excess growth that the plant doesn’t need! That extra growth adds to the overall volume of the plant and slows down fruiting and plant growth. Watch this video to learn how to prune cucumbers.

Training Cucumber Plants on Your Trellis

Cucumbers will start to climb a trellis on their own, but the tendrils on most modern cucumber varieties are not the most functional. That’s why they need a little extra help. 

You can train the plant on the trellis by weaving the main stem through the trellis as it grows (learn how in the video below), but I don’t usually find that necessary if I am using C-clips. If your cucumber plants grow over the height of the trellis, just let them flop over the top. They will be just fine.

By following these steps, you’ll have plenty of fresh cucumbers to enjoy all season long!