One of the secrets I use to ensure my garden looks good as well as being productive is to include vertical plant supports. They add height and structure, drawing the eye upwards and give the whole space a sense of balance.
With vertical supports everything feels fuller and more intentional, and you can cram a lot more food into the same space! So let’s look at some of my favorite ways to grow UP, using simple-to-make, reliable plant supports…
1. A-Frame Supports Using Cattle Panels
Cattle panels are incredibly strong and versatile, which makes them perfect for a wide range of vertical growing projects.
Cattle panels can be positioned upright as simple trellises, or set up as A-frames for sprawling crops like cucumbers. Because they’re rigid, they can hold a surprising amount of weight, so they’ll even stand up to heavy squashes and melons, and they’ll last for years. Make sure yours are either galvanized or powder-coated so they won’t rust.
A-frame supports are ideal for beds of various widths, because you can just open them out or keep them tighter according to the amount of space you have. Making an A-frame support is simplicity itself: join two cattle panels at one end with wire, and just unfold them to the angle you want.
![Ben picking beans from an arch]()
Growing beans up an arch makes them easy to pick as they hang down
2. Livestock Fencing Arches
Square-mesh livestock fencing is more flexible than cattle panels, which makes it fantastic for creating full-height vegetable arches. Purpose-made garden arches look fab, but they are a bit pricey. Fortunately, making your own is easy.
First drive four strong, sturdy uprights into the ground to support the fencing. Hammer them in at least a foot or so into the soil so they don’t rock about. Use a mallet or, if you have one or can hire one, a post rammer. Set them apart at the same width as your livestock fencing, then simply unravel the fencing up and over the supports and secure it into place at regular intervals using zip ties or, for a longer lasting tie, twists of wire.
Once they’re covered in sprawling beans or squash, they will honestly look the bees’ knees! I just love walking beneath an arch spanning between beds, knowing that I’m making every square inch of space productive – even the paths between my beds.
Livestock fencing and cattle panels are also excellent for making tomato cages, and homemade versions can be a lot sturdier and far more useful than some of the flimsy – and expensive! – shop-bought cages out there.
![Tomato cages]()
Livestock fencing is easily bent into tomato cages
3. Tomato Cages
Tomato cages provide all-round support by hemming in individual plants and taking some of the weight of their branches. You can also use tomato cages for peppers, eggplant and bush varieties of cucumber. By keeping foliage off the ground the cages help promote better airflow, which reduces the risk of disease and makes harvesting easier.
My simple method for making a tomato cage using livestock fencing is to cut off just enough to make a ring around your plants, and secure it in place by bending the ends of the wire. To keep the cage upright just weave through two sturdy canes or stakes – one on each side – then use them to secure the cage into the ground.
![Trellis netting supporting tomatoes]()
Tuck plants through the gaps in netting as they grow to keep them supported
4. Trellis Netting
Traditional trellis are made of wood or metal, and are usually simple flat panels screwed to a wall, fence or supports. They can also be built into garden furniture; I have an arbor with trellis sides which I’m using to grow some Japanese wineberries. When positioning any trellising, make sure it’s towards the back of a bed to give height without shading everything else.
Trellis netting is a lighter, more flexible option, and it’s great when you want something super-quick and adaptable. This kind of netting works really well for tomatoes, relatively lightweight climbing crops such as peas or beans, or vining flowers such as sweet peas.
The netting I use is made from biodegradable jute, which with care I can reuse from season to season, then simply compost it when it does become worn out. You could, of course, opt for an even longer lasting, tougher option such as polyester netting.
Netting’s easy to cut to size. Secure it to posts or to a simple framework, and aim to get the netting as taut as possible so it won’t slump down too much as plants climb up it.
![Florida weave tomato supports]()
The Florida Weave is a simple but effective way to support tomatoes
5. Florida Weave
Twine-based systems such as the Florida weave are simple yet very effective. By setting sturdy posts into the ground and running twine between them you can create supports that grow with the plant.
For this I use 4ft (1.2 m) lengths of wooden batten, hammered into the ground at intervals in a row. A genius little tip I picked last summer when visiting Kevin at Epic Gardening is to make poles from something like electrical conduit, then spray paint them to a color of your choice. Green works best so they blend into the garden.
Tie one end of your string to your end post. Wrap it around a few times, and make a few knots to securely tie it off. Then run the twine to your next post, wrap it right the way around, before continuing to the next post. When you get to the end post, wrap the twine around a few times then come back on the other side, again wrapping it around the middle posts. When you get back to the original post, wrap it round a few times, cut it off, and tie it in with a few knots.
This creates two parallel lines of string which the stems of your plants can be tucked into as they grow. This method’s most commonly used for growing tomatoes, with strings up to a few feet high for determinate or bush-type tomatoes, or taller for indeterminate or vining types.
Once your plants are about a foot (30 cm) tall, it’s time to start weaving them in to the twine. As plants stretch up, all you need to do is periodically add another horizontal weave, keeping them about a foot (30 cm) apart.
This method is also great for plants like peppers and tomatillos. It helps keep plants upright, improving airflow, while making pruning and harvesting a lot easier, especially in narrow beds. It’s a really great, easy and cheap method, partcularly if you’ve got a long row of plants that need support.
![Sweet peas on a teepee]()
A teepee is an eye-catching feature in the garden
6. Teepees
And let’s not forget the original go-to for punches of vertical interest throughout the garden – the teepee, perfect for any beans, flowers like sweet peas or nasturtiums, or just about any vining favorite.
Teepees made from bamboo or wooden poles like hazel are simple, inexpensive – sometimes free if you’re able to harvest canes or poles from your garden! – and surprisingly effective. First find something circular like a water barrel lid or trash can lid, and lay it on the ground as a template to position your canes around to get a nice, even circle. Six or eight canes is usually about right. Start by pushing in canes at the twelve and six o’clock positions, then add additional canes in between. Remove the circular template and bring the canes together at the top – you might need to stand on a stool to do this – and tie them in using sturdy twine. This can be used as it is, or for extra support run twine horizontally at intervals of about a foot (30 cm) for plants to cling to.
All these structures add a lovely, classic look to the garden while still being highly practical.
![Garden Planner app]()
With the Garden Planner you can add vertical elements like teepees to your garden
Vertical gardening isn’t just about growing more food – it’s about creating a garden that feels both productive and beautiful. And did you know our Garden Planner includes lots of vertical growing support options that you can simply select and drop onto your plan, from arches and teepees, to bean trellises. Try the Garden Planner for yourself with our 7 day free trial.
