It is cheaper to buy or build a trellis yourself than to grab one off a store shelf. Building your own saves you 40-70% over retail prices. You skip the markup for labor, packaging, and shipping that stores add to every product.
I tested this last spring when I needed a large trellis for my tomato bed. A concrete remesh panel cost me $7 at the hardware store. I screwed it to a wooden frame made from two-by-twos for another $18 in lumber and screws. My total DIY trellis cost came to about $25 for a sturdy 5-by-8-foot panel. The closest thing at my garden center sold for $89 and it was smaller and weaker than what I built at home.
The store bought trellis price covers a lot more than raw materials. Factories pay for welding, powder coating, and quality checks. Then the product gets boxed up in retail packaging. Heavy metal items cost a lot to ship across the country. The store adds its own 40-60% profit margin on top of all that. You end up paying $80 to $200 for a trellis built from $15 to $30 worth of raw steel and wood.
Building does take some of your time. You need basic tools like a drill, a saw, and a tape measure. Most simple trellis projects take 1-2 hours from start to finish once you have your materials. If you don't own tools, borrow from a friend or rent from a hardware store. Your total cost stays well below the store bought trellis price either way.
The one case where buying makes more sense is decorative metal trellises. Steel obelisks and iron garden arches need welding gear to build at home. Ornamental wall trellises with scrollwork are tough to copy too. The DIY trellis cost savings shrink to just 10-20% for these fancy styles. Your finished product won't look as polished as a factory version either.
You can cut your DIY trellis cost even further by watching for sales at hardware stores. Remesh panels and lumber often go on clearance at the end of summer. I grabbed three remesh panels for $4 each last September and stored them in my garage for the next season. That kind of deal brings your total build cost down to almost nothing.
For your vegetable garden, building wins on both cost and strength. A homemade remesh trellis beats most retail options and costs a fraction of the price. In my experience, you get a stronger frame that fits your garden layout better than anything boxed up in a store. Save your money for seeds and soil. Spend an afternoon building something that lasts you 5-10 seasons with zero trouble.
Read the full article: Best Garden Trellis Types and Ideas
