The Best DIY Bean and Pea Trellis for your Garden

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If you grow peas or pole beans in your garden, you need to provide good support. A good bean or pea trellis needs to be strong enough to hold the weight of the plants when ready to harvest. The support also needs to be taller than the fully grown plants. I have tried many different support systems over the years, and this fencing system is the only one I use in my garden beds.

Sweet peas are one of the first things we plant in the early spring. As they start to grow, the little pea tendrils reach out and grab onto anything close to them. If you trellis peas and beans, they will grow up instead of out which will save space in your garden.

This wire mesh fencing system has made pea harvesting much easier, and our plants are healthier and more productive. Most types of peas require a trellis if you don’t want your plants spreading out across the ground. This fence will work for sweet peas, snow peas, sugar snaps, and all types of pole beans.

We also use this fencing system for beans. Mature bean plants can become quite heavy. A sturdy, heavy-duty trellis will make harvesting easier.

This type of bean and pea trellis works great in a small space because plants can grow vertically.

Why do I Need a Trellis for my Peas and Beans?

Some peas and beans can grow more than 6 feet tall! Peas and beans need to be trellised for best results. Using a fence or a trellis allows the bean and pea vines to grow up instead of spreading across the ground. This method is often called vertical gardening.

Vertical gardening increases airflow which reduces diseases like powdery mildew, saves garden space, and makes harvesting easier. Trellised peas and beans are healthier and more productive.

Bean and Pea Trellis Options

I have tried many different pea trellises over the years, but my favorite by far has been the woven wire fence on t-posts. It is durable, easy to scale up to grow more, and can be reused year after year. This type of trellis is a great way to increase airflow and make harvesting easier for pole beans and peas.

Cattle Panels

Cattle panels are heavy-duty wire panels used for fencing in cattle. They are a great option for a bean or pea trellis, but I found their cost to be prohibitive. I have 60 feet of pole beans and 30 feet of peas. This would require a huge investment in cattle panels that are bulky and not that easy to store in the off season.

Chicken Wire

Chicken wire is an inexpensive option, but the small hole sizes in the fence make harvesting more difficult.

Netting

I have used nylon netting for my bean and pea fence in the past. It works, but it’s difficult to stretch the netting tight enough to avoid sagging. When the plants are fully grown, the weight causes the fence to sag and makes harvesting more difficult. I also didn’t love the white color of the netting fence in my garden.

Bamboo Poles

I have tried bamboo posts in a tee pee pattern for growing pole beans, but I have found that a fence is easier to harvest. For the quantity of peas and beans that I grow, it’s more practical to grow on a fence.

Tomato Cage

I have seen some chatter about using tomato cages for pea and bean trellising, but in my experience, they simply aren’t tall enough! My pea plants are easily 5 feet tall at maturity and my bean plants can reach 6 feet tall in good conditions.

Tomato cages are usually only about 3 feet tall, so your plants will still be sprawling across the ground.

Woven Wire

The winner! The first year I tried woven wire fence for my bean and pea trellis fence I knew I would never use any other method. The woven wire is strong enough to not sag with the weight of full-grown plants.

It is easy to roll out and attach to fence posts, and this particular fencing is black, which is much less visible in the garden. It is the most efficient way to trellis your climbing plants.

What you Need to Install a Woven Wire Trellis Fence

T-posts: I use 6 foot long t-posts and pound them about 12 inches into the ground. This gives my peas and beans at least 5 feet to grow up the fence. The top of the trellis is about 5 feet tall after installation. I space the t-posts 10-15 feet apart.

Woven Wire: I use this woven wire fence. It is inexpensive, strong, and lightweight. It is easy to roll out and attach to the t-posts. This particular fencing is also a great deal because it comes with gloves and wire cutters! I use the 2 inch by 3 inch grid pattern.

Zip ties: Use the zip-ties to attach the woven wire fence to the t-posts. I like to use 3 zip ties per post. These are easy to remove at the end of the season when you are cleaning up your garden.

How to Build a DIY Bean or Pea Trellis Fence

1. Mark your row with a string or garden twine. You can push a stick or some rebar into the ground at each end of the row. Tie some twine or string to each end and stretch the end of the twine or string tight to mark your row. This will help you build a straight fence!
2. Using a post pounder, push each t-post into the ground until the anchor plate on the bottom is in the ground. The anchor plate keeps your fence from falling over. Your row marking string should be touching the t-post. Space your t-posts 10-12 feet apart for best stability.
3. After all your posts are in the ground, start on one end and attach the woven wire fence to the t-post using the zip ties. I like to use at least 3 zip ties to hold the wire fencing to the post. The bottom of the woven wire should be 6 inches above the soil level.
4. After the woven wire fencing is attached to the first post, unroll it until you get to the next post in the row. Stretch the fence tight and attach it to the next post using 3-4 zip ties. Make sure you stretch it tight!
5. Continue unrolling the woven wire and attaching it to the next post until you reach the end of the row.
6. Cut the woven wire using the wire cutters included with the fencing after it is attached to all the t-posts.
7. Plant your pea seeds under the fence according to the spacing on your seed packet.

How to Bean and Pea Trellis Materials for Multi-Year Use

The best part about using this type of fence is that you can use it for multiple years!

1. At the end of the growing season, remove all plant material from the fence.
2. After all plant material is removed, cut the zip ties on the t-posts to remove the woven wire fencing.
3. Roll up the woven wire fencing and secure with twine or string.
4. Remove the t-posts from the ground.
5. Store all fencing materials in a covered, dry area to prevent rust.

Garden peas are so sweet and delicious. Fresh peas from the garden are a great snack and easy to add to salads and other recipes. Providing a sturdy, durable fence for them to climb on will ensure health plants and make your harvesting work easier. Trellised peas are more productive and disease resistant.

Grow some delicious peas and pole beans in your garden using this tried and true fencing method!

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