A DIY bamboo teepee trellis is a budget-friendly, easy-to-make, versatile plant support structure.
Use it to support plants as well as add height and interest to your garden.
In just fifteen minutes, you can build a simple trellis that will last all season, but is easy to take down and store away for the winter.
I love how versatile bamboo teepee trellises are.
I use them for climbing plants as well as to cage tall, floppy plants.
Here’s how I build teepee trellis from bamboo stakes and what flowers and vegetables it can be used for.
What Is a Teepee Trellis?
A teepee trellis is a freestanding structure made by leaning several stakes together to form a cone-shaped base and tying them toether at the top and intervals.
Teepee trellises don’t take up much space, fit in garden beds of any size, and can be stored flat at the end of the season.
Bamboo stakes are great for DIY teepee trellises. They’re lightweight, strong, inexpensive, reusable, and easy to find in stores.
Two Ways to Use a Bamboo Teepee Trellis
A teepee trellis can be used for two different purposes.
As a climbing structure. Vining plants like sweet peas, pole beans, and cucumbers grow along the circumference of the stakes and climb up the teepee.
As a support cage. Tall or top-heavy plants are grown inside the teepee and held upright by the stakes as they grow. Tomatoes, dahlias, and cosmos are great candidates for this use.
However you decide to use a teepee trellis, the build method is the same for both uses.
What You’ll Need
To build a DIY teepee trellis, you’ll need:
- 4-6 Tall bamboo stakes (at least 60″)
- Jute or garden twine
You can build a teepee trellis with as few as 3 stakes. Smaller trellises work best for vining crops with small fruits like beans or peas.
To support large-growing plants like cucumbers or tomatoes, go with 6 and look for thicker bamboo or willow poles.
How to Build a Bamboo Teepee Trellis
Step 1: Choose Your Location and Mark Your Circle
Decide where you’ll put your teepee and draw a rough circle in the ground. Keep in mind that anything north of the trellis will get shaded as plants grow.
For a 4-6 stake teepee, plan on a circle about 18-24 inches in diameter. Larger teepees can be even bigger if you need it to be.
Make sure you’ll be able to reach inside the teepee easily to harvest.
Step 2: Push Stakes into the Soil
Place your stakes evenly around the circle, angling each one slightly inward toward the center.
Push them into the soil at least 6 inches deep. They should feel stable when you nudge them.
Check that you like the spacing before you move on to the next step. It’s easy to adjust at this stage and harder once they’re tied up!
Step 3: Tie the Stakes
Bring all the stakes together at the top and hold them with one hand.
Wrap twine around the stakes several times and then weave them in between the stakes to lock the wraps in place.
Weave the string as many times around as you need to until the teepee seems secure.
Then tie a strong double knot.
Step 4: Add Horizontal Twine
Once the top is tied, wind a length of twine horizontally around the stakes at roughly 12-inch intervals working from the top to the bottom.
I’ll admit, I tie the horizontal tiers differently each time! But one thing I do consistently is tie a simple knot on each stake to keep the twine in place.
You can go around all the stakes once or multiple times to thicken the string.
Sometimes I’ll add diagonal lengths to connect the tiers as well.
Tie the horizontal tiers however you like!
Finish with a double knot to keep the twine securely in place.
And that’s all!
Your teepee trellis is complete.
Add Your Plants
Now you can add your plants.
For climbing plants, plant seedlings near the base of each stake. Use the plant tag or seed packet as a reference to how far apart to space plants. You may need to loosely tie vines to the supports to help them get started.
For tall, non-vining plants, plant inside the trellis circle. As plants grow they’ll lean on the support naturally.
What to Grow on a Bamboo Teepee Trellis
Climbing Plants
The teepee trellis is a great structure for climbing vegetables and flowers. A few crops are very commonly grown this way in vegetable gardens and potagers.
- Pole beans: These climb quickly and fill in the trellis with lush leaves and beans. The teepee shape makes harvesting easy from all sides. I plant 4 beans around each stake. Long beans, runner beans, and hyacinth beans are also good candidates.
- Peas and snap peas: Like beans, peas are natural climbers and will cover a teepee quickly in early spring. You can plant 3-4 peas per stake.
- Sweet pea flowers: Beautiful, fragrant sweet peas are also good climbers and will cling to the stakes with their delicate tendrils. Plant sweet pea flowers in the spring and enjoy the scented flowers by early summer.
- Cucumbers: Cucumbers will grow well on a teepee trellis. Growing cucumbers vertically will keep fruit straight and clean. It’s also easier to harvest from a trellis. I typically plant just two to three cucumbers per trellis, spacing them on opposite sides for balance. Cucumbers can get heavy and its best not too put too much weight on the trellis. Learn how to grow cucumbers vertically in this post.
- Cucamelon (Mexican sour gherkin): This vining vegetable will climb a trellis quickly and cover the structure with adorable little fruits. If you’ve never had a cucamelon, it tastes like a sour cucumber.
- Morning glories: Fast-growing and vigorous, morning glories will cover a teepee trellis easily. Great for an ornamental display whereever you need the height and color. Moonflowers are similar climbers with very large white flowers that open at night.
- Black-eyed Susan vine: A cheerful, fast-climbing annual that will cover a teepee in bright orange and yellow flowers.
Tall Plants That Need Support
I love using a bamboo teepee trellis as a rustic plant cage for tall, floppy plants. These are my favorite plants to grow in a teepee trellis.
My growing guides for each are linked in the list if you want to read more!
Getting the Most Out of Your Teepee Trellis
- Try adding a teepee trellis to raised beds and containers too.
- Check old stakes before using. A cracked or split stake may fail under weight.
- When not in use, store the bamboo stakes in a shed or garage to prolong their life.
- Twine made from natural fibers are eco-friendly but will break down over time. Para-cord or baling twine last longer and can be re-used if you prefer.
Ready to Build?
Teepee trellises are easy to make and can be high impact when done well.
I love their rustic charm and how easy it is to set one up and take it down each season.
I’m a sucker for simple garden projects like this that add beauty and function to my garden.
Are you building one this season? Let me know what you’re planting!
