Our Tunnel Arch Trellis Will Instantly Elevate Your Garden Space

There's something so romantic and whimsical about a tunnel, isn't there? Especially one covered in lush greenery. I mean, imagine your own little tunnel of gourds and pumpkins. Or climbing roses. Or fragrant jasmine.

Thanks to its sleek lines, our Tunnel Arch Trellis works with any style of home and garden. You can span two garden beds, form an inviting entrance into your garden space, or create a beautiful backdrop for a special event. Whatever you do, make sure you have a little pathway through it because, trust me, there's nothing quite like walking underneath these hoops.

When I was asked to design the new kitchen garden for an event space in Nashville, I knew I had to include several of these tunnels.

If you're considering whether this trellis is right for your space, check the dimensions carefully to make sure it'll fit as intended. Keep reading to find more information about the trellis material, dimensions, and assembly directions.

Tunnel Arch Trellis Material

Metal provides the sturdiest structural support for your climbing plants in the garden. It's also the most durable option of the garden trellis materials available.

The Tunnel Arch Trellis is made of solid steel with a black powder coating for maximum weather resistance. These pieces are made to last and be enjoyed in your garden for decades to come.

Dimensions of the Tunnel Arch Trellis

This trellis measures 5 feet long, 5 feet wide, and 7 feet tall. It weighs 107 lbs.

If you plan to put this trellis in the ground, it's tall enough that most people should be able to walk underneath it without bending or hitting their head. If you plan to put this trellis in raised beds, you'll need to bury the base about one foot deep inside your raised beds, You'll still have plenty of vertical space to grow indeterminate vines like tomatoes, pole beans, and cucumbers up each side.

If you plan to span this trellis from one raised bed to another, your pathway needs to be under 5 feet wide. You can still span a pathway that's narrower than 4.5 feet if you push the trellis deeper into the interior of each bed instead of having it right on the outer edge.

Notes on the Tunnel Arch Trellis

This trellis can ship across the continental US and arrives in three separate boxes on the same delivery day. The boxes should be marked X, Y, and Z so you can make sure you have all three.

Assembling the Tunnel Arch Trellis is pretty easy and straightforward with two people, but here are a couple tips to make the process go smoothly:

• In addition to your assembly partner, ask at least one more person to help you move the trellis once it's assembled due to its size and weight.
• Assemble the trellis as close to its permanent location as possible. Once it's all put together, it'll be difficult to move.
• Assemble the trellis on its side on a soft, even surface to avoid scratching the finish. I typically assemble trellises on the grass right next to my kitchen garden.

Step One to Assemble the Tunnel Arch Trellis

Carefully unpack all parts from boxes X, Y, and Z on a clean and level surface; check that you have everything using the list below or the component list on the product instructions.

Your Tunnel Arch Trellis kit should come with the following parts:

A. 3 top strips

B. 3 top strips with brackets

C. 6 straights strips

D. 6 straight strips with brackets

E. 6 ground spikes

F. 24 horizontal tubes

G. 54 bolts

H. 54 nuts

I. wrench

You'll start by assembling one part of the top of the arch. Take one of the top curved strips (A) and join it together with one of the top curved strips with brackets (B) using two nuts and two bolts (see figure A below for reference).

Add one of the straight strips (C) to a top curved strip using two nuts and two bolts (see figure B below for reference). Do the same on the other side of the arch. You should now have a little U.

Add one of the straight strips with brackets (D) to the bottom of the sides of the trellis using two nuts and two bolts (see figure C below for reference). Do the same on the other side. You should now have a big U.

Attach a ground spike to each of the legs of the trellis using two nuts and two bolts on each side (see figure D below for reference).

Step Two to Assemble the Tunnel Arch Trellis

While the assembled side of the arch trellis is on the ground, gently lift it up to insert 12 bolts through the underside.

Grab 12 of your horizontal bars and locate the female side. You'll rotate the female thread of each horizontal bar on the bolt. Use the provided wrench to help you tighten the bolts on the underside of the arch.

Step Three to Assemble the Tunnel Arch Trellis

Assemble one more arch trellis frame (a large U) by attaching two more top strips to straight strips with ground spikes. Lay this second frame on top of the horizontal bars you connected in step two so that the male threads on the bars go through the pre-drilled holes in the top frame.

Step Four to Assemble the Tunnel Arch Trellis

Take the remaining 12 horizontal bars and tighten the female threads onto the male threads that are sticking through the top frame.

Step Five to Assemble the Tunnel Arch Trellis

Assemble the third arch trellis frame (a large U) by attaching the final two top strips to straight strips with ground spikes. Lay this third frame on top of the horizontal bars you connected in step four so that the male threads on the bars go through the pre-drilled holes in the top frame.

Take the 12 remaining nuts and tighten them onto the tips of the male threads of the horizontal bars. Doing so will secure this third frame in place.

How to Install the Tunnel Arch Trellis

Turn your trellis upright and move to its final position with two or more people to help you.

Anytime you're installing a large trellis that will have to support a lot of plant mass, it's critical to take the time to fully secure it. How big of a bummer would it be to step outside after a storm and see your beautiful tunnel overturned and your plants crushed?

The six long ground spikes are designed to be pushed into the earth to anchor the tunnel. Drive these stakes into the ground if your trellis is not going in a raised bed. Your trellis won't have heavy soil around its base holding it in place, so using these ground spikes is really important. We actually used a small amount of cement, in addition to the ground stakes, to secure the trellises pictured here in the ground.

If, instead, your trellis is going in a raised bed, the soil in the bed can help secure it. I recommend installing this trellis before you add soil to the raised garden bed, if that's still possible. For a raised bed that's less than a foot tall, I recommend digging into the ground below about 4 to 6 inches and then securing the trellis using the ground spikes. That way, your trellis will be super stable.

If you're installing this trellis in a raised bed that's already filled with soil, dig out the soil at least 1 foot down in the area where the base will go. Place the ground spikes inside and backfill with soil all the way to the top of the bed.

Celebrate!

Your Tunnel Arch Trellis is now assembled and installed!

I recently installed four of these in a wonderful new kitchen garden at Juniper Green (pictured here). Each tunnel is already supporting plants like trumpet vine, coral honeysuckle, and even some blackberry and raspberry bushes. I'm sure you can imagine just how fragrant the honeysuckle tunnel is!

Here are a few more ideas for what you can grow on your own beautiful arch trellis:

IN THE COOL SEASON:

Plant your trellis with sugar snap peas, fava beans, or snow peas.

IN THE WARM SEASON:

Plant your arch with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, or pole beans. Flower options include climbing nasturtium, passion vine, and hyacinth bean. Check out our guide below for growing cherry tomatoes on an arch trellis.

IN THE HOT SEASON:

Plant your arch trellis with tomatillos, asparagus beans, Armenian cucumbers, or luffa gourds. For flowers, try passion vine and coral vine.

Hope You Enjoy Your Tunnel Arch Trellis

If this trellis looks even half as good in your garden space as it does at Juniper Green, then I think you'll be very happy.

If you have any questions about the trellis, feel free to reach out to us at shop@gardenary.com.

Photos taken by Victoria Quirk and Gardenary.