How to Build a Grape Trellis

Grape Trellis over a strawberry patch.

I have been looking around and thought the store bought trellis' were big enough. However after this past year I needed a bigger size. So I made my own trellis. Here are the simple steps to achieve a long lasting trellis.

Things You'll Need

• Galvanized Tension Wire
• 8 1 5/8 X 8ft Galvanized Pipes
• 4 Aluminum Eye Tops
• 4 Aluminum Gate Ell' s with Bolts and Nuts
• Duct Tape

Instructions

1. 

   Determine your location for the trellis. Have your grape plant on one side of the trellis. Make an 8 foot by 8 foot square. At each corner place one pipe into the ground. They should go into the ground at least 1- 1 1/2 feet deep.

2. 

   Add the Gate Ell' s to the tops off each pipe.

3. 

   Add an aluminum Eye top to a separate 8 foot pipe. Place the end into the open end of the Gate Ell and secure. Again place another Eye top in the opposite end and place this into another Gate Ell. Repeat this on the other two bars. At this point you should have three bars secured together with two eye tops attached to the top bar.

4. 

   Connect one bar to the Eye tops on the front and one for the back. Use duct tape to secure this for now. At this point all the bars are connected.

5. 

   Add the galvanized wire to the side where the grape plants have been planted. Make Horizontal and Vertical lines weaving at the intersections the wires for strength. Space the lines about 1 foot apart. Add the lines on the top in the same fashion. Use all four poles to secure the wire.

6. 

   You are now ready to plant the grape plants and enjoy the vines.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure the pipes are in the ground firmly.

• Go over and under when adding the wires for strength.

• You can always add another section to this trellis by adding more ground pipes.

• Hang plants from the pipes to save on space, I used an upside down tomato plant.

• Bend the ends of the wires inward so no one gets hurt.

Resources

• eHow Spring Guide