Build a Simple Garden Trellis

A Home-Made Trellis

Pole beans grow on a trellis made of EMT conduit
and some 5-foot polypropylene trellis netting

Not everything we plant in our gardens grows up close the ground. Plants like peas, beans, cucumbers and some squash are great climbers. Their advantage is that they let us expand small gardens upward instead of having to spread outward, but the trade-off is that we'll have to provide support for the climbers. A trellis on the side or end of a garden bed is just the ticket for climbers, and dirt-simple to build.

A wooden trellises is heavy and making one requires time and patience, but the widely-available trellis netting is easy to mount, surprisingly strong, and will last for years. If that sounds good to you, head for the local hardware and buy the parts for a frame to support it. Our instructions will make a frame five feet by five feet.

Materials for a Trellis • Two five-foot sections of 1/2-inch galvanized EMT conduit • One section of 1/2-inch EMT the width of your frame (this example is five feet). • Two 90-degree pull elbows for 1/2-inch EMT-EMT for the corners (either of the two styles will work) • Two 18- or 24-inch lengths of 3/8-inch rebar (make certain it fits inside the EMT) • A package of nylon trellis netting

EMT Pull Corner style 1	EMT Pull Corner style 2
EMT Conduit	Trellis Netting

Tools

• A hacksaw or tubing cutter
• A hammer or sledge
• Screwdriver
• Scissors
• Matches or a small soldering iron

Start your plans with the trellis netting, since its width control the size of your frame. I use 5-foot netting, which can be used either in a tall frame five feet wide or a long frame five feet tall. I wouldn't suggest going over ten feet long, though. EMT tubing comes in ten-foot lengths, which many hardware stores will cut to length for you. You can also take it home and hack away with your hacksaw; but the most elegant solution is a tubing cutter, which makes cuts that are straight and clean.

Pick a location for your trellis. Once it's growing plants cover it, the trellis will creates its own shade so you will may want it on the north side of the garden beds. Now assemble your trellis.

Assembly Instructions

1)  Cut the five-foot sections of EMT conduit for the uprights and the long section for the top.
2)  Drive the rebar sections into the ground at the ends of the frame, using a hammer or sledge. Leave about eight or ten inches exposed and make them as straight as possible.
3)  Slip the open end of one of the five-foot sections of conduit over each rebar stake.
4)  Place an elbow fitting on each end of the top section of conduit and hand-tighten the screws, leaving them loose enough that you can turn the fitting by hand. Set the cross-piece on the ends of both uprights and tighten all four screws.
5)  Cut the netting across a row of open spaces. Leave enough string that you can tie the netting to the EMT.
6)  Attach the netting securely to the conduit and the fittings. To avoid frayed ends on the trellis netting, you can touch each end briefly with a lit match or a soldering iron.

The frame may seem a little wobbly at first, but it will tighten up as you add the netting. It becomes even more stable as plants grow on it. Now you're done, so...

Plant, water, weed, and wait!

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