New Trellis

This is my first one but it has now failed after 3 years as it bends at the top and the PVC is not strong enough so will follow Mel's advice and use conduit.

For an 8' span do I need 3 legs?

Is cattle panel better than the nylon netting?

PVC is good for so many things in the garden but for tall trellises, not so much, as it will warp/bend over time.    If you continue with 3 vertical EMT, you can still use the top PVC horizontal bar and fittings.  The fittings will be over-sized for the EMT but the weight of the trellis will keep it in place.  You are a handy man so you can even drill holes in the 90* fittings and use set screws if you want.

Nylon trellis and plastic zip ties eventually fall apart/get brittle, but cattle panels should give you years of service.

Oh, to have your nice garden plot and have your decisions!!

I have a 3/4" emt bender, the conduit trellis is stronger than with the 90 degree fittings. I also use the steel conduit fittings rather that the brittle zinc fitting for added strength.
 A buddy told me when he buys the conduits at HD he grabs one of their benders off the shelf and uses it in the store. Great idea, the conduit costs the same and only takes a few minutes to do. I'll bet the clerk will even help you. Why didn't I think of that...
 If you use PVC the electrical grey pipe has more UV stabilizers than the plumbing white pipe. Also use the 1 inch pipe rather that 3/4. Its a lot stronger.

TCgardening wrote:I have a 3/4" emt bender, the conduit trellis is stronger than with the 90 degree fittings. I also use the steel conduit fittings rather that the brittle zinc fitting for added strength.
 A buddy told me when he buys the conduits at HD he grabs one of their benders off the shelf and uses it in the store. Great idea, the conduit costs the same and only takes a few minutes to do. I'll bet the clerk will even help you. Why didn't I think of that...
 If you use PVC the electrical grey pipe has more UV stabilizers than the plumbing white pipe. Also use the 1 inch pipe rather that 3/4. Its a lot stronger.

My brother is an electrician and maybe he has on of those benders but you mentioned the 1" pipe so first I am stuck between 2 legs or 3.

Since I first went to PVC I used 6' rebar so it sticks out of the ground 3.5' but I think it is 1/2" as Mel suggested and am concerned about to much "play" in a 1" conduit leg.  But if it was not an issue I may chance 2 legs.

Any thoughts?

I now use 3/4" conduit on all my trellis and three legs on an 8' bed.  I hate to see the top bar sagging.
If I were using cattle panel instead of the nylon netting, I might only use two legs.

yolos wrote:I now use 3/4" conduit on all my trellis and three legs on an 8' bed.  I hate to see the top bar sagging.
If I were using cattle panel instead of the nylon netting, I might only use two legs.

How high do you make your trellis?  All my tomatoes grew over the top of my trellis my mid August 

How tall do you mind climbing? I stopped at 8 feet tall with 1/2 EMC.

floyd1440 wrote:

yolos wrote:I now use 3/4" conduit on all my trellis and three legs on an 8' bed.  I hate to see the top bar sagging.
If I were using cattle panel instead of the nylon netting, I might only use two legs.

How high do you make your trellis?  All my tomatoes grew over the top of my trellis my mid August 

I use texas tomato cages for 6 of my tomatoes (I bought these before starting SFG but they are good and sturdy so I keep using them).  I then use crummy tomato cages for the rest of the tomatoes with an 8' stake in the middle of the cage.  I use the EMT trellis for beans, cucumbers, peas and sweet potatoes.  I use 8 ft, 3/4 EMT, nylon netting.  I pound rebar into the ground and slip the EMT legs over the rebar.  Then I also attach the legs to the side of the beds using EMT straps.  It is overkill, but I do it any way.  I am afraid of making the trellis the full height of the EMT (10').

yolos wrote: I pound rebar into the ground and slip the EMT legs over the rebar.  Then I also attach the legs to the side of the beds using EMT straps.  It is overkill, but I do it any way.  I am afraid of making the trellis the full height of the EMT (10').

Same here for the 8' trellises. My husbands trims the 10 footers to 8'. I use plumbers tape instead of EMT straps.

sanderson wrote:

yolos wrote: I pound rebar into the ground and slip the EMT legs over the rebar.  Then I also attach the legs to the side of the beds using EMT straps.  It is overkill, but I do it any way.  I am afraid of making the trellis the full height of the EMT (10').

Same here for the 8' trellises.  My husbands trims the 10 footers to 8'.  I use plumbers tape instead of EMT straps.

Sanderson - I have a whole pile of leftover 2' pieces of EMT (about 20 of them).  I keep looking at them and trying to come up with some idea about what to use them for.  Have you got any ideas.

OM Goodness! Me, too! Plus some 1 footers because my boxes are 4' long.

No, I haven't found a use for them. I really, really hate to throw away any leftovers cuz, I just know, I will find out that I needed them! We need help.

Floyd,
Sorry for the confusion, If you use PVC try the 1 inch PVC.

If you use EMT use 3/4 inch EMT, the trellis is stronger if you bend the 90s.
 Craig

yolos wrote:

Sanderson - I have a whole pile of leftover 2' pieces of EMT (about 20 of them).  I keep looking at them and trying to come up with some idea about what to use them for.  Have you got any ideas.

sanderson wrote:OM Goodness!  Me, too!   Plus some 1 footers because my boxes are 4' long.

No, I haven't found a use for them.  I really, really hate to throw away any leftovers cuz, I just know, I will find out that I needed them!  We need help.

I use these short pieces at the corners of my boxes to keep the garden hose from jumping the sides and damaging plants in the beds. I also use them for small fence posts, like if I want to run string around the carrot foliage that is falling into adjacent squares. I also will use them as individual stakes for shorter top heavy flowers and the like.

I stick them together to make the horizontal ridge poles on my hoop houses.

boffer wrote:I stick them together to make the horizontal ridge poles on my hoop houses.

Are you talking about pvc pieces or emt pieces boffer.  I am talking emt pieces.

yolos wrote:

boffer wrote:I stick them together to make the horizontal ridge poles on my hoop houses.

Are you talking about pvc pieces or emt pieces boffer.  I am talking emt pieces.

I know the question was addressed to Boffer but EMT is the metal conduit, yes? that's what I was talking about in my previous post.

My bad; I was looking at sanderson's new PVC hoop houses in another thread and had PVC on the brain.

camprn wrote:

yolos wrote:

Sanderson - I have a whole pile of leftover 2' pieces of EMT (about 20 of them).  I keep looking at them and trying to come up with some idea about what to use them for.  Have you got any ideas.

sanderson wrote:OM Goodness!  Me, too!   Plus some 1 footers because my boxes are 4' long.

No, I haven't found a use for them.  I really, really hate to throw away any leftovers cuz, I just know, I will find out that I needed them!  We need help.

I use these short pieces at the corners of my boxes to keep the garden hose from jumping the sides and damaging plants in the beds. I also use them for small fence posts, like if I want to run string around the carrot foliage that is falling into adjacent squares. I also will use them as individual stakes for shorter top heavy flowers and the like.

Camp, thanks your input. I have one corner box where the hose constantly beheads the plants!

Floyd,
 Sorry for the confusion.
If you use 3/4 inch EMT there will be no sag. If you have access to a conduit bender the trellis will be much stronger. I had no problems with the top bar sagging last year, had cantaloupes, Seminole squash, pole beans and cucumbers growing on my 3 trellises.
 If you must use PVC try the 1 inch.

 Good luck!
 Craig

TCgardening wrote:Floyd,
 Sorry for the confusion.
If you use 3/4 inch EMT there will be no sag. If you have access to a conduit bender the trellis will be much stronger. I had no problems with the top bar sagging last year, had cantaloupes, Seminole squash, pole beans and cucumbers growing on my 3 trellises.
 If you must use PVC try the 1 inch.

 Good luck!
 Craig

I think I will go with the conduit.  But with three legs do they make a T or do I need a PVC T?

floyd1440 wrote:

TCgardening wrote:Floyd,
 Sorry for the confusion.
If you use 3/4 inch EMT there will be no sag. If you have access to a conduit bender the trellis will be much stronger. I had no problems with the top bar sagging last year, had cantaloupes, Seminole squash, pole beans and cucumbers growing on my 3 trellises.
 If you must use PVC try the 1 inch.

 Good luck!
 Craig

I think I will go with the conduit.  But with three legs do they make a T or do I need a PVC T?

You could use something like this although I never have.  Can't remember if they were too expensive or just not readily handy when I needed them or maybe you had to order too many at one time.

http://www.simplifiedbuilding.com/store/components/kee-klamp.html

I use PVC T's.  I wrap the PVC T and the horizontal bar with duct tape (only where the T meets the horizontal bar) to keep the  T's from sliding around.  some people use a screw thru them into the EMT.  Warning - if you use a PVC T, the middle leg with the PVC T will need to be a slightly different length than the end legs.  The middle leg goes up all the way thru the PVC T to the horizontal EMT.  But for the end legs using the EMT corners, the legs don't go all the way up thru the corner.


This last year I made an 8' trellis with 3/4" EMT without a middle leg.  I noticed there was no bowing in the middle of the 8' length.  But I only planted pole beans on it and don't know if it would bow if planting watermelon or some other heavy crop.

There are T's for EMT. More like an electrical T-junction box. Yolos made a good point about the middle pole needing to be a little taller than the 2 flanking poles if you use a PVC Tee instead.

"I use PVC T's.  I wrap the PVC T and the horizontal bar with duct tape (only where the T meets the horizontal bar) to keep the  T's from sliding around.  some people use a screw thru them into the EMT.  Warning - if you use a PVC T, the middle leg with the PVC T will need to be a slightly different length than the end legs.  The middle leg goes up all the way thru the PVC T to the horizontal EMT.  But for the end legs using the EMT corners, the legs don't go all the way up thru the corner."

Good think you told me that as I was going to get them all cut at the store!!!!!!

I do like the link you posted Yolos but it is more expensive than the EMT legs though.  The do look like they would last however.  Will go shopping this weekend for stuff.