DIY Network

Trellis Tips Trellis Tips From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-212

Joe Lamp'l provides background information on the vegetables that he is working with this week, Malabar spinach and tomatillos. Because both varieties like to have something to lean on when they grow, he builds a trellis out of PVC pipe and connectors, going through the building steps one at a time and then moving the finished piece into the garden.

advertisement

Malabar spinach is a tropical plant that grows as an annual in zones 4-7 and year-round in zones 8-12.

Malabar spinach (figure A), a vining plant whose tender stems and leaves are used in Asian and tropical cooking, especially stir-fries and salads, comes in two varieties: red and white (the names refer to the colors of the stems and vines). Although both have dark-green leaves, the leaves of the red variety have slightly red veins (figure B). The tougher stems can be discarded, and frequent harvesting can keep the vine in check and cut down on waste. Like other leafy, dark-green vegetables, Malabar spinach contains many vitamins and nutrients that make it a great choice for health-conscious eaters.

Malabar spinach grows fast: once the vines get going, it's hard to stay ahead of them. If you didn't have a trellis to support the plant, it could cover up your other vegetables, choking off their light and slowing down air circulation. On a support like ours (figure C), the vine can grow quickly and be harvested easily.

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

Trellis materials

Trellis

Note: You need a lot of materials to build this PVC trellis, but they're all fairly inexpensive to buy. Because the trellis will be made of PVC, it won't rot -- it will hold up to weather for years, so you'll be able to reuse it for a long time. Another nice thing about this trellis is that it's lightweight, so one person can move it from bed to bed without too much effort. These supplies are enough to build two A-frame trellises; each section will lean together over the center of the bed. If you need just one trellis, you can cut the materials list in half.

Materials
6'x1/2" thick-walled PVC pipes (26)
PVC right-angle (L-shaped) connectors (16)
PVC T-shaped connectors (24)
PVC primer
Glue
6" zip ties (10)
1" galvanized screws (3)
Hacksaw
Drill

1. Lay out all of the materials on the ground. For each trellis section, lay five pieces of pipe side by side, leaving about a foot of space between them. Then position a piece of pipe along the ends, perpendicular to the five pipes. Set a corner angle at each corner and then place three Ts along each side where the middle pipes touch the end pipes. Repeat these steps for the other trellis sections.

2. Right now your work area looks like a jumble of parts, but you can see where all the PVC pipes and fittings need to be joined. To do this, you have to cut the end pieces into 1' sections so that you can attach the Ts to the inside pipes (figure D). The pipe along the bottom will sit on the ground when the trellis is complete, then each PVC pipe or bar will run horizontally across, with about a foot in between each one. Finally a pipe will go across the top.

3. Work on a flat surface to measure and mark each piece (figure E). Use a hacksaw to make straight and even cuts. This project calls for 32 pieces cut to this size. You will have a few pieces of PVC left over after making the cuts; save them in case you ever need to make a repair (or you may need them for another project).

Figure D

Figure E

4. Use PVC primer to clean and prep the joints before applying the glue. Both the primer and the glue containers have brushes built into the lids (figure F); this makes them easy to use. Make sure that you're ready to go when you apply the glue, as you have only a few seconds before it dries and hardens. To start gluing the trellis pieces together, attach two L-shaped corner brackets to the long PVC pipe that will be the bottom of the trellis (figure G).

Figure F

Figure G

5. Once the corners are installed on the bottom support, begin working your way up the trellis. Clean and glue a 1' section and put it into the other end of the corner L. Then attach a T with the opening facing in toward the center of the trellis (figure H). Repeat this step on the other side of the trellis.

6. Once you have your first set of Ts in place, you need to add a horizontal support to run between them. The best way is to do one side at a time. You have to push the side pieces open a bit to get the support snugly in between them. Be sure you press them into place all the way when you glue them so that the trellis will be square. Otherwise the side may bow out and look uneven. Now repeat these same steps until you get to the top support.

7. Continue building the trellis by adding a set of side supports with T fittings and then connecting another horizontal support. Keep repeating these steps until you have all three in place. Then attach the last two L fittings to the top support and glue them to the rest of the frame. The final trellis section has five horizontal support bars, including the top and bottom pipes (figure I).

Figure H

Figure I

After you've finished the first trellis section, you have three more to go. This will make two A-frame trellises (figure J). The first panel always takes the longest. If you're working at home, get someone to assemble these with you. These can all be built in an afternoon.

Once all of the trellis sections are complete, carry them to the garden bed. Since the trellises are 6' long, you can fit two side-by-side in a 12' bed (figure K), then use long zip ties to secure the tops together so the trellises won't pull apart. Set them up so that two sections are leaning together to make the A-frame design. If you don't have zip ties, you could use pieces of string to tie the trellises together. The important thing is that they don't come apart and damage the plants that are growing on them.

Figure J

Figure K

Malabar spinach, the plant that will grow here, really likes to have something to hold onto as it shoots up. Add some vertical string supports to give it some extra room to attach (figure L). You can put several plants under each side, so four strings on each side should do. You can start by tying it off on the top support and wrapping it around each one below; then a quick knot around the bottom pip, and you're done!

Attach the trellises to the ground with stakes, sandbags or other heavy objects to keep them from blowing down in a storm (figure M). At the end of the season you can just take them out, cut the zip ties on the top and move these trellis panels to another bed or even store them flat in the garage.

Figure L

Figure M