Going Vertical

I'm building seven-foot bean and tomato trellises as a Freudian substitute for actually growing seven-foot beans and tomatoes. 

The plan is to train the tomatoes to climb vertically within their allotted one-square foot of space and not spread and crowd out the other plants in the bed. One does this by pinching off the suckers (shoots) where each leaf meets the stem. An added benefit of trellising is that it keeps the fruit and leaves clear of the ground and also provides the plant with evenly distributed  sunlight, resulting in earlier and larger fruit. We'll see.

I used 3/4 inch electrical conduit which comes in 10 foot lengths. Conduit is much cheaper than the traditionally used iron plumbing pipe, and also far easier to work with. I marked each piece twice: once for the two feet I needed to cut off, and once for the one foot I planned to pound into the ground.

I cut the eight vertical pieces to eight feet in length using a compound miter saw set to a 45 degree angle.

I figured the tapered ends would make it easier to drive the pieces twelve inches into the ground.

I marked each box so the U brackets would be roughly vertical.

Next I loosely attached the U brackets to each box.

I then wiggled each eight-foot vertical piece through the brackets until they touched the ground.

The next few steps required the use of a step ladder. Using a hammer, I tapped each piece until it was roughly six feet above the top of each box. 

Then I cut and connected the horizontal pieces.

The final step is to connect the nylon trellis netting. I bought a five foot by thirty foot net and cut it into four pieces. I then ham-handedly attached each piece until it created a taut grid on each frame.