My Dad shared a handful of his giant bean seeds at the end of the last growing season. We’ve been pretty excited about growing those beans in our own garden because his grew way over our heads and were loaded. I hoped to experience similarly here because plants of that magnitude are kind of cool for kids to cultivate.
Wrap beans in a damp paper towel and set them in a glass on the windowsill. Within a week, they will begin to sprout.
To ensure that the beans could grow tall in our garden, I created what’s possibly the best, very low-cost trellis using PVC pipe, rebar, and jute twine. While I originally wrote the bean trellis tutorial for DIY Network (personal note for memories: this was my first piece of content outside of its blog), I wanted to recap this simple construction here. Not only is it substantial and tall, but it’s easy to make and it only cost $10. Also, it’s so strong that has never blown over! (Editor’s Update 2023: We use this PVC trellis every year and it is as strong and reliable as it was on Day 1.)
Climbing garden plants need a supportive trellis if you want them to grow to their maximum potential. This trellis can be built custom to suit the needs of many different plants. Customize it as you want, and grow plants up to 10 feet tall.
Materials You’ll Need:
- drill with a 3/8″ bit
- ruler
- (3) 10’ PVC conduit piping
- 2” PVC clamp
- (3) rebar
- sledgehammer
- 100′ jute twine
- scissors
- ladder
- tape
- wire
- 1” bolts and nuts
Step 1: Measure Conduit Pipes
Lay three 10’ lengths of PVC conduit piping on the soft ground. Working from one end to the other, leave a dot of marker every 8 inches. Mark the same spot on each piece of PVC as you work down the line to guarantee that the holes will align once standing.
Step 2: Predrill Holes in the PVC
Use the drill to create 3/8” holes at each marker point. The drill bit should go through the entire width of the PVC and pop out the other side.
Step 3: Connect One End
Thread a length of wire through the last set of holes on all three pieces of PVC. This will help reinforce the three pieces together and stabilize the top of the trellis as you work.
Step 4: Set a Rebar Base
Determine how the legs of your tripod trellis will sit in your garden. Use a sledgehammer to install each of the pieces of rebar where the legs will rest.
I used 4’ pieces of rebar and forced them 2’ into the ground to be secure. The rebar pieces should tilt slightly at an angle to mimic how the lengths of PVC will splay to form the tripod.
Step 5: Bend the PVC in Place
Slide the piping onto the rebar. The PVC is flexible enough to bend onto the rebar, but has an elastic memory and will straighten again once in place.
Step 6: Thread Trellis Rails
Thread the jute twine through the holes at each predrilled tier, knotting and rethreading a new tier as you work up the trellis. Alternatively, use one long length and spiral the twine through the holes until you reach the tip. Thanks to your measured, predrilled holes, the rails of the trellis will be perfectly spaced.
This photo was taken several years after the original install, but it shows how I used string one year to assemble the trellis:
Step 7: Add Clamp at Top
Reinforce the top of the trellis with two conduit clamps together where the pipes. Use two bolts to connect the clamps together. Though the wire you initially added to connect the ends may hold on its own, adding the clamp to bind the connection will reinforce the structure.
Step 8: Plant Beans
Plant seeds or seedlings along the base of the trellis and watch them grow! At the end of the season, it lifts easily off the rebar and takes up minimal storage space. We have used it for many, many years.
This tall trellis has worked really well in our garden for nearly a decade!
Our backyard garden has evolved a lot in the last decade. If you want to go down memory lane, do so here: 2013 (crushed by a tree), 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022.
6 Comments
I’m behind on the gardening here too. Tomato plants seem to be a decent size but my marigolds grown from seed are ridiculously small still. Hoping to have red peppers, potatoes, carrots, bush beans and zinnias in the ground by the end of the weekend. Here’s too good growing weather, some rain and yummy eating from our gardens!
I’m so impressed with your gardening! And that bean trellis is genius.
Robert & I managed to plant some grass seed in the bare spots of our front lawn last week, even though it was past the recommended planting time. Something is deflintely sprouting, so fingers crossed it is actually the zoysia we planted and not crabgrass! Althogh it all looks the same when mowed flat, right? haha
Tell me more about how you chose the new grass. Match to existing, or is zoysia what is prominent in your area?
The trellis has been working brilliantly. Thrilled at how easily it came together!
St Augustine grass is prominent in our area, but it’s not very weed or drought tolerant. You might have seen it when you were down this way recently; it has broad, flat leaves, and long runners.
As far as the zoysia, I’d been researching the best grass for North Florida off and on for a few years. I was looking for something relatively slow-growing that is also drought tolerant, and that would do well in full sun or partial shade. My research said zoysia fits all those requirements, although only certain varieties grow well in the shade. (It also apparently turns golden-brown after the first frost, so we may try to overseed with rye in the winter.) Zoysia is supposed to do well in temperate climates, and also grow thick enough to repel most weeds, but it’s apparently hard to grow from seed.
When we got back from our vacation in May there were several big dead patches in our lawn (probably from a combination of the long, hot dry period, and the fact that it got mowed a bit too short), so we took advantage of a rainy, cooler-than-normal week to toss down some seed in those areas and cross our fingers. Seemed like a worthwhile experiment, since one bag of seed was enough to cover the dead patches. We mixed the seed 50/50 with Scott’s Turf Builder Starter for New Grass, and then lightly spread four bags of top soil on top of that (because most of the soil in our area is sandy). It’s been about 2 weeks, and we’re definitely starting to see some spouts, but unfortunately the rain/sprinkler has also revitalized the St Augustine. (And the weeds. But at least it’s green!) My research said we should do another round of Turf Builder Starter soon, and then after a few more weeks we can go back over it with some weed & feed. Hopefully that helps with the dollarweed, dandelions, and crab grass, and then we’ll overseed with more zoysia in the fall.
I can’t say this with certainty, but you might know more about southern grass seed than anyone, ever. You are also always so well-researched, I commend that. Wish you could come ID our grass which is weed-resistant but wide-bladed and lush like I think of Florida grass being. It also goes golden/brown during the winter, but quickly turns back to green in the spring. We haven’t been able to find its match yet, and everything we’ve tried looks thin and wispy in comparison.
You’re too kind! :) I think there are definitely a lot more knowledgeable people, but it helps that my research pointed me to the College of Agriculture (or is it horticulture?) at the University of Florida, which has a lot of information online. Auburn University is another good southern grass resource.
It looks like Cornell has a pretty good site, too, which may help you ID your lawn – http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/ My search also brough up OutsidePride.com, which might be another good source. http://www.outsidepride.com/resources/states/newyork.html
I think you are in Climate Zone 7, and it looks like the most common grasses for that area are Fescue (Tall, KY-31, and Creeping Red), Bentgrass, Bluegrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, and Rye (Annual and Perennial). I’ve also heard some people have had luck with Bermuda and Zoysia in New York, but it sounds like most of them are further south.
What types of grasses have you tried so far? Solely based on your description, I’m wondering if your grass might be KY-31 Fescue, which is a courser, cool season grass that goes dormant when temperatures drop below about 45 degrees. It’s said to grow pretty dense, but can also have a tendency to grow in “clumps”. Kentucky Bluegrass also has a medium leaf texture, but is not as course and doesn’t do very well in partial shade. If you want to send me a photo, I’d be happy to try and help ID it!