Lattice Construction

Since my 4x4 garden is small I need the plants to grow vertically, especially the vine-like tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini.  For them to stay vertical they need to hang onto something.  At the garden center I found a 6 inch square steel grid made of stiff wire about 1/16" in diameter.  The "sheet" cost about $7 and measured 4 feet by 7 feet.  This grid needed something to hold it upright.  This becomes critical later on in the growing season when it is covered with vegetation and weighed down with fruit.  In a strong wind this grid with vegetation can act like a sail and get pushed around without proper support.  At first I thought about using 1/2 inch steel pipe, often called 'black pipe', but the cost was ridiculous.  I settled on 3/4 inch PVC pipe which cost less than $2 for a 10 foot length.  It wasn't quite as stiff as I wanted, but the price was right.


Next, I cut the 10 foot pipe to a length of about 6 feet (you need two 6 foot lengths of pipe).  Then, I attached a 6 foot piece to one side of the grid right next to a vertical wire and, using 8 inch nylon cable ties from Wal*Mart, I secured the pipe to the wire.  Starting at the bottom of the grid I came up about 1 foot to clear the 2x10 wood frame and cinched the cable tie around the PVC pipe and the vertical wire in the grid.  Going on up I did the same thing about every 2 feet making sure that the wire grid was firmly attached to the PVC pipe at the top.

After attaching the second 6-foot length of pipe to the opposite side of the grid I stood the grid upright and set it along one side of the 4x4 frame.  To hold the grid in place be sure to sandwich the grid between the PVC pipe and the 2x10 wood frame.  Using 3/4-inch pipe straps and 1 - 5/8 inch deck screws I attached the pipe/grid combo to the frame.  I just let the pipe/grid sit on the ground while I screwed the pipe clamps in.  Be sure to move the pipe clamps as far away from each other as possible to provide the greatest amount of support to the pipe/grid.  In other words, place one pipe clamp near the bottom of the 2x10 frame and the other near the top of the frame.  Tighten the deck screws all the way until the pipe clamp pulls the pipe/grid tightly against the wood frame.  You may need a helper to initially hold the pipe/grid vertical until you get one side clamped down.  Securely clamp the opposite side.  Now you have a framework for your tomatoes or other vine-like veggy to climb on.  As the plant grows, use sisal twine and gently pull the plant over to the grid and tie it off.  Do not allow the twine to cinch around the plant — it should be loose.  All you want to do is train the plant to travel up the grid.  Last year, as the tomatoes grew, I wove the new growth in and out of the grid.  By the end of the season, none of the twine tie-offs were holding the plant — it naturally hung on the grid and supported itself.  In the case of cucumbers and zucchini, the small tendrils that extend from the main stem find and wrap themselves around the grid and support the vine.


Happy gardening...