Simple Grapevine Trellis | Wood Free Trellising Without Cement

Today we give a step by step tutorial on how we set up our vineyard trellis.
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#grapevine
#trellising
#grapevinetrellis
#azgardening
#azgrapes
#azvineyard
#desertvineyard

[@MakeitTryitDIYit]

Best trellis build I’ve seen so far. Thank you!!!!❤

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one and it really does well for us!

[@tim9430]

I love the way you and your wife work so well together. That in itself is a beautiful thing. And thanks for the excellent presentation. I'll be scaling it down to just 2-4 vines in my back yard. Thanks much.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Tim. Thank you for the kind words. We met at work over 26 years ago, so we've been working together our whole lives! This setup will do well for you with a few vines. The challenge with this is when you have too many vines on one row!

[@tim9430]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm ...and it looks like it, the way y'all broke down and fine-tuned each process to accommodate each other and get 'er done. It could also go un-said, but I would like to acknowledge that while you both are attractive young people you chose modesty and didn't exploit your lovely wife by having her do it in a bikini. A good honest demonstration of how two people can accomplish much together and be able to say at the end of it...Look what WE did. My wife and I started our first back yard garden. We subscribed and will be checking back for more ideas I'm sure. Til then thanks.

[@davidschleicher2421]

Thank you very much for the info on the tees and elbows, there on order. I also wanted to thank you for your excellent videos and hope to see more. Thanks again, Dave

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you're enjoying the content and finding it useful. This trellis design is holding up quite nicely.

[@jadynhicks5570]

Very informative and perfect timing for me personally! Thank you for your videos, it’s super helpful for me and my own personal urban gardening efforts here in the AZ desert.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Jadyn. Glad you're finding the content helpful. We have some unique challenges here in AZ, but we're hopeful folks will be encouraged to give some of this a shot. Glad to hear you're on the same road we are!

[@lwjenson]

Thanks so much for this video! We just built a replica of this in our yard! We did a version for 3 grape vines! So excited to plant them next week!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

You're going to really like this setup. The only thing we've added are a few more wires between the 3 and 6' levels. One at 4.5' and then one between 3 and 4.5' and one between 4.5 and 6'. Hopefully that makes sense!

[@TheFatTheist]

Just love your channel! I am very impressed with the look of that trellis. It will be beautiful when covered with grapes.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Thanks for the encouragement and while it may not be the most impressive looking thing, it definitely does the job!

[@chrisj9684]

Thank you man, this is exactly what I was looking for! Really appreciate it.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad to hear it Chris!

[@michaelagibbs9695]

Loved the bloopers 😂😂😂 I'm looking forward to see how train these grapes so I have a reference for spur pruning. My first bunch of grapes is nearly ripe 😍 I'm so excited.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Michaela! Yeah, we had a pretty good laugh when it happened and again when we watched this again yesterday. You'll have to send us pics of that first harvest of grapes. How exciting!

[@michaelagibbs9695]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm I'd love to send pics but don't think I can do that here.

[@nythinggoes]

I found your channel in January as I was researching chill requirements for a particular apple variety. I started watching from the oldest first and since I'm in Tucson I can relate. I got to this video last week just as I was planning my small 4 vine "vineyard" and just finished my trellis using your suggestion and it turned out great. Thanks. However, just pounding in the 5 tposts for my trellis into the hard AZ soil I was really wanting to come up and borrow your gas powered post pounder!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Woohoo! Glad to hear you're adding grapevines into the mix here in AZ. I think you'll actually have better production down in Tucson with that slightly cooler weather. More chill hours and not quite as hot during the summer. As for pounding the t-posts, I'm right there with you! We went without one on the old property, but as soon as we started figuring the number of posts we would place each year it was a no brainer. That thing is a life saver!

[@danielfisch655]

Great job, thank you for sharing another informative video. We've never tried growing grapes but that might change.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Daniel, it's definitely worth the effort as they taste very good. Even if you're not going to make them into wine!

[@danielfisch655]

Edge of Nowhere Farm my daughters love grapes so I might have to do it.

[@verachka7536]

Very detailed explanation! Thanks! I was just wandering about how you did it in order to improve our grapevine trellis!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Vera! Glad you found this one useful. We're hoping it encourages folks to give grapes a shot. With a little TLC they grow so well for us here.

[@nicklloyd9165]

Good ideas and clear video.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you found this one useful Nick!

[@cambrienelson]

You made this trellis 3 years ago. How is it holding up? Any regrets or things you would change about it?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We've had no issues at all with this trellis system so far. The only thing we've had to add are additional wires above the 3' level. We added a 4.5' wire last year and this year will be adding 2 more. One between the 3 and 4.5' level and another between 4.5 and 6'. The gap is just too much for young shoots to reach without those wires.

[@suzisaintjames]

8:37 here's another place a story stick would save time constantly marking. What's a story stick... Measure & cut the first one and use that to cut every other one... just hold the story stick on the stock and cut, no marking required. Hint: aways use the same story stick so any inaccuracies don't amplify. 💖🌞🌵😷

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Another great suggestion.

[@apogeus2]

informative! thx and plse continue

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Thanks for the comment and we'll keep the content coming as best we can!

[@anngoulding3020]

We're just getting ready to set this up. On the ends where you attached the pipe to the t post, did you sink it or is it just attached to the post???

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We didn't sink the EMT pipe as it's just there to reinforce the t-post where the wires are placed. This keeps the post from bowing in too much from the pressure.

[@jonahrudy6949]

Couple questions. The posts look about 6' apart. Is this correct? Also, do you think that the top bar is needed if it's used for a smaller application like just 2 or three grapevines in one row? I really like this idea of using the u channel posts for such an application like this and I appreciate you putting in the time to make this video.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Yes, they are 6' apart which we've found to be about ideal for most grape varieties. The top bar gives the whole system the rigidity it needs to support the weight of the grapes. Without it the t-posts would struggle to support the weight of the vines along with the grapes. If it's a short run you may be able to get away with it.

[@smoothlarryhughes]

Very informative - can you share where you got the T fittings from? I found something similar at lowes today but they were way too big to fit 3/4 inch EMT conduit.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey there James. When we installed this back in 2020 we were able to source all of the conduit fittings from Lowes. We had to purchase them online though as they did not stock them in the store. Here's a link to the 3/4" tee; www.lowes.com/pd/SteelTek-3-4-in-x-90-Degree-Silver-Galvanized-Steel-Structural-Pipe-Fitting-Short-Tee/999930890 You have to crank them down all the way to hold the 3/4" EMT, but it does work.

[@JesusFreakJene]

Hi you two 🙂 I have never seen a gas powered post driver. Its very cool. Ive used the old style driver and they are really exhausting. Ty for showing the t-post install. How long do you think it took to drive those 50+ posts? Have a blessed day 🙏

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Jen! That post driver is a real life saver. The manual ones really are exhausting, even in soft ground! I think it took us a couple of hours to get everything measured and driven into the ground. Filming the first part of it took almost as long as driving the rest of them!

[@JesusFreakJene]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm WoW! Thats awesome 👍 ty for the specifics 🙂

[@suzisaintjames]

Instead of wasting time with masking tape or constantly measuring, 5:38 cut a 6-foot stick and hold it up against the t-post. Truthfully, I'd cut the story stick the length from the ground to the bottom of the white line in the post. That way you don't have to remove the driver to measure. Also, get you a level to measure plumb, sure beats all that walking back and forth. 💖🌞🌵😷

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

That sure sounds like the right way to go.

[@guamlegalmovement6713]

Thanks for sharing. Do you bury the conduit piping for the corner posts or just place upright leaning against the t post? Thanks 🙏

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We did not bury the conduit on the corners. We just sandwiched them in between the 2 corner t-posts.

[@guamlegalmovement6713]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Gotcha. Thanks. I may try something like this design.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@guamlegalmovement6713 You will have to let us know how it goes. Would love to see pictures of what you decide to do!

[@guamlegalmovement6713]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm I wish we could share pictures on here. I am not using the trellis for grapes atm but, securing the screen end posts (or corners) to prevent sagging was a concern. I may take a cheaper route with PVC since my weather may permit a medium life span. I got the idea from the video below. Hope all is well and thanks for your response. 😃 kzbin.info/www/bejne/mHSvhK2wfc-cbq8

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@guamlegalmovement6713 If you're able to swing the PVC it will be a bit less expensive, that's for sure.

[@hiddenvalleyfarmstead]

Ok. That's VERY helpful!!! How far apart do you play the vines themselves? Do you plant one at every T-post?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We plant one in the middle of each t-post, so they are about 6' apart.

[@hiddenvalleyfarmstead]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm I see. That makes sense!!! Thank you!!!

[@chocalatekid8024]

So does horizontal pipe on the top keep the tposts from bowing in?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Yes, it does that as well as holding the weight of the fruit easily.

[@butterflyj685]

Great video! Do you think your trellis is strong enough to support kiwi vines too?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

If you use similar spacing between posts (here it was 6 feet) I would think you would be ok. The key is the 3/4" EMT piping vs wire at the top. This way the tubing helps take the brunt of the weight and it is only limited to what sets between those 2 posts.

[@glenngoudeau1428]

Thank you for your reply. One more question. What fertilizer and when do you apply.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We follow the same fertilizing schedule for grapes as we do for the remainder of our fruit trees. For us here that's February, May and September. We use composted manure for most of our fruiting trees, but any good fruit tree fertilizer would be fine for grapes. One thing with grapes is they don't need a lot of fertility to do well, so you can be very frugal with your usage on grapevines.

[@davidschleicher2421]

Where do you purchase your 3/4” elbows and tees? I can’t find them at regular stores or electrical supply warehouses. Thank you, Dave

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We buy those online from Lowes. I'll link to the 3/4" tee for you here and you should be able to track down everything else you need from there; www.lowes.com/pd/SteelTek-3-4-in-x-90-Degree-Silver-Galvanized-Steel-Structural-Pipe-Fitting-Short-Tee/999930890

[@boinerz]

Though I've watched you two work many times now, I stand in awe-filled respect still. The depth of your planning and your attention to detail are amazing. It will result in a beautiful farm you can be very proud of. There's only one thing I don't understand about how you work: Why come does it seem that Lori works twice as hard as the hired help? ;)

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Yeah, we've spent 2 years planning most of this, so it's finally a matter of putting the muscle behind the plan. Fortunately for me (Duane), Lori is a good percentage of that muscle!

[@jonathanravenhilllloyd2070]

Are these T-posts a LOT cheaper than wooden ones? I know in a lot of Spain they use wooden posts, U-nails, wire and these wee tensioning clips.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Great question Jonathan and for us here they are less expensive than wooden posts. On top of that, they last decades with no degradation. They would not work for long runs of trellising as you wouldn't be able to put enough tension to hold up the wires. For short runs like these they work great.

[@alzhang74]

Is the EMT reinforcement sits on the ground level or inside the soil? Also what's the size of the allen bolts? Where do you place the grapevine? Sorry I'm not very handy and need help with specifics. thanks

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

The EMT is not perfectly level, but we measured from the ground level to the top of the t-posts and tried to hit 6'. I'm not sure what size the Allen bolts are on the fittings, but a small set of Allen wrenches will do the trick. I'll link to a couple of videos here of us planting the vines; kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4uxkIlqnrZ-fdk kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJ-Vk4GmlselqKc Hopefully this helps!

[@alzhang74]

I'm still looking for the galvinized tie wire. can you please put a link? thanks

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@alzhang74 I'll link to an option on Amazon for you here, but it may be a bit expensive compared to what you can typically find in hardware stores; amzn.to/458WEko

[@alzhang74]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm I bought the wire from amazon but when it arrived today, I don't know how to bend it. It's 9 gauge, very thick. Did you use a 9 gauge utility wire to tie the EMT? thanks

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@alzhang74 hmm, I don't recall the exact gauge to be honest. I'm trying to go back and see if we have it noted anywhere, but if you're not able to bend it that's not going to work. I know 14 gauge is way too thin for the main wire and we have used 12 gauge wire for the areas between the 3' and 6' levels. There are a few 12 gauge options on Amazon as well, so you may need to exchange that.

[@Dave-fp3uh]

Hi, I tried to play the video over and over. Just trying to figure out exactly how you attach the 8 inch piece of EMT to the Tpost? Does the EMT fit right in the sides of the 'T' bracket and you just twist wire to secure? It doesn't move after that? thanks

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Dave. We didn't do a very good job of catching that, but it saddles into the "inside" of the tpost pretty well and then you use the galvanized tie wire to keep it up against the post. We only used a single piece of wire and it's staying in there fine, but 2 pieces might be needed to ensure it doesn't shift on you. If that doesn't make sense, email us and I can send you a pic of what it looks like. Our email is in the About tab here on KZbin.

[@glenngoudeau1428]

Would this hold up in Louisiana with hurricanes and rain?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

That's a good question Glenn and I wouldn't be able to say for sure. We do get strong monsoon storms with winds upwards of 100mph, but those are very rare. Also, our soil is EXTREMELY hard with the caliche, clay and lack of rain. These posts will literally break before they can be pulled from the ground.

[@adamagent2002]

Would you recommend 10ft spacing?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Bobby. I suppose you definitely could add some additional spacing. We use 6' spacing as it allows us to get more vines in the same space and maximize production. Typical commercial vineyard spacing is 6-8', so we're just mimicking that here. That being said, really aggressive growers (like Thompson) would easily fill up that space with vine growth alone. Just keep in mind, the majority of fruit production is on the first 2-3' of vine growth each season and the roots can only support a certain amount of fruit production to ripen. If you go with a larger space (and fill it accordingly), you may need to thin a bit more to ensure fruit ripening.

[@adamagent2002]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm I am growing muscadines that are spaces 20 feet apart. So I was thinking of planting my vines beside a post for support then trellis them 10’ each direction

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@adamagent2002 ah, ok. Muscadines are a bit different and we don't grow them out this way!

[@kennhurt5636]

What brand is your t post driver?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We bought it from Amazon a couple of years ago. I'll link to it here for you; amzn.to/35T4Lr2

[@glenngoudeau1428]

So I see lots of videos on growing grapes with no mention of soil ph. Why?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

I can only speak for our soil here, but it's extremely high PH. The PH on our soil testing results was 8.4, so VERY alkaline. With that our vines grow very strong and put on a tremendous amount of fruit. This with the majority of our vines on their own rootstock (essentially grown from rooted cuttings), so nothing in the root stock that would combat high alkalinity.

[@jamesjustice859]

Lol. I built homes out there.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

That is still a popular activity around here! Where were you building homes?

[@jamesjustice859]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm I was working in phase 2 of the RJ Springer communities.

[@thomasash4100]

Lots of 4' wasted conduit pieces,.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We actually re-use the vast majority of those pieces (and continue to even today). The smaller ones to weigh down our bird netting around our garden beds and the longer ones we use as stakes for our temporary pest cages around new plantings.

[@Rose-f2t]

So much non-sense. If you go to a commercial wine vineyard farm you don't see a pipe on top of the posts.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

This setup works great in our environment on our scale. Now on to more nonsense.

[@endoftherope]

Screw a mobile home anchor behind the last post to anchor it

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

That would be a good addition.