Trellis for pole beans/tomatoes: What is the best option for trellises on a budget?
458306
If you want a cheap, strong trellis, make one using electrical conduit and rebar. All you'll need to buy is the conduit, a couple of corners, and the rebar to pound into the ground. Add some netting, and you're good to go.
1160085
Hi, I bought one and am quite satisfied. It comes with substantial footings that you can sink into the ground to stabilize the trellis. I didn't use them because mine is agains a wall and I secured it to the wall. The 90 inches is just for the trellis, and does not include the footings. Be careful to follow the instructions in the proper sequence.
2064828
My experience is, this is exactly what you're looking for. I am very happy with this kit. I have had excellent results with it and I too plan to grow herbs and vegetables year-round with it. I have veggies going right now and the tomato's caused me to shirk the aluminum frame and hang the lamp from a shelf (above) so I could get enough height between it and the tomato's. I have everything growing in a closet and it's perfect. I will probably buy another kit to take advantage of a second (higher) shelf (for the herbs). I did a lot of looking around and this whole kit is cheaper than just buying a light and bulb. On the tech side, seemingly, the light bulbs give off the correct spectrum of light as my veggies look so healthy and are growing fast. I have it on a timer so they get their 'rest'. Good luck!
1456323
I had landscapers put mine together and fill with topsoil because I have disabilities. They said they didn't recommend it on cement unless you stapled very heavy weight plastic to the inside to prevent soil loss and you'd have to make sure you got plastic that wouldn't have chemicals in it that could leech into your plants. I put mine in the yard, on the grass, and had good luck with them and I have 6 beds. Make sure you get good quality top soil -- I had a yard of it delivered from a local supplier and it was great, black dirt with no stones or stems in it. My landscaper said it was about the best dirt he'd seen and it was under $75 delivered. I hope this helps you decide how you will proceed.
1629378
I love the trellis netting for growing many things but I am not sure it is appropriate for growing grapes which need a much stronger support system, such as wire or wood. I would not use it for that application
2177148
I believe the trellis is sturdy enough for climbing roses. I have clematis growing on mine along with wind chimes hanging from middle of the arch. I live in a pretty windy area and it has weathered many a storm, not to mention all the snow we had last year.
1903119
They give you spikes that you put deeply into the ground. We have secured the trellis to a wall. It is not free standing. And we have had no problems. We live in San Diego where all the high hot winds and fires just occurred. The trellis is fine and the vines are still intact and healthy as well. If you have an existing vine or plant it is difficult to install. We had a 15 year old trumpet vine. I do love the trellis.
642409
I no longer have the instructions. I tried googling instructions for the Hydrofarm GCTR Tomato Trellis and several very helpful links came up.
647361
Sorry to say I don't recall whether the spikes are sufficient; I have it against a wooden fence, and it's fastened. But I can tell you I was impressed with the quality of the trellis. I think you might be able to get away with using just the spikes. Worst case maybe one screw with anchor at the top.
1783679
Yes. It's actually pretty sturdy for the price. Not as sturdy as solid wrought iron, but I grew runner beans, morning glories, and clematis up this trellis last year and they did fine. I would think it could handle one grape vine on each side as long as you pruned them each year.
1915880
I bought the Homestead Step-in Birdfeeder Pole -4025 from Amazon. Works great. It has a plate at the top for mounting to the bottom of the house. Plate is not shown on webpage, which caused a lot of people to ask about it. Easy to assemble. Hope this helps.
1170889
I just received my vertical garden, so I have done any planting yet. I bought mine for strawberries. I would say some veggies would be fine, smaller compact, lightweight veggies. The tomatoes would be too heavy for it. It should be supported in some way with either the base that is made for it or mounted to something stable.
1055115
earthbox is good stuff. however, it does not come with the needed soil, fertilizers, etc. I strongly recommend that you look at their products carefully and then review what you want to accomplish and where. do you need a staking kit? if you are growing tomatoes, you might - or provide your own. I have found the small bag (1.0 cu ft) of miraclegro fills one earthbox. you also need an eartthbox replanying kit - fertilizer, lime, all pre measured. is earthbox expensive. you bet. doers it produce worthwhile results. you bet. they tend to be out of staking kits, etc. it is better to order all of what you need for one growing season before you begin. it is an good use of space and can provide excellent grower-control of your plants. If you are truly serious about growing this is a good option - short of a raised bed system. growums' is another option. I have never used growums, but I would if I could find them...Lowe's has them sometimes, some locations.
1893882
Yes Patio style tomatoes work fine in this. probably no more than 2 plants though
1967046
I have been ordering BXA ones, both Aloris (which is the style) and off brands seem to work just well. The Aloris ones have some neat features but don't come cheap, just an FYI on that one. There are some 10-15 dollar ones floating around if you look and they work great! Let me know if you need anything else.
2168726
I have no idea. It was very sturdy for my pole beans and cucumbers. Also the birds did not get caught in it. I made a frame of pvc pipe and attached the trellis to it. I have used it for two years and it's still holding up well.
1784032
Hi, I used about 3 large bags of high quality potting soil, FoxFarm "Ocean Forest" from a place called Indoor Garden and Lighting: www.indoorgarden.com. It has worked amazing! We put about 500 red wiggler worms in the middle tube and water about once a week. We catch about 4 gallons of the rich nutrients from the soil and organic plant food out of the bottom holes when we water and put that on the rest of our garden. You will be amazed! The soil we used costs a lot on Amazon, but we paid about $14 USD a bag on sale at Indoor Garden and Lighting. You do not want to use the cheap dense soil at the hardware chains, even the expensive ones are not clean like the Ocean Forest Potting Soil. Another one I like is Happy Frog Potting Soil, it is a very high quality soil as well. Good luck and hope that helps! Mike