Steve B said:


What makes a long life trellis? Metal? Wood? Beams?

I live in a pretty dry climate, 5A zone.

We're putting in the garden, and I want to make a wall of trellis for
whatever we want to plant on it. I just wanted to do this once, so was
looking for long lasting suggestions.

Someone up the road from me advertised for some well drilling pipe, and
sucker rods for fences. Is that any good? I'm a retired welder, so if the
cost is okay .......?

Are creosoted railroad ties any good? We want the wall to block vision, but
also to put some grapes, berries, cukes, and other good trellis growers, and
rotate them around.

For extremely long life, metal.

I have two towers made from copper pipe (in my ornamental gardens) and
several moveable trellises** in the vegetable garden framed with thin-wall
galvanized conduit and one made from natural gas pipe (heavy). The
garden trellises have webbing made from "tomato cage" fence wire, which
has had to be replaced once. If I'd used concrete reinforcing wire it would
likely not have needed replacing yet.

These have all lasted for many years, while some decorative PVC and
treated-wood tellises rapidly declined.

**These have extended "legs" which are slipped into larger diameter tubing
which has been sunk into the ground.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

"Yes, swooping is bad."

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