North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Jolyn" <jolyn@tctwest.net>]

Re: Bill's T-Post System
There is a hardware bracing system for T-posts called Wedge-Loc.  Works very 
well.  Their website shows local dealers (usually farm supply stores).
Jolyn
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>
To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 11:16 AM
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Simple Grapevine Trellis


> > I have a few young grape vines that are currently grown on the
> > neighbor's chain fence. I'm looking to add a simple trellis that will
> > be higher than the fence, around 4'-6'.
>
>
> I almost hate to post this, because it will demonstrate just how lazy I
> am. But it seems to work for me. I am certainly not going to pretend
> this is the best way to do it, but then, I don't have a vineyard. I just
> wanted to grow some grapes in my backyard. (I had more than I could eat
> last year,... so I'm planting more this spring. Go figure!)
>
> I just drove 8 ft. steel fence posts (t-posts) along the inside of my
> chainlink fence and then ran clothesline cable (easy to work with, dirt
> cheap, and 34 lb. load limit) between them, one at the very top (about 5
> 1/2 ft. high or so, I guess) and one halfway to the top of the fence.
>
> My biggest concern was the wind, which gets very strong here on the
> Great Plains. You do need to find some way to brace it, so the whole
> thing doesn't blow over sideways. But here is my experience, so far:
>
> 1. The clothesline cable seems to work fine. It sags just a little (I
> only pulled it hand tight), but I can't see why that's a problem. I just
> want a scaffold for the grapevine to grow. I don't know how long it will
> last, but it's real cheap and easy to work with. I can always replace
> it, if necessary (especially since grapes are pruned back so drastically
> every spring).
>
> 2. I didn't know that steel t-posts came in 8 ft. lengths when I first
> tried this, so I tried regular 8 ft. garden poles (aluminum, with a
> hollow center). For the most part, they held up better than I should
> have expected, but a few bent too far and are now creased. Once that
> happens, they don't have any horizontal strength at all. It didn't
> really hurt anything last year (I had to run a temporary brace), but I'm
> replacing them all with steel t-posts this year. And I'm going to place
> the posts only 4 ft. apart along the fence, much closer than I had the
> garden poles.
>
> 3. The top sways in the wind, which is just fine with me. I just didn't
> want it to blow over. Our normal winds are from the west, and I put the
> posts on the east side of my chainlink fence. And I did connect the
> posts to the fence, loosely. You have to be careful of this, because you
> can easily pull your fence to one side, at least in the middle - and
> especially where there's a gate. I wouldn't rely on the chainlink fence
> to hold this up, not entirely, anyway (it will help, though).
>
> But I've got a lot of fruit trees on both sides, and I'm using steel
> t-posts to keep them upright, too. So I'm running one line of
> clothesline cable from the top of those, too, on both sides of the
> fence. What I'm trying to do is have a network of support. The whole
> thing should sway wildly in the wind, but I'm expecting it to be broad
> enough to keep everything from leaning too far. And there's enough give
> to it all that no one point should have too much of the load. Well,
> that's the idea, anyway.
>
> I didn't have this part set up last year (as I say, I'm expanding the
> whole thing with more grapevines this year), but I'm pretty confident it
> will work. Even without that, and using flimsy poles for the whole
> thing, it worked pretty well. And if it doesn't,... well, it was cheap
> and very easy and I'll just have to think of something else then.
>
> Another advantage is that my grapes take up almost no room at all. I can
> grow all the grapes I can possibly eat, and still have room for dwarf
> fruit trees. The chainlink fence (which runs north-south) was there
> already, after all, and I own both sides of it. (However, in your case,
> if it's your neighbor's fence, I don't suppose you'll be able to run
> cable from his side to brace it - or to fasten to the fence itself.
> You'll have to work out a different set of bracing. Can't help you there.)
>
> I just thought this might give you some ideas. As I say, I'm sure it's
> not the BEST system, but I wouldn't ever build something like that. This
> is cheap and easy and gives me plenty of grapes, so far. And it doesn't
> take up much room - any room, really - so I can go wild planting other
> fruit everywhere else. Heh, heh. I have to admit, though, that my grapes
> have been the easiest thing to grow and the easiest thing to pick - they
> seem to take almost no work at all. And after eating my grapes, I can't
> handle the grocery store varieties. There's just no comparison.
>
> Good luck,
>
> Bill
> Lincoln, NE
>
> --
> Where it is a duty to worship the sun, it is pretty sure to be a crime
> to examine the laws of heat. - John Morley
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