What is the best design for a small home garden grape arbor?
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Five years ago I planted (3) grape vines. Last year they were hanging over the back fence but that is HOA community property so I had to cut them back. I would really like to build a nice arbor for support and better access to the grapes but have never done one before so not sure how to begin. I have looked at local vineyards and they have a metal post with wire stretched between but I want something a bit nicer than that. My grape area is rather small so I don't think I have enough room to dig to cement post so wondered if I could use the concrete deck supports to hold the posts? Would 4 posts (2 on each end) be better that 2 (1 on each end)? How would this hold up to strong winds? Thank you in advance for any advise. (Sorry, I tried to attach a picture but it wouldn't let me)
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Back in the 80's when we lived in another town we had a concord grape vine that lived on the back of the property. It had no support, so it went over the short fence into the back neighbors property and we never got any grapes because they went over onto the tall shrubs he had. We sunk four 4x4's into the ground for the supports and made three sides to make the three sided Arbor. We put 2x4's between the supports at the bottom, top and middle to keep then square. We also put a 2x4 down the middle of the back for more upright support on the long back wall. We had extra chicken wire from the garden fence and used that cover the back, sides and top, but you can use anything that the grapevines will be able to climb. While waiting for the grape to spread to the sides, we planted gourd seeds or any climbing viney plants. We built a bench for inside the arbor since it wasn't deep enough for anything else, like a table. We enjoyed the seating area frequently when we were tending to yard or garden work. I hope this helps give you some other ideas, Bgray! P.S. We didn't cement in the 4x4's.
Hi, Bgray,
Have you looked at Gardeners Supply for ideas? Perhaps Bob Vila's web site, or Danny Lipford, or This Old House, with Roger Cook.
There must be qualified information at DIYnetwork.com, or similar. I love arbors, but have never been able to afford one. I envy your skill set! I should think the posts you select ( and the depth at which they would need set) would be determined by the wind strength in your area. Do you have a lumber yard nearby to assist you? You'd need to supply info. re: size of grape vines at maturity, etc.