DIY Copper Trellis Tutorial

Are you ready for Spring?  I know I am!  We had an easy Winter here in Michigan, but I'm still excited for the warm days of Spring.  I'm most excited about being able to get back in the yard and garden.  I made this copper trellis last Winter and had it out in the yard last Summer.  It's an easy project and can make a huge impact in your landscaping.  This is the perfect project to make now during the last couple of weeks of Winter as you wait for Spring!

Supplies you will need:

A.  (7) 5' long 1/2 diameter copper pipes

B.  (24) copper tees; 1/2" size

C.  (4) end caps; 1/2" size

D.  (4) 45 degree connectors; 1/2" size

E.  (2) 90 degree connectors; 1/2" size

F.  Gorilla Glue

G.  Pipe or tube cutter (make sure you buy one designed for copper or brass)

H.  Permanent marker

I.  Tape measure

OK, now you can get to work cutting your copper pipes!  Here's what you need:

- (14) 10" long pieces

- (16) 1" long pieces

- (8) 20" long pieces

- (4) 12" long pieces

- (2) 10.5" long pieces

Use your tape measure and permanent marker to mark where you will need to cut.  The pipe cutter takes a bit getting used to, but once you do, it's very easy to use.

Now, the fun part!  Make sure to wear gloves to protect your hands when you glue your pipe together.  Trust me, the Gorilla Glue is strong stuff - you do not want it on your skin!

Gather 4 of the 10" pipe lengths and 8 copper tees.  Glue one tee to each end.  Squeeze glue to the inside of the tees, and insert pipe.   Use a flat surface so that the tees are lined up on each side. 

Next, gather 4 of the 1" pieces.  Glue to the inside of 2 of the copper tees and pipe units.  See photo below:

Place the 2 pipe units without the 1" pieces standing upright on a flat surface.  Take the 2 units with the 1" pieces and place perpendicular to the other units.  Glue together at 4 connection points.

This photo explains what I'm talking about a little better.  The 1" pieces disappear between the 2 tee pieces.

Repeat this entire process two more times until you have a total of 3 units that look just like the photo above. 

Let pieces dry for several hours or overnight.

Now, take 4 of the 20" long pieces and glue to one of the units you made earlier. 

Glue another unit on top of the 20" pipes and then glue on 4 more 20" pieces. 

Glue the final unit to the top of the (4) 20" pieces.  Glue 4 more of the 1" pieces to the very top.

Almost done!  Glue a 45 degree connector piece to each of the 1" pieces at the top.  Glue the 45 degree connector so that it is facing the center of the trellis.

Take one of the 90 degree connector pieces and glue a 10" piece to each side.

Glue to two of the 45 degree connector pieces on the trellis located at opposite corners.

Take the other 90 degree connector piece and glue a 10.5" piece to each side.  Glue this to the 2 remaining 45 connector pieces on the trellis.

Glue an end cap to each end of the 12" long pipe pieces.  Place the trellis on its side and glue each of the 12" pieces to the bottom the trellis.  Let dry overnight before using.

Here is a shot of the trellis after I finished it but before anything was growing on it:

Here are a few completed photos.  Like I mentioned, it was Winter when I made this, so I was thrilled when the weather warmed up and I was able to put the trellis to good use in our landscaping.  I found the perfect spot in our front yard and planted Morning Glories at the base of the trellis.

The Morning Glories seemed to love the trellis - they grew like crazy!

By August, the trellis was almost completely covered in vines.  I think it's so pretty and I loved how it looked in our front landscape.  I think I'll be putting it in the same spot this year.

I have a few other recommendations for what to grow on the trellis.  Clematis (A) is one of my favorite perennial vines.  There are so many beautiful varieties.  I'm thinking this copper trellis could be a very elegant and pretty alternative to a traditional tomato cage (B).  Hyacinth Bean (C) is one of my very favorite annual vines!  It grows quickly and the flower spikes are gorgeous.  The flowers dry into pods with seeds.  You can easily dry the seeds and then grow again the following year.

I've shared this post with Marty at her Inspire Me Tuesday Party.

Easy DIY Raised Garden Bed Tutorial

UPDATE:  To see photos of my completed beds with lots of veggies and flowers, follow me on Instagram ( 33shadesofgreen ) where I use the hashtag #DKUlakehousegarden to share photos of my raised beds.

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen the photos I posted of the raised garden beds I built a few weeks ago.  They were so easy to build and I absolutely love how they turned out!  

A Few Notes:

1.  The finished size of my beds is 3'x6'.  This was a manageable size for me since the space where the beds are located is very narrow and I can only access each bed from one size.

2.  I used cedar lumber for my beds.  You don't want to use any treated wood because you don't want the chemicals to leach out into your soil  and into your vegetable garden.

3.  We live on a dune so the area where the beds are located is all sand.  Because of this, I decided to build the beds 18" deep so I could get in lots of good soil and nutrients for the plants.  If you will be placing your beds on an area with soil, you could build them 12" high.  I've even seen beds as low as 6" or 8".

4.  In the materials list, I am only listing enough materials for one bed.  Multiply quantity of supplies by how many beds you would like to build.

5.  Each bed cost around $100 to build (cedar isn't cheap!).

6.  I bought all my lumber at Home Depot and they cut all my boards to size for me (Big shout-out to Erik at the Grandville, MI Home Depot who probably spent 2 hours with me!).  I can't recommend this enough!  The project would have taken me so much longer if I had to measure and cut myself.

Supply List:

- (4) 18" high cedar 4x4's 

- (6) 5/4" x 6" cedar boards cut to 6' (I bought 12' boards and had them cut to 6')
- (6) 5/4" x 6" cedar boards cut to 3' (I bought 12' boards and had them cut to 3')

- (2) 5/4" x 6" cedar boards cut to 18" (These will be used for the intermediate supports)

- Deckmate screws (very important, you don't wan't your screws to rust).  I used the #9 x 3 in size for screwing into the 4x4's and 8 x 1-5/8" for screwing into the intermediate support boards.

- Drill (I used my Dad's trusty Makita and it worked great).

Easy DIY Raised Garden Bed Tutorial:
1.  Lay out two of your 18" 4x4's on a flat, level surface.  Next, lay 3 of your 6' boards on top of the 4x4's, making sure to align the edges with the 4x4's along the sides and the top edge.  Because the 5/4 x 6" boards aren't truly 6" high, you will have a small amount of your 4x4's at the bottom.  I thought this was OK because it makes a nice base for the beds.  Screw in all boards into the 4x4's.  I used two screws at each end of the 6' boards.

2.  Repeat with the boards you need for the other 6' side of the bed.  Since I made 4 beds total, I put together all 8 of my 6' side panels first.

That's me - proof that I built these.  All by myself, I might add :)

The photo below shows all of my finished 6' panels.  They went together so quickly!

3.  Take one of your 18" long 5/4 x 6 boards and place in the middle of one of your 6' side panels.  Screw in using the smaller size screw.  I installed these on what would become the inside of the beds so that it wouldn't be noticeable once the bed had dirt in it.  Repeat will all 6' long end panels.

Below is a better shot:

4.  Stand up 2 of your 6' end panel sections.  If you are doing this on a flat surface, they will stand up on their own.  Place approximately 3' apart so you can screw in the 3' boards.

5.  Starting at the bottom, screw in one 3' board to connect the side panels.  Now, go to the other side and repeat.  Repeat with the other two boards on each side.  That's it...Your raised beds are complete!

Can you believe how easy that was?  Four beds took me approximately 2 hours to build. Like I said - It was so much easier that I thought it would be.

Here are the beds installed in our side yard:

The beds are now filled with soil (I used a mixture of soil, peat moss, and vermiculite) and are just waiting to be planted.  I will be back to post more photos and progress shots of the garden!

To see finished photos of the raised beds, follow me on Instagram @33shadesofgreen where I use hastag #DKUlakehousegarden to share garden photos!