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Home » DIY

updated: Jul 16, 2022 by Kristi 4 Comments

DIY Tomato Trellis with Conduit

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pinterest oin with DIY tomato trellis in backyard garden

How to make a DIY tomato trellis for your garden with EMT conduit that will last years.

It's taken us a few years but we are finally getting serious about our veggie garden. We inherited a mess of a back yard when we moved in 5 years ago and it's been a slow process.

Last year I built 2 DIY raised garden beds from scrap wood and this year is all about a trellis for our tomato plants.

tomato trellis set up in a small raised bed garden

We always use tomato cages but our plants usually outgrow them so I wanted to try something different.

Table of Contents

  • What can I use for a tomato trellis?
  • Supplies to build a conduit tomato trellis
  • How to build a tomato trellis?
  • Check out more of our gardening posts

What can I use for a tomato trellis?

We went round and round with all different kinds of ideas for our tomato garden.

One idea was to use a garden obelisk (like the one I built) or to make a different kind of tomato cage, but I kept coming back to a trellis.

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The original plan was to use 2x2 wood but with the high price of lumber, and knowing that it wouldn't last forever, I went with something that I knew would last years...EMT conduit.

While a piece of conduit is a few dollars more than a piece of pressure treated 2x2, this will truly last forever.

So, I've used conduit for many of our outdoor projects, like the DIY bird feeder pole, the deck string lights and the outdoor string light setup that we put together in our Chicago house.

Because I'm really familiar with it, I knew it would be the perfect choice for our tomato trellis.

end of conduit pipe trellis

Supplies to build a conduit tomato trellis

  • 5, ¾"x10' pieces EMT conduit
  • tape measure
  • Sharpie
  • pipe cutter
  • stainless steel screws
  • drill
  • 4, 2 hole ¾" pipe straps
  • 2 worm clamps
  • screwdriver
  • garden twine

How to build a tomato trellis?

The very first thing you want to do before you even go to the store to buy any supplies is measure the length of your garden. My raised garden beds happen to be a little more than 10' long so I knew that the 10' long EMT would be a good fit.

Once I had all of my supplies together, I started assembling the tomato trellis.

conduit pipe, tape measure, pipe cutter on ground

I decided that the end poles could be cut down a bit. Not too short because I wanted some height for the tomatoes, but just enough so I could reach.

I did a dry run with the 4 end poles and decided to take them down by 2' to make them 8' tall.

To cut down the conduit I measured 2' from the end on each and marked it with a Sharpie. I actually cut all the ends off with the stickers on them (which are nearly impossible to remove). The last pole was left as is, since the garden is 10' long.

Next I used my pipe cutter to cut each pipe where I marked it.

In no time my end poles were cut and ready to install.

using pipe cutter to cut pipe

To install the conduit I pushed each pipe into the ground just a little at an angle and used a 2 hole pipe strap to attach each piece to the outside of the raised garden.

pack of screws and hole straps on ground

After the first pipe was attached I set up the second pipe so it criss-crossed with the first pipe at the top.

using drill to screw a hole strap on wood

My long 10' piece of conduit would sit in the spot where the two pipes crossed.

end of conduit pipe trellis

Once both pieces of conduit were attached on one side of the garden I used a worm clamp to hold them together.

using a tool to tighten a clamp

With the first side done I moved to the other end. I installed the remaining 2 pieces of EMT using the same method.

After I installed both ends of the trellis I placed the 10' piece of EMT in the crossed pipes.

one end of tomato trellis in garden

Now that the tomato trellis was built it was time to run the twine to the plants that I planted a couple weeks ago.

package of garden twine on wood

I simply strung the twine over the long piece of EMT. I pulled the twine down to a tomato plant and tied it around the base of the plant with a very loose knot.

twine tied around small tomato plant

Then I tied the other end of the twine around the cross pipe and made it taught, leaving a good amount on the end in case I need to adjust the string.

I did this for each plant.

small garden with tomato plants

When we planted the tomatoes and cucumbers we staggered them so that they had plenty of room to grow. Until I see how this all goes, I just planted 6 plants in our 10' long garden bed.

Once I finished tying the twine I wrapped the taller plants around it. I'll have to periodically check the strings and plants to make sure they are training up the twine.

Actually, I could have waited a bit longer to allow the plants to grow before I tied them up but I wanted to share the whole process.

small tomato plant growing up garden twine

Now we're ready for a good growing season. Fingers crossed we get some tomatoes. I'm craving a fresh tomato sandwich.

DIY tomato trellis set up in garden

Check out more of our gardening posts

  • How to Build a DIY Raised Planer Box
  • Easy and Cheap DIY Garden Markers
« How to Install Outdoor Landscape Lighting
DIY Bathroom Vanity »

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Kristi here…lover and doer of all things home, including DIY and home decor. I’m the voice behind Chatfield Court where I share easy, budget-friendly DIY projects, crafts and decorating tips in the hopes of inspiring others that they can do it too.

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