Finishing the new grape trellis

The new grape trellis on the east side of our property didn't start out as a grape trellis at all. It evolved form, of all things, a planned foray into dairy goats. Now you may be wondering, how does a person start with dairy goats and end with grapes. I sometimes wonder these very things, as that's usually the pattern around here.

A couple years ago, we were sure that we wanted to add a couple dairy goats to StonePath. We were so sure that when a great deal for a large amount of 4' x 8' fence posts fell into our laps. We purchased the posts in anticipation of using them for fencing for the goats the next spring.

At some point, we began expanding the gardens into their present form.  This expansion nibbled and nibbled into the expected goat yard until we realized that goats were not going to be a part of StonePath Farm, but we still had a bunch of fence posts.

I suppose I could have sold them, but never one to let a good deal or useful item go to waste we began to slowly add them into the property. First up was posts for the two kiwi plants we purchased, then we added more grapes to the old trellis. Finally, we were walking the property and planning our next move. The east side of the house has always been a neglected plot. I do have gooseberries there, however, they have never done well, probably because of the heat from the house.

That's when I decided to add another grape trellis using posts from the abandoned goat project. We had room for eight posts and seven grapes. I installed the posts late last fall as the rest of the gardens winded done and waited till this spring to finish.

As I stated, we added seven more Concord grapes. We like Concord being native to this state, they flourish in this climate and have very few pest problems. Since we love to can jelly, they are a natural.

I build the trellis using #6 screw eyes spaced at 2' and 4' off the ground.

I string 14 gauge, galvanized wire between posts for the grapes to grab hold of. At one post I attach the wire right to the eyelet, at the other end I use 7/32" x 6-1/4" turnbuckle eye/hooks/  The turnbuckles allow me to tighten the wire and keep it taut. 

Be sure to leave additional adjustment threads on the turnbuckle.  As the wire stretches, over time, with the added weight of the grape vines, you will have sag.  If you haven't planned for this sag with the turnbuckle, it is a pain to restring the vine.