You selected your backyard vineyard site. You mapped out and measured your layout. You prepped your soil. And you finally selected a training system and trellis.
Now is when the fun really begins.
Building the trellis for a backyard vineyard is when your vision really starts to become reality. Digging the holes, laying the posts, and hanging the wire will suddenly transform what you had before – a backyard – into what you’ve wanted all along – a backyard vineyard.
And regardless of the training system you’ve chosen to use, nearly all set-ups will require the same hardware: heavy end posts, sturdy stakes, and high-tension wire.
As you’ve seen in previous posts, we decided to go with a top wire cordon, or “double-arm cordon” training system, meaning we needed a standard two-wire trellis to support our goals.
Below are some details to show you how to build a trellis and, more specifically, how we planned for and executed our trellis construction weekend. With two grown men in their early 30’s, this took two full days to complete. And this is for a backyard vineyard of ~50 vines. Please keep that in mind as you continue to plan your own.
How to Build a Trellis – Backyard Vineyard Layout
First, a quick review of our backyard vineyard layout.
As discussed in the “Backyard Vineyard Layout” post, we identified two solid plots on a site with decent sun, satisfactory airflow, and some slope while also factoring in spacing considerations for machinery and deer fencing.
I should also review with you our math and thought process for the red grapes (ultimately Chambourcin), as this will greatly influence how you build your trellis:
- Rows:
- Row Length: 70ft – 16ft = 54ft total (each row was supposed to use 8ft at each end post for interior earth anchors, so we subtracted 16ft to give us our real row length, 54ft)
- Vine Spacing: 54/6 = 9 vines per row (54ft total row space, with 6ft between each vine, so 54/6 gave us the exact number of vines we could fit in each row)
- Row Spacing: with a 36ft width, and ideally 10ft between rows, that left us with four rows total.
- 4 Rows x 9 vines = 36 Chambourcin grape vines total
And for you visual learners, below are sample diagrams of two rows and an aisle for both the Chambourcin and Vidal Blanc sections of the backyard vineyard. This might help you better visualize the spacing and placement of vines, end posts, and stakes. These numbers and measurements are key for determining what supplies you need when learning how to build a trellis.
How to Build a Trellis – Supplies and Gear
Once you check and double-check your math, you’ll need to purchase your major supplies. Below is a sample from our planning process, along with some helpful notes that apply to any backyard vineyard.
| How to Build a Trellis – Hardware | ||
| Number | Item | Notes |
| 14 | End Posts | 8ft cuts. 6ft above ground, 2ft below ground. Pressure treated with 5 or 6 inch diameter |
| 25 | Wire Posts/Stakes | 4x4s. Preserved portion in soil. 8 feet long. 2ft below ground, 6ft above |
| 900ft | Wire | High carbon high tensile strength of 13 gauge minimum. 576ft red, 276 white. 852ft total. |
| 100 | Staples | Large, galvanized |
| 14 | Wirevise Tensioners | Placed in end posts |
| 50 | Bamboo Stakes | For training the Year One vines |
| Trellis Construction Tools | ||
| 1 | Large Pliers | To grip wire, etc. |
| 1 | Crowbar | To hand-tighten wire |
| 1 | Hammer | To hammer in the staples |
| 1 | Sledgehammer | For final placement of posts/stakes |
| 1 | Post Hole Digger/Auger | To dig post/stake holes |
| 100ft | String | For marking and measuring |
| 2 | Shovel | Self-explanatory |
| 2 | Rake | Self-explanatory |
| 1 | Spray Paint | For marking post and vine locations |
| 1 | Level | For proper placement of posts/stakes |
| 1 | 100ft tape | For marking and measuring layout. |
| 1 | 6in or 12 in tamper | For tamping soil when emplacing posts/stakes |
*NOTE* – while we recommend purchasing the wire along with your other trellis construction supplies, we do NOT recommend hanging it until AFTER you’ve planted your vines. There is nothing worse then having to clamber around your pre-hung wires while trying to properly plant your vines on planting day. Don’t worry – you’ll have plenty of time (a month or two) to hang those wires once you get the vines in the ground.
End Posts – you’ll be at the mercy of your local big box store or lumber yard, but ideally you’ll have access to pressure treated wood, or at least a rot-resistant variety such as cedar. 8ft is ideal for end posts, with 2ft buried in the ground and 6ft of wood to work with for attaching wires. Our local Home Depot only had 4x6in cuts available, so that is what we ended up using. Consider pouring QuickCrete into the end post holes for extra stability.
Wire Posts/Stakes – we chose pressure treated 4×4 wood simply because we like the look of an all-lumber trellis, however with the benefits of hindsight, we should have seriously considered steel fence stakes. Same height requirements as the end posts: 8ft total is ideal, with 2ft in the ground and 6ft above.
Wire – our best local supplier was Southern States, so while most experts recommend 13-gauge high tensile wire for vineyards, I believe we settled with 11 or 12 gauge simply because it was what they had available. The wire is just a bit thicker/heavier than ideal, but it works just fine.
Staples – we purchased large galvanized staples from our local Home Depot. These are attached manually with a hammer – more details on that process below.
Wirevise Tensioners – we were unable to find a reliable supplier of Wirevise Tensioners, and we are certainly seeing the consequences now that are vines are getting larger and heavier. This device allows you to tighten the wire as you please, while also preventing any slippage in the opposite direction. Bottom line – find and purchase these if you can afford it, as they will save you the trouble of saggy wires and potentially damaged trunks down the road.
How to Build a Trellis – Task List
Once your supplies are identified, you’ll want to set up a basic task list, or priorities of work. It is poor form to be unprepared on construction day, wasting countless hours fumbling around, backtracking and the like. Writing it all out can help you really learn how to build a trellis as well – below is what ours looked like:
| How to Build a Trellis – Task List | ||
| Day | Task | Notes |
| Friday Night | Purchase Supplies | We purchased at Home Depot and Southern States |
| Stage Supplies | Place supplies as close as physically possible to where they will end up. This will pay off on construction day. | |
| Saturday | Measure Dimensions | (Ideally you’ll have done this already in the fall. In our case, we had not.) See “Soil Preparation” post for details. 100ft tape and spray paint is all you need. |
| Mark Dimensions | (Ideally you’ll have done this already in the fall. In our case, we had not.) See “Soil Preparation” post for details. 100ft tape and spray paint is all you need. | |
| Mark Rows | (Ideally you’ll have done this already in the fall. In our case, we had not.) See “Soil Preparation” post for details. 100ft tape and spray paint is all you need. | |
| Till Rows | (Ideally you’ll have done this already in the fall. In our case, we had not.) See “Soil Preparation” post for details. 100ft tape is all you need. | |
| Mark Locations of End Posts | Spray paint is ideal for this task. | |
| Mark Locations of Stakes | Spray paint is ideal for this task. | |
| Mark Vine Locations | Spray paint is ideal for this task. | |
| Sunday | Dig End Post Holes | We rented a towable post-hole auger with multiple bits for this task. A half-day rental is all we needed. |
| Dig Stake Holes | We rented a towable post-hole auger with multiple bits for this task. A half-day rental is all we needed. | |
| Dig Vine Holes | We rented a towable post-hole auger with multiple bits for this task. A half-day rental is all we needed. | |
| Emplace End Posts | This is a two-man job obviously. One man should be on the ground, filling and compacting the hole by hand. The other should be standing with a level and sledge-hammer, keeping the post as straight and level as possible as you emplace it. | |
| Hang String | Hang the string, connecting end post to end post, to both guide the placement of your intermediate stakes as well as mark the heights of your wires. More on that below. | |
| Emplace Stakes | This is a two-man job obviously. One man should be on the ground, filling and compacting the hole by hand. The other should be standing with a level and sledge-hammer, keeping the post as straight and level as possible as you emplace it. | |
| Mark Wire Heights on End Posts and Stakes | For the top wire cordon/double-arm cordon trellis and training system, you’ll want your lower wire at 30in from the ground and your top wire at 72in from the ground. | |
How to Build a Trellis – Helpful Hints
Staging
Taking the time to properly stage your gear is essential to ensure your construction day runs smoothly both for yourself and especially for any friends/family who will be helping you out. Consider this the vineyard equivalent of the famous Japanese Toyota Production System, or a French cook’s emphasis on mise en place prior to igniting any heat.
In practical terms, this just means taking the time to do the following:
1) Find all your tools. Don’t waste time going room to room looking for those pliers when you’re friends and family are ready to get to work. Find the gear, identify a safe place to stage it, and make sure it is close to your work site.
2) Once you purchase your trellis supplies, in addition to staging, make sure they are ready for use. Remove any unnecessary packing. Clip off unnecessary zip ties, tags, etc. so that the lumber is ready to go into the ground and the wire is ready to be strung.
3) Function-check any major tools or machinery you have or are renting. If you are prepping the soil on the same day as trellis construction (as we unfortunately did), double check the tiller and ensure you have spare gasoline. If you’re shovels are falling apart, consider buying a new one. And so on.
Post-Holing with a Rented Auger
We decided to rent a towable post-hole earth auger for the task of digging holes for end posts and wire stakes. This was a great, affordable investment – we only needed it for 4-5 hours. Below are some helpful hints, as I’d never used one of these before:
1) The bits come in multiple sizes. For a 4×4/4x6in post, I believe we used the 12in bit to ensure we had enough wiggle room to make adjustments and tamp the hole properly and with ease.
2) Be prepared to deal with rocks. You will undoubtedly hit some as you dig. You can either remove them manually with some strength, adjust the auger slightly to bypass the largest ones, or physically break them apart with a sledgehammer.
3) Keep the auger setting in forward, not reverse (think of it as a large hand-held drill in this regard). We initially switched to the reverse setting when removing the bit from the earth, but this proved to be ineffective for maintaining a clean, tidy hole. Instead, don’t switch the setting and simply pull it out manually. You’ll find that the auger naturally removes all of the displaced dirt and places it nice and neat to the sides of the hole, ready to be filled and tamped when you emplace the stakes/posts.
4) Ensure the wheels straddle the tilled rows – never let them or your friends compact the tilled soil. Most earth augers are large and wide enough to allow this to happen – you’ll just need to keep an eye on it as you move up and down the rows. (We pushed/pulled ours manually rather than involving the truck).
5) While you’ve got the machinery, you might as well dig initial holes for your vines. Use the largest drill bit you’ve got – grapevine holes should be about 15in in diameter, so the 12in bit we used was a great start.
Emplacing End Posts and Stakes
Emplacing the end posts and stakes sounds simple, but is in fact incredibly tedious and exhausting when done by hand (as we did) and with attention to detail. Doing this right will set you up for success when hanging the wire and growing the vines.
1) This is a two man-job at a minimum. One person will handle the task of keeping the post/stake steady and straight, keeping a 2ft level handy to spot check placement and a sledgehammer nearby for final driving and emplacement. The other person will rotate between filling the hole 1/3 at a time and tamping the soil between fills. You can use the butt end of your shovel to tamp or keep a 6in or 12in tamper nearby for this task.
2) Use a sledgehammer to solidify the post placement and compact any soil directly beneath the post. Always double-check with a level before and after this task.
3) Once you’ve replaced the displaced soil (1/3 at a time with excessive tamping, as described above), ensure you mound soil around the post/stake to prevent a depression from forming later on.
4) Sequence matters. We recommend emplacing the end posts first, hanging string between the two to ensure you have straight rows, and then emplacing the wire stakes along said string to keep things straight. You can save an extra step by hanging two sets of string – one 30in above the soil level, and one 72in above the soil level, to allow you to mark your wire/staple heights on your posts later on.
5) Consider adding QuickCrete to the end post holes for extra durability and strength. We chose not to, and somewhat regret that decision.
Congratulations. With your rows tilled, soil prepped, posts/stakes emplaced, and vine holes prepared, you now know how to build and trellis and are ready for planting day.
Get some rest – things are about to get real.