Trellis and Grape Arbor

Sometimes my wife comes up with some really great ‘Honey Do’s’. This is a trellis or grape arbor I built for my wife a little over two and half years ago. In the first picture you can see the grape vines she planted at that time. Muscadines are at one end and Scuppernongs at the other. During the next season We trained the vines over and through the trellis weaves – and actually enjoyed a few hands full of them the first year. This year there is a bumper crop – I estimate we’ve gathered about four gallons altogether so far. You can see the present extent of the vines in picture two. There are so many we must give them away so they don’t go to waste. Maybe next year we will try to make preserves or jelly.

The trellis is made of treated 4×4’s and 2×6’s, then given three coats of acrylic paint. Cross-bars are half notched into the main beams and 1/2” carriage bolts hold everything together. The posts ends are first coated with black roofing cement and then set 24” deep in concrete. The ends and top weave is standard, purchased at Lowe’s. Since we have grand children there is a swing installed, but so many bees seem to around gather during the bearing season we discourage them from using it then.

Some close-up shots show the abundance of Muscadines this year – I picked about a gallon this morning. The Scuppernongs are a little earlier and those are almost all through for the year by now. They are all scrumptious!

-- ''Woodworking has always been the best therapy for me!''