Raspberry Trellis

We've been meaning to build a trellis for the raspberries all summer, and we finally got around to building one the past couple weekends.  We already had all of the materials that we needed to build trellis.  We used some old wood left over from the house renovation,  in addition to 2 new pine boards left over from my Double Dutch Barn door project.  We found enough plastic coated clothes line in the garage, that the previous owners left behind.

The Laird dug a hole 18 inches deep at each end of the raspberry row.  He set each post in, and wedged a rock in next to the post for a tighter fit.  Then we found 2 pieces of old wood that happened to be a good width for the lower cross beams.  He used 2 screws to secure the cross beam to the post, at a height slightly lower than the current raspberry plants.  He drilled a hole into each end of the cross beam.  Then we fed some old plastic coated clothes line threw each hole and stretched them across to the trellis on the other end of the row.  We tightened the line and stapled the clothes line to the cross beam.  We used 2 slightly longer boards for the upper cross beam, and repeated the steps to hang the lower cross beam.  We randomly chose heights for both cross beams- to what we think will fit the raspberries at their full grown size.  We may have to adjust the line heights down the road, if this set up doesn't fit.   And now we can check that task off the master list!  All it cost us was a few hours, as all the materials we found in the garage/ barn.

Our raspberry plants transplanted well last Fall and survived the brutal winter we had.  They are growing well, and currently producing late summer berries.  We are unsure how large the plants will grow in future years, so we may have to adjust the heights of the cross beams if the brambles don't grow as high as the upper cross beam.

Our trellis building efforts was a learning process, as we built what we had in mind- rather than following a tutorial.  Initially we secured the cross beams to the inner side of the post.  But as we wired them up, we realized that securing the cross beams to the outside of the post would create more strength within the lines.  So, we undid our work, and then redid it.  Much better design. 

  Aside from preventing the heavy fruit filled raspberry brambles from bending towards the ground, we built the trellis as a way to protect the raspberries from the animals.  Though the animals haven't bothered the berries since the dead of winter, the Laird always says, "It only takes one night to destroy the bunch."  One night, the deer bit off the new growth of a couple plants last winter, which stunted some of the plants growth and fruit.  So we did not want to continue to risk this years fruit by taking a chances.  We will be draping Deer X netting over the trellis to keep the animals off our new growth in the heart of winter.

And now we have a trellis to support and protect our baby raspberry row.