The Hop Trellis Is Up!

So over the last 2 weeks, was able to get the hop trellis up and transplant the hops to the raised beds.
First, the trellis:
I have a complete design plan in a 3D rendering that I made using google sketch-up. I'm very happy with how the design turned out. It's easy to build, fairly cost effective, and it's really an eye sore (though I'll let you guys be the judge). It's also very easy to use with the trellis able to be raised & lowered come harvest time :)

Hoppiton Hop Trellis Design (click image to enlarge)

What I used:
1 - 16' 4"x4" beam for the main column
2 - 10' 4"x4" beam used for the main support beams & cross member
2 - 3' deck balusters (rails)
8 - 5" x 3/8" self drilling lag screws & washers
1 - 8" x 1/2" self drilling lag screw
8 - 9" nails
2 - Black 4"x4" fencing post end caps
8 - 1" eye bolts
2 - 2" eye bolts w/ rings
2 - 2" eye bolts
2 - black plastic boat deck tie downs
1 - 80# bag of ready mix concrete
1 - 4"x4" metal bracket to attach the main support beam to the cross member w/ hole in center for lag screw (see step 1 for more instruction)
8 - 3" deck screws
100' - 3/8" rope
100' - 1/2" rope

Design was pretty easy, and I did this by myself, so it is possible to the trellis up without assistance, though it'd be a lot easier with 2 people.

1) Attach the cross member to the main support beam with the metal bracket & 8 deck screws. Keep in mind that your 8" x 1/2" self drilling lag screw will go through the cross member and directly into the top of the support beam - so make sure your metal bracket has a hole in top had a hole in it to pass the lag screw through. Drill one a hole if necessary.

2) Once your cross member is attached to your support beam, it's time to cut your 10' angled support beams. I cut the ends to 45 degree angles so they would sit flush with the cross member and main support beam. You can eyeball this if you like and then use a ruler to cut this if you like as well. Just line up the supports on the cross member & support beam, and then use a ruler to draw the line you plan on cutting.

3) Once both of your angled support have been cut, make they line up evenly, and then attach to the cross member & support beam using 2 of the 5" x 3/8" self drilling lag screws and washers.

4) I wanted my cross member to extend half way into each 6'x6' bed once it was positioned into the middle of the two beds, so this meant a 5' overhang on each box (hence the reason for the 10' cross member). At the outer edge of the cross member, I attached the eye bolt w/ the ring to the very end of the cross member. To keep the rope tidy, I attached another eye bolt at the point where the angled support beams met the primary support beam. At a comfortable height, I attached the boat ties.

5) I then attached 4 eye bolts to run the ropes through on each of the 2 3' long baluster rails.

6) I picked up the trellis and drug it to the hole where I'd dug a 3.5' deep hole for the 16' high trellis. After inserting the trellis, I secured it with some 2x4's and made sure it was straight. After I repacked the clay around it, I wasn't comfortable with how secure it was, so I decided to add 1 80# bag of ready mix concrete, and that helped a bunch. I guess we'll see how well it holds when the first big storm rolls through, but I think it should be sufficient.

7) Next, I ran the rope through the eye bolts & rings & tied off the 3' deck baluster. I used the 1/2" rope to directly tie one side of the baluster rail to the other to create what looked like a triangle, and so I would only have to use one length of rope to raise/lower an entire bed of hopes (which accounted for 4 vines).

8) I tied the rope connecting the 2 eye bolts on the baluster rail to the rope that would be the main support - using 1/2" rope for this as well. I made sure to center the support rope to the baluster rope, do the support wasn't tilted to one side, and then ran the hop supports.

9) I used my 3/8" rope & large nails to secure the base of the rope right next to the hops, and then ran the rope up through the eye bolt on one side of the baluster rail, and then back down to the other hope. So each side of the baluster rail had 2 ropes for the hopes to grow up, and 4 total for each rail. See picture.

10) I repeated that for each side of the baluster, which gave me a total of 8 ropes for my vines to craw up.

11) I then ran my hops around each rope to begin their upward growth in a clockwise fashion (as I believe this is the direct they're used to, but double check that!)

Add added some optional pavers to add some pizazz to the garden, though they didn't have enough. This adds a lot to the cost, and so I didn't want to make it a part of the design. Consider it optional. All in all, I think the complete design cost was about $250 for both beds ($150) and trellis ($100). The fact that I used cedar planks is what caused the cost to be so high on the beds ($125). You can perhaps line pressure treated wood instead and then line the beds with plastic to keep the chemicals in the pressure treated wood from seeping into your garden.

The only issue I ran into was when a small storm blew through and pulled the nails/stakes up from the hop ropes. I didn't have them really pounded in so that's not really surprising...however this time around I really set them deep, so if they get pulled up again, it should be considered a design flaw, and the 9" nails should be replaced with something more reliable, like maybe tent stakes. p> Hope you guys enjoy the design, and if you have any questions feel free to post in the comments section! Cheers!

Jeff