Why Electrical Conduit (EMT) Makes a Great Trellis Frame
EMT Conduit and Maker Pipe Fitting
EMT (Electrical Metallic Tubing) is thin-wall galvanized steel pipe you’ll find at any hardware store. It’s straight, consistent, and tough. In the garden, it is resistant to rust due to the galvanized coating, so it wont rot or warp like wood. It doesn’t slowly lean over the way wire cages sometimes do when supporting vegetable plants.
EMT comes in standard sizes, typically 1/2” to 2” diameter. We recommend 3/4" EMT for most garden trellises.
EMT typically comes in 10’ lengths, which can be cut down with a hand tool to fit in a car.
EMT can be left silver or be painted to blend in or stand out.
You can connect EMT simply with “Maker Pipe” fittings. Maker Pipe fittings clamp onto EMT with nuts and bolts, so you can tighten them with a handheld allen key / hex wrench—no welding or drilling needed.. You cut the EMT, slide the fittings on, tighten everything up, and you have a solid frame. If something’s a little off, you loosen a bolt and adjust it. No fabrication skills required, just basic measuring, cutting, and tightening.
With EMT and Maker Pipe fittings, you can easily change your trellis like add height, replace a section, or expand a row.
Once the frame is in place, the next question is how to attach plants to it. There are lots of options including: clips, wire ties, netting, but our preference is simple jute twine. Jute is strong enough to support the plants, easy to work with, is biodegradable, and at the end of the season it can be easily cut off. Nothing permanent needs to stay on the frame and in your way. Each season you can start start fresh.
The EMT trellis can also do more than just hold plants. Accessories turn it into a flexible garden tool. You can add accessories to hang shade cloth, support irrigation lines, hold labels, or add hooks to hold your basket when harvesting. The trellis can become part of how you organize and manage the garden, not just supports for growing plants. Check out all of our trellis accessories on the Sacramento Garden Trellis Storefront on Portals.
So if you want a trellis that holds up for many years, doesn’t rot or fall apart, can adapt as your garden changes, and doesn’t require special skills to build, EMT conduit paired with Maker Pipe fittings is a solid choice!
