The Best Budget DIY Tomato Trellis

Instructions on building a DIY Tomahook string trellis to support up to 4 plants for less than $40.00 and with very little labor/tools.
String Trellis Parts List and Assembly Hints
Parts List (note: where not otherwise indicated these materials can be picked up at Home Depot.
For each string trellis with 1 - 4 tomatoes, you need:
qty. 2 6 ft. 3/8" rebar extended cost approx. $12.74 notes: make sure the ends are cut square so they can be freely inserted into a 1/2 in. schedule 40 PVC pipe
qty. 3 10 ft. 1/2" PVC Schedule 40 extended cost approx. $15.72
qty. 2 1/2" PVC slip - slip elbows extended cost approx. $1.34
qty. 4 Tomahawk Tomato String Trellis hooks extended cost approx. $4 note:
smile.amazon.c... 20 pack includes 40 tomato clips which you also need. You can use 1 - 4 of these per trellis.
qty. 4 6 " zip ties extended cost approx. $0.50 notes: You can use 1 - 4 of these per trellis.
qty. 4 garden hose gaskets extended cost approx. $1.74 notes: You can use 1 - 4 of these per trellis.
Total extended cost for a string trellis for four tomatoes = $36.04 or $9.01 per tomato plant
Tools Needed:
1) metal mallet to pound the each rebar approx. 1 foot into the ground
2) a small (e.g. 6 inch) level with two bubbles to use when pounding in the rebar to make sure it is straight. measure once, then turn 90 degrees, and measure again to ensure you are pounding the rebar in straight.
3) a schedule 40 1/2" PVC pipe cutter or a hacksaw to make 3 cuts per trellis.
4) pliers with cutters to use with the zip ties to attach the garden hose brackets to the top pole, cutting off the excess length.
5) a small (at least 10 foot) tape measure
Assembly steps:
1) cut two pieces of PVC pipe to the height of the trellis that you want. you want it as high as possible while you can still easily access/adjust the Tomahooks and over your head so you don't have to duck under it. I am 6 ft. tall, so I made the trellis 7 feet tall
2) arrange 1- 4 tomato plants such that their stalks are in a straight line
3) using the small level and metal mallet, pound in each rebar straight about one foot or until it is sturdy. The depth it's pounded into doesn't have to be that accurate as the design compensates if one is pounded in further than the other.
4) place the two cut PVC pipe pieces over the two rebar pieces.
5) measure the distance between the above two PVC pipes.
6) cut the additional 1/2 in. schedule 40 PVC pipe to that length
7) attach the PVC elbows to this pipe with each end in alignment with the other, pressing the pipe firmly into each elbow. Note, for more stability, it would probably work to insert a shorter piece of rebar (4 ft. or 6 ft.) into the PVC pipe before proceeding with the assembly to add additional rigidity. That said, I haven't tried that yet.
8) attach this assembly firmly pulling the elbows down onto the two side pipes, ensuring they are firmly fitted.
9) attach hose washers to the top pole directly above each tomato stalk using a zip tie.
Hang a Tomahawk hook on each hose washer.
10) follow widely available instructions for using Tomahawk hooks to string trellis tomatoes including the special pruning techniques for indeterminate slicer tomatoes. Note, do NOT use any of this for determinate or cherry tomatoes, as it is not applicable to them.
11) bask in the glory of your beautifully trellised indeterminate, highly productive slicer tomato vines.
/ organic_oasis_ca
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[@rogerbeck5704]

Your method of hanging the tomahooks just saved me a lot of headache. I made my trellis out of 6 1/2 foot t posts and 3/4" EMT. Once I got my hooks I realized I couldn't hang them directly on the EMT. Your zip tie and washer method is what I'll use instead of trying to rig wire along the EMT. Thank you so much for your video!

[@organicoasis5690]

Hi Roger,
I'm glad you found my video helpful! With regard to the zip ties and washers, the only caution I'll give you is that you need to use UV resistant ones (at least for the washers), or they may break part way through the growing season. I switched to these UV resistant ones made of EPDM, and they worked like a charm: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R87RDDG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Also, a note for anyone using PVC, I recommend putting rebar in the top rail for all trellises regardless of the trellis length. As the weight of the tomatoes increased, the top rails bowed so I had to add the rebar to all of them.
I will be sharing the results of my growing 43 different varieties of tomatoes in zone 9B last season, so you many want to subscribe and hit the bell to be notified when I do post that.
Happy growing!