How to make a pergola for grapes with your own hands

Do-it-yourself pergola for grapes is a whole work of art that requires attention, strength and imagination. The final result will depend on the entrepreneurial spirit and diligence of the gardener.

What is a pergola and what is it for?

The pergola is a grape arbor, whose components are elements connected by a lattice canopy. Most often, a similar design can be seen in private areas. The pergola attracts attention with its appearance, it can act as a zone separator in the garden. But often gardeners build a gazebo to create partial shade.

An integral part of the pergola is climbing plants

Most often, gardeners build such gazebos with their own hands for growing grapes. This use of the surrounding space is a rational solution: the leaves and vines are in the light, they are provided with regular ventilation. The branches raised up become difficult to reach for pathogenic microbes that actively multiply in the soil.

Pergola types

Often they try to build a similar structure near the house, so you need to choose materials for building a gazebo so that they look organically in the surrounding space.

The shape of the pergola can be semi-arched, rounded, with breaks and in the form of a fan. It should be borne in mind that there are other design options:

1. In the form of an awning: it is preferable to build a gazebo next to the houses. Such pergolas can look like canopies.
   
   

   Awnings are most often made of wood and tarpaulin, with metal components.

2. In the form of a screen, pergola is most often used by landscape designers. It can be built with your own hands from wood and plastic so that the vines curl up.
   
   

   A screen is a great option for zoning a garden, hiding disadvantaged areas

3. The visor is mainly used in the southern regions. Their task is to protect from the sun’s rays and decorate the garden. Similar designs are common in parks.
   
   

   For the most rational use of the pergola, it is best to equip the visors with benches for rest

4. The tunnel or arch is a real work of art. Most often they are placed in front of buildings, decorate the paths with them.
   
   

   Arched pergola allows you to maximize the sun’s rays to the grapes and at the same time create a shadow in the garden

Wooden

Structures from this material are most common. Wooden structures can be considered a budget option. With their own hands, gardeners make a grape pergola from pine, spruce, oak or aspen.

But when choosing a tree, keep in mind that it tends to deteriorate over time. The processes of decomposition in grape pergolas are accelerated in regions with a humid tropical climate. To preserve the integrity of the material, it is recommended to treat it with special compounds and antiseptic agents.

Protective properties are possessed not only by a paint and varnish coating, but also by a special oil for impregnating wooden structures.

Metal

From this material, not every gardener will be able to build a structure for grapes with his own hands. To make a metal pergola, you need to have certain skills, have a welding machine and other specific tools available.

But the undoubted advantage of such arbors for grapes is simple care. When coated with paints and varnishes, the metal does not corrode, it serves for a long time. To make the design more comfortable, gardeners often add wooden elements to it: benches, partitions, decorations. This combination of materials allows you to get a strong and beautiful gazebo.

The optimal color of a metal pergola when building it with your own hands is white or green

Plastic

A common and budget option for summer cottages and gardens is a plastic gazebo. The availability and pliability of the material allows you to build a variety of structures in shape. They are light, can be of various colors, they are easy to assemble and disassemble.

A significant drawback of a plastic pergola is the impossibility of making it yourself

Stone

This type of gazebo is the most material and energy-intensive for the gardener. The undoubted advantage is the durability of a stone pergola for grapes. Separately placed columns with a good location serve not only as a support for the plant, but also are elements of landscape design.

It is difficult to reconstruct and transfer a stone pergola, therefore, when constructing it, you should correctly determine the location

Do-it-yourself wooden pergola for grapes

For the manufacture of gazebos, it is not recommended to use the wood of fruit trees. The best option would be to purchase hardwoods. For supporting pillars, larch or acacia beams or logs should be prepared; pine boards are suitable for the roof.

The necessary tools for building a gazebo for grapes with your own hands:

• a hammer;
• measuring tape;
• fastening consumables (self-tapping screws, corners);
• twine;
• saw;
• shovel;
• screwdriver.

In addition to wood, it is required to purchase cement and sand, containers for mixing mortar, and means for treating and protecting wood.

When planning a gazebo for grapes, it is recommended to use special calculation programs. Low and cramped structures should be abandoned: such structures not only look ridiculous outwardly, but are also not useful for growing grapes. An important factor is the size and location of the site. The larger the object, the more space it needs to be given so that it looks good in landscape design.

Algorithm of work:

1. Prepare a project for the construction of a pergola for grapes. Level the site, apply marks.
2. Make four holes in the hole with a shovel. Each of them must be at least 0,5 m deep and 30 cm in diameter.
3. Set the bars vertically, fix them. Initially, pour crushed stone into the pit, then pour cement mortar. After it dries, spread a layer of earth on top of it. The soil must be carefully compacted so that shrinkage is minimal.
4. At the top, connect the posts with two horizontal crossbars using self-tapping screws and twine. It is not recommended to use nails as fasteners.
5. Build the “roof” of the pergola with your own hands, placing the crossbars transversely. Secure them with screws and twine.

When constructing a pergola, it is important to leave a distance between the crossbeams so that the grapes have enough space.

Do-it-yourself pergola for grapes made of metal

If you have certain skills in a short time, you can build a canopy from wire and profile.

Work algorithm:

1. Dig holes 50-70 cm deep. A distance of 1,5-2 m should be maintained between them.
2. As supports, purchase metal square profiles. The length of each should be 3,5-3,7 m. They must be installed in pits and concreted. If you plan to make a sloping roof with your own hands, then some of the pillars should be taken longer.
3. On the top of the profiles, make a horizontal strapping of the supports using a board or a metal pipe.
4. Lay and fix the beams on top of the harness, which will act as rafters.
5. For the construction of the roof, use iron or polycarbonate. You can abandon the covering material, and instead pull the wire every 40-50 cm. The growing grapes will gradually braid the entire space and create a shadow inside the pergola.
6. Stretch the wire between the supports every 50 cm.
7. Treat metal parts with anti-corrosion protection. Cover the wooden components with an antiseptic.
8. Grapes are planted along a do-it-yourself gazebo, and vines are woven between the wires.

To decorate a metal pergola, gardeners forge patterns, which are then soldered into the main frame.

Site selection and preparation

When drawing up a project, it should be borne in mind that a pergola for grapes should be not only beautiful, but also functional. It must be placed in a well-lit sunny place. With a lack of light and nutrients, vines first slow down growth, and then gradually die.

When choosing a place on the site, one should not forget that most types of pergolas are difficult to dismantle and transfer to a new location. There are also varieties of grapes that are difficult to adapt after transplantation.

The best option for placing a do-it-yourself pergola:

• near the house or veranda;
• in front of a pond or pond;
• next to trees or a fence.

Conclusion

Do-it-yourself pergola for grapes is created by those gardeners who are ready to solve problems. But if you make a pergola with your own hands, then you can create individual projects, use various materials, and build structures according to your preferences. A large selection of raw materials for manufacturing gives the gardener the opportunity to realize any fantasies in landscape design for the benefit of grapes.