Rita and Ken had a conduit and Maker Pipe garden box that was being tampered with by animals. They added some protection by utilizing some T Connectors to make friction based hinging lids for the box. There are two lids that fold in opposite directions which gives them the opportunity to open one side and not the other. It's working great to protect the plants underneath and they can easily rotate it to gain access to the garden!

A few weeks ago I made a video about my first personal garden and talked through some different constraints and ideas that I had for the space I was working in. You can watch that here.

After reading all of the helpful advice and comments that you guys left, here is the first cart that I made along with the mini model that I used to plan it out. This solution allows me to easily move the cart around based on where the sun is or if there is some other constraint like landscapers needing to get where the cart is parked.

You guys also advised that I use grow bags or buckets since we will need to move the whole setup next year most likely. This tiered design supports the buckets and elevates them slightly.

I am excited to be able to build off of these carts and add some trellis netting etc. off of them when the time comes. A lot of you suggested that I add automated irrigation so I'm going to look into building that in as well. I also think that I will need to beef up the cart and add some bracing once the buckets are loaded down with plants and soil and water etc. but it moves really good right now so we will see.

I saw some examples of this kind of thing out of wood (last picture) but they were stationary and kind of bulky so I came up with this out of conduit instead.

All in all I am happy with this first prototype and plan to build a second one this weekend so I can get plants in place. I'd love to hear what you guys think about it so far! Thanks for all the advice and feedback that you shared after that last video!

Update on 6/5/26: I am posting a video tomorrow that showcases the two finished carts. I've got plants in them now, but there's a small problem. The carts don't roll lol I didn't think through the rear handle design very well. With all of the weight of plants and soil and such the rear handle is under a lot of stress. I was going to address it in this video, but decided that this topic deserved a whole video of its own. I also upgraded the bucket braces by using T Connectors to attach the arm instead of the adjustable angles. It is way stronger and stiffer nowhttps://files-us-east-1.t-cdn.net/files/aH6oGjxzxVEg0VFN5CXXT .

Check out the awesome trellises and decorations that Jameson built for his garden. I love the letters and the bends that he incorporated into the designs!

"I had a lot of fun building these tomato trellises (90s) and an unusual corner trellis (Ts and 180s), which will be growing winter squashes (pumpkins, gourds, butternuts!). 

I have a ton of scrap EMT and a few extra T-connectors...I'm sure it won't be long til I find another trellis or cage to build!

I also introduced an employee at Home Depot to MakerPipe. He was helping me with the EMT (great advice to just use a sawzall to cut...so much easier) and thought I was going to do something crazy like drill holes and zip-tie the rods together. He seemed really interested, so I hope he gives you a try or shares the idea with other customers!" - Laurel

Reese shared this awesome trellis build over in the Maker Pipe Facebook Group!

I want to make a structure with a sloped roof (with dimensions of 8 feet x 6 feet) to collect rainwater and then route it into rain barrels (under the roof) for use in a garden I have in a vacant lot.

I have an idea to build a structure sort of like a rectangular table, but the top will be sloped where one long edge (the 8 foot edge) is lower than the other. I want a gutter on the low edge to collect rainwater and feed it into some rain barrels sitting under the roof.

I'll anchor it with shed anchors, and use corrugated metal for the roof.

There will be four EMT conduit posts (2 will be 7 feet tall, 2 will be 6 feet tall), with a beam (again, EMT) across the back high long edge and a beam across the lower long edge. I'll use t-connectors to run "rafters" (EMT conduit) from the high edge down to the low edge. I'll attach wood 1x6 to the rafters with hanger straps and then nail the corrugated metal to the wood.

I'll put a horizontal brace between the high and low posts on each side. I saw some trellis designs that did this.

Questions:

• it seems like i can build all these just with t-connectors. does this sound right?

• how should I attach the gutter? Should I mount another 1x6 with hanger straps to the long beam?

• How many rafters do I need?

• is there a design in the archives that already does this?

• are shed anchors the easiest and cheapest solution to anchor this so it doesn't blow away in the wind, or is there something better?

Any feedback welcome. Especially anything that saves money or simplifies the build I've never worked with EMT conduit or maker pipe.

This is my first time building with EMT and my second year in this garden. The beds were built by a previous tenant. Living in the high desert we've got some gardening issues, namely sun+++, heat+++, dry+++ and wind+++. I wanted to create a trellis which would also have shade cloth on it.

Plan as I might, I'm not that great on paper or with models, I have to see it in the space. So I created this basic frame. I haven't secured it yet but it seems to be steady enough for now. At first I thought the shade clothe would be secured to the building and wall which would make the orientation north south. I now see that it is better to move this tall structure to the center bed and create a slightly shorter structure for the two outer beds so the shade will also orient east west and the slope of the shade cloth will protect from afternoon sun more than the am sun.

I'm still learning but I'm hooked. I've also painted the emt so they do not overheat. I'm thinking of this as a modular learning project. Glad I found Maker Pipe.

"Trellis itself is a cattle fence panel from Tractor Supply. Maker Pipe and 3/4 inch conduit support it's formidable "spring", anchored to my Vego Garden containers. 

After working with Maker Pipe products, I'm already thinking of other improvements I can make with pipe. There may have been better ways than U-bolts to attach the cattle panel to the brace of 3/4 in conduit. Being new to your company, I wasn't yet aware of what you might offer. I have to admit that using the U-bolts was an afterthought when I discovered that the tension of that heavy gauge panel was greater than Zip-ties could handle." - Boyd

"Growing tomatoes in las cruces NM is a challenge because of disease pressure. This year I conditioned my soil and decided to go to extraordinary means to grow some tomatoes. To do this I have to protect them from the leaf hoppers, so I built these enclosures to cover them with insect netting. So far so good. I wanted to construct something that can be disassembled and reused next year so I chose to use emt and maker pipe fittings." - Thomas

Shade Cloth for the garden using 10 foot 3/4 inch conduit cut into 2 lengths of 75" and 45" (no waste) and then connecting 2 of the 45" polls together, with a connector, thus providing for approximately 8 foot wide span.

The 75 inch post (provides plenty of height) are spaced 10 feet apart (using 2 foot rebar driven into the ground) and are connected using T connectors creating the canopy for shade cloth.

The T connectors are great since they allow for complete flexibility to adjust for both 4 and 6 foot beds. All pipe parts are cut exactly the same. The 4 way connectors tie the cross beans together and with some 45 degree supports at each corner of the structure makes a solid frame. Eight foot wide by 100 foot Shade cloth (50%) is available online and connect using the plastic 3/4" clamps. This makes for easy installation and maintenance.

Plants are very happy and should help improve crop production since this will keep plants from getting stress out during the hot summer months. That means healthier plants and less bug and disease.

This makes gardening lots more fun when your working under the shade cloth during the hot part of the season. Once again, this a gardeners dream to have the ability to easily create these structures with minimal effort to improved your gardening experience. Thanks Team.

"The attached photos show my garden trellis project from model to project completion! The model went through a few iterations and was a fun and easy way to complete the design. The model facilitated the material list for both connectors and EMT conduit. Construction of the trellis was executed successfully in a few hours (mostly spent painting the conduit). What a fun project this was! 

Thank you Maker Pipe!" - Ron

"Nice and easy to assemble, creating a nice strong union. I grow my vining tomatoes up strings, and they easily reach 10 feet in height each year. I have used PVC pipe in the past but it was less than ideal - often popping loose (have to leave the joints unglued so I can disassemble in autumn) - but now it should be just fine. I drape 40% shade cloth over the top in the summer to keep the leaves from scorching in the Texas heat. I'm ready to start the next build..." - Jay

Check out KD's creative combo of Conduit, Maker Pipe, and T-Posts!

"I purchased these two years in a row for my tomato trellis system. They arrived quickly and worked so well!"

Gardening project:

16' x 16' shade cloth (50%) gazebo over 2 raised planters. The Structure contains misters around the entire structure. Planter will host a flower and herb garden.

Materials used:

23 sticks of 3/4" x 10 ' EMC pipe

qty 12 - flange connectors

qty 4 - 90 degree connectors

qty 10 - 4 way connectors

qty 4 - 5 way connectors

qty 24 - 45 degree connectors

qty 2 - Adjustable 180 degree connectors

This is a project (Shade Cloth Gazebo) that I have been thinking about for over a year and was going to build out of lumber until I discovered this product (Maker Pipe). This was a great discovery since I was able to build the structure in about 6 hours. Now that I have some experience with the materials I plan on building many more garden projects going forward.

I’m really excited for this growing season and all the vertical growing possibilities I can build with Maker Pipe parts and conduit pipes! This is my most recent finished project, a vertical trellis for any climbing fruit. The arches were also made with MakerPipe parts and 3/4” emt conduit pipes.

I am building a garden enclosure with a low profile roof peak.

If I use the 135 degree connecter for the roof peak, what connecters do I use to connect the roof to the top of the rectangular frame?

Here's a fantastic build from Jake for his garden!

Last summer our vegie garden was scorched by the hot summer sun here in Florida. With the trellis we previously had we could figure how to help the plants vertically grow and add a sunshade at the same time. When we saw Maker Pipe connectors we knew we could do it. Save our plants and let them grow.

I will say it was an investment, but this will last for a very long time. The sun eats wood and plastic here. We love it!!!

"Made a big compost bin with maker pipe." - @twotooldesigns

Check out Robert's awesome cattle panel garden trellis!

"Just wanted to let you know what your pipe products were able to help me do!" - Kelly

"The build worked out great.  I was able to create a trellis for our new raised garden that easily attaches to the bed and can be removed when not being used.  The parts from Maker Pipe worked perfectly. The parts you all offer fit the build perfectly. I greatly appreciate how quick you all filled the order." - John

Update:

"The trellis worked great last season. I used standard metal hanger along with a thick washer to attach the hangers to the bed.  The washer provided enough spacing for the pipe and attached to the bed securely. The hanger & washer required the use of a slightly longer pan head bolt then the originally supplied bolts.  

Attached is a closeup to help illustrate. I think a curved spacer would provide a better footprint against the garden bed. If you look closely, the washer doesn't fit completely flush against the garden bed. However, it has worked worked great and supported a large crop of tomatoes and loofah plants."

Aaron built these fantastic grow light stands for his seedlings!

"Seed starting lighting. Used base mounts and speed clamps so I can adjust the height. I start garden and flower plants for 3 families. . I think this is going to be a winner." - Tom

@Elyseinthegarden showcases a simple trellis that she built with a few 90 Degree and T Connectors! Check it out on Instagram!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNTtQZ8yeBm/

Connie built some garden fences with leftover metal arches that they had lying around. She then used EMT Conduit and Maker Pipe to build gates for the garden. You can see them in the left side of the photo farther back.

"A success story with your EMT pipe fittings, we just completely this wonderful garden trellis and are very happy with the results. Thank you, we may be ordering more soon." - Shane

"I had a wonderful experience building my lean-to against the sunroom to protect our first winter citrus trees. The connectors bought from Maker pipe made the job easy but it still took some thought on how to attach and make it sturdy with minimal connectors. The cover for it was made to be temporary, so I didn't trim the plastic for beauty, since it'll get a new cover next season. Additional parts I bought were the snaps to hold the plastic in place and the door 3/4" door hinges, that were awesome! Only regret I had was, I started building 1/2" with the inserts. They work, but the 3/4 without inserts is more solid for this purpose. Loved the experience!" - CL

"I've built 3 separate structures with 3/4 inch EMT thin wall conduit and Maker Pipe's fittings. It's always a fun and challenging project. I've 'recycled' parts and pipes from project to project but always make it work.

So far everything has had something to do with plants; it might be a mindset thing but when you need to bear some weight, PVC pipe just won't do. Enter EMT and Maker Pipe for the win!"

A while back I made a leaf mold bin out of wood and chicken wire that worked pretty well, but predictably the wood eventually rotted. I would love to rebuild it with conduit and maker pipe. For those that don't know, a leaf mold bin is like a compost bin except it's meant only for fallen leaves. One main feature is it should have mesh walls, like chicken wire, instead of solid walls, for more air flow. I've got two questions for the community:
1) How do you cut and mount chicken wire in this scenario so that the edges are safe to the touch? When I made it out of wood I sandwiched the chicken wire edges between two pieces of wood. Not sure how I would keep it safe when using conduit.
2) What would be your favorite way to add a door on the front? I've seen several examples of how to hinge a door, what's the best way? What's your favorite way to latch the door? I'd also be open to a snap on removable panel, rather than a hinge.

I've included the design with chicken wire and without so you can see the structure. The door would be in the open side, also wrapped with chicken wire. I constructed the box with 5 foot lengths and 3'4" lengths to make the most of a 10' conduit.

Check out Harry's custom enclosure!

"Squirrels have constantly been chewing up some plants- in particular they chew up my Lemons. Here is a lemon tree I have successfully protected this year.. I'll be ordering more from you in the future."

This corner of my back yard gets the most sunlight in the winter months, but it's too much in the Phoenix Summers, so I needed to be able to shade it. The dogs also like to get into mischief, so I went for a full enclosure that I could fence in.

It took about 40 pieces of 10' 3/4" EMT. Countless connectors. Many cans of spray paint. It has 2 gates. I suspended 4 sections of 50% shade cloth using 1/8" steel rope. To thread the cable, I cut 2" sections of pipe and clamped them with a t-connector at the top of each post with threaded inserts and 1/4" shouldered eye bolts. This way I can retract the shade in the winter.

I have a set of ground stakes i plan to help anchor it and hopefully add a bit more rigidity.

I really like the gate hinge and latch design. It was pretty easy to install. I plan to paint them to help protect them from the harsh AZ sun tho.

I may experiment with getting some solar plastic for December and January with the plastic clips, but haven't quite decided yet. Shade and fence were my highest priority.

"Our long-term plan is to add bases to all our raised beds so we can rotate the frames from year to year depending on what we plant where.  If these work out well, we’ll convert to a similar approach for our cucumbers, too." - K

"I wanted to share this new tomato trellis made with maker pipe 3/4” - Tim

"I was very impressed with the shrink-wrap packaging of each set of items I purchased. It’s a small detail that shows me that people are paying attention at each step of the supply chain. The products were uniform and perfect for using with 3/4” EMT." - Derek

"It works better than expected - expanded the garden without losing space because it’s over the walkway.  I’m growing cucumbers, two types of squash and a cantaloupe in airspace." - Jenny

"Maker Pipe connectors are an excellent solution to many DIY construction projects. My wife wanted a walk-in "shade house" to protect her plants from the brutal Texas summer sun. I didn't want to build from wood, so searched for another suitable material. Maker Pipe to the rescue! Turns out 1" conduit and the clever connectors was the perfect solution. I covered the easily built and very sturdy pipe frame with shade cloth and was rewarded with Happy Wife!" - Chuck

Here's a great trellis from Angel!

"The fittings are perfect for my garden trellis build. Easy and quick to install."

"The build has been good. I made a large overhead garden trellis thing. I like it a lot. There is a photo attached." - Nick

"All the fittings worked great, they were easy to install. The garden structure we built is very sturdy. No more birds to eat my tomatoes!" - Lupe

"The structure is designed to support shade cloth to prevent sun scorch in July and August. The framework sits about tomato and cucumber vine supports about 9 feet high and roughly 14.5 feet square. Roughly 60% has shade cloth attached using Gadget Klips. 5/8" (#5) rebar in 36" lengths were driven into the ground then EMT slide over that. I made wood legs along the bottom to support the framework from sinking into the soil, and provide a means to attach chicken wire to keep rabbits out. There are open areas so that bees can enter and pollinate." - Steven

"Squirrel proofed my raised garden with the help of Maker Pipe. I changed the design a few times and had to return some connectors and they took care of the credit right away. All my orders shipped out fast and complete. Great product and good company to work with." -JP

Check out Linden's awesome shade structure for their garden!

"Maker Pipe connectors have allowed me to make a custom shade structure for my raised beds. Easy to use and of quality construction. Company is great to deal with."

2025-06-15

I made two trellises for this project. One connected cucumber row crops to an 18" raised bed (cucumbers and peppers), and the other connected the two raised beds together. 6' sticks of 3/4" EMT were used for the legs. I anchored the legs to the ground with t-posts and reusable zip ties. The incremental bend calculator was helpful for creating the arches. The cucumber trellis on the right turned out exactly as planned, but the trellis connecting to the tomato raised bed (left bed) was a bit more challenging. I attached left over deer fencing to each trellis with zip ties. I've never built anything out of EMT before. I'm very pleased with the results.

I created 30" weights using leftover EMT and sand. I packed each tube before capping the ends. The weights were placed at the base of each tomato plant row. Garden twine was tied around each weight with the other end of the twine tied to the supports above each plant. You can adjust the slack in the twine by wrapping the loose rope around the weights. Plant clips were used to secure the vines to the gardening twine.

UPDATE: 2025-06-20

Here is a different angle of the tomato bed where you can see the supports a little better. I tied quick release knots on the support side. That way I could easily reposition the twine if I needed to. There are probably hundreds of different ways to setup these vertical tomato supports. Placing cattle fencing on top of the enclosure like Bob did in his build is an excellent idea. I might adopt that at some point.

"I used 90 Degree Structural Pipe Connectors and 3/4 inch EMT conduit pipes to create 4 arch trellises." - Ummer

"I needed to create a frame for a shade cloth covering over my small greenhouse. These connectors did the job nicely!" - Ron

"Maker Pipe connectors were key to my trellis structure. I used 7’ length, 3/4” EMT over 4’ length 1/2” rebar driven 18” into ground. I topped the EMT posts with 4’ x 8’ metal wire cow panels to enable the use of hanging supports for tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. I also hung a garden mesh on two sides of my planters for climbing peas, cucumbers and tomatoes. The Maker Pipe connectors were the primary component that allowed me to create these sturdy trellis’." - GF

"I dove in head first and built myself a "gooseberry gulag" over the space of the last couple of weeks to keep the birds and other critters out of my garden. 325 ft. of US made conduit, 400-500 wire wraps, yards of hardware cloth, and a pile of Maker Pipe connectors later I have a big improvement over my old enclosure. My neighbors are impressed and friends that I have told about it want to see pictures. Bottom line is that your products worked out very well! Now we will just have to wait and see if the critters can find a way in and if the enclosure can withstand winter snows." - Robert

"I waited to reply so I could show you the finished product.  We used your pipe connectors along with cattle panels & EMT to make pole bean trellises for our garden.  Turned out great. Excellent products & customer service.  We'll be back for future project requirements." - Bob

I wanted a way to make use of this space for climbing plants while still allowing the awning windows to open. I used rubber feet at the top to prevent them from damaging the wall, and zip tied remesh panels to them. They have been in place for three years and work great.