I'm working on some garden frames that will be set into 4' x 8' x 3' tall Corten steel raised beds. The beds are placed on compacted road base over hardware cloth with chip stone for walking paths around them. Therefore, I cannot (or at least do not want to) drive the EMT into the road base or hardware cloth.
I created a standalone frame that sits atop the bed slightly and has stabilizing "feet" but I'm not happy with my solution. Photos attached. I'm considering modifying as follows:
1. Insert the 10' vertical segments into the soil in the 3' bed. This soil is relatively light so it will only provide marginal stability.
2. Use a tee connector at soil level, connecting horizontal 4' segments on the sides of the bed. On the end of these segments, place Maker Pipe tee connectors (or something else) to effectively compress the pipe into the steel bed frame. This would potentially create the stability and keep the trellis from blowing over.
3. Possibly, instead of the compression technique, just put a tee connector in with short 3' segments going down into the corners of the bed to create a four-post leg frame. Because the tilting frame would have no way to tilt out of the bed, it should remain relatively secure.
Any other thoughts?
