Old Satellite Tower as Trellis?

Hi there, everyone! I have had an idea in my mind for the last month and just wanted to ask for feedback on it.

We have some old satellite towers from an old satellite sitting around our property and wondered about using them to build a trellis. I think it would possibly work but I have two concerns. First of all, I think it might be very ugly. I am not sure if we can make those things attractive. The other concern is how to secure them properly.

I have done several internet searches but haven't seen one picture of anyone doing this, so just wondering if anyone has tried this or has any thoughts? Thank you in advance!

I think it has possibilities. Can you give us some rough dimensions? Footprint at ground level? Length of each section? Towers are typically delivered in sections and bolted together on site.

As for ugly -- yeah, that's a given. I suppose you could clad the corners with pallet wood, or use it as the core of a pole tripod.

My blue lake pole beans grow to the very top of a 12-foot tripod (octopod), and would go higher if they could.

Planting a bunch of clematis will envelop the thing quite effectively.

If you plant scarlet runner beans around them, bumblebees and hummingbirds will think your trellis is quite beautiful.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:I think it has possibilities. Can you give us some rough dimensions? Footprint at ground level? Length of each section? Towers are typically delivered in sections and bolted together on site.

As for ugly -- yeah, that's a given. I suppose you could clad the corners with pallet wood, or use it as the core of a pole tripod.

My blue lake pole beans grow to the very top of a 12-foot tripod (octopod), and would go higher if they could.

Planting a bunch of clematis will envelop the thing quite effectively.

If you plant scarlet runner beans around them, bumblebees and hummingbirds will think your trellis is quite beautiful.

Yes, good point. Once it is covered, it will hopefully be less ugly but the appearance is important to me. I am thinking of it for peas, cucumbers and perhaps squash.  I think the pieces would be six feet high and 1 foot at the base. Great idea on the wood on the base! Thank you!

Sometimes a little paint makes a big difference.  Maybe the same color as your raised beds, so they match. Or green if you want it to kind of disappear.

Jen Fulkerson wrote:Sometimes a little paint makes a big difference.  Maybe the same color as your raised beds, so they match. Or green if you want it to kind of disappear.

I don't know about the OP, but the towers I've seen are all galvanized steel. Long-lived, but not amenable to paint.

Zone 3 you might not have the problems we have in Thailand.
Metal trellises should be painted because they can get very hot in the sunshine and burn your vines.

Even better if you cover them with concrete and making them looking like tree poles (google knows)

If that will be too much work just paint them and mix some coarse sand in the 2nd layer of paint which gives your vines or their tendrils a better grip..

Sure if Squash or Pumpkins you want to find out before how to tie nets under the fruit to take the weight so the vines cannot slide down and break.

If paint won't stick, wrapping the metal in something like burlap or scrap fabric strips could make it a little less obtrusive and also protect the vines from hot metal/ give them purchase for climbing. Hard to say without knowing what these structures look like, but I don't think most trellising is particularly attractive until they have plants on them anyway and then they look gorgeous.

Hops are another long vining plant you could use and hardy kiwi would be a perennial vine (I think) for more permanent coverage of the structures.

I had a friend who used them as a trellis she had them set up in a way that actually looked pretty neat. It was a trick to cutting them just right and placing them in a way that was actually kind of decorative. Wish I had a picture to attach. I guess it depends on the type of tower you're working with.

Are those towers something like these:


source


source

If any of the satellite dishes are still around:


webpage


source

Anne, those photos are pretty cool. Thanks!

I worried about the cattle panel trellis getting to hot and burning my veggies. I live in N California so it gets very hot in the summer. It never has.  Maybe the thicker metal would?  But I haven't had any problems.

The Umbrella from Ivy gave me some inspiration for my farm.

In my lake I have an island where I want to set up a pizza oven, BBQ and a shaded seating area.
My mind went into the directrion of a Thai syle hut with grass roof panels but this could last for centuries.

Pumpkins are too short lived, Ivy won't grow in tropical climate but we have some "weeds" called Hoya kerrii (waxflower) which have beautiful
flowers and thick foliage...
Pity I started my farm last winter and cannot say if they stay all year long or dying back in the dry sesason..

In Thailand a weed but in the US and Australia an expensive decoration vine...  (Sorry for a little off topic)