Help with building a frame on the cheap.

[Jerry1]

It’s no surprise that wood is very expensive. I’m wondering if there are any ideas for building a frame to keep the critters away from some flowers I’m growing. The complication is that this frame is inside my pool area so it can’t just be metal stakes with chicken wire. It doesn’t have to look good, but it has to be safer than that.

The frame will do two things. At the base it will allow me to staple some chicken wire to keep out the rabbits. Second, it has to have some height. At about 2 ft and 4 ft, I will stretch some 4x4 webbing for the flowers to grow through to support them. The frame will be 4x8 at the base and 6 to 8 feet tall.

Maybe instead of 2x4 pressure treated, I should just use regular wood. Maybe even 2x2’s. I thought about pvc tubing, but I don’t think it would be sturdy enough.

I know how to build a brick chit house, but looking for some ideas to build it sturdy but cheap. I’m growing dahlias and already have about 75 bucks into the tubers. Trying not to go way overboard here. This isn’t meant to be a BTD project. Thanks for any ideas.

 

[skyking1]

If you have a table saw you can dice up some free pallet wood. Sometimes you can find a really nice hardwood pallet, really sturdy and rot resistant stuff.
Glue and finish nail it together, toss some stain on it and then apply your wire to it.
I used to build those brick house things, and now I think lighter better stronger materials and methods.

 

[Jerry1]

Pallet wood is a good idea. I don’t have a table saw, but for this application, I have a steady enough hand to do it with a circular saw and a straight edge. Good idea that also made me think about Craigslist or the free site on FB.

 

[skyking1]

yes, little 1x2 oak sticks are darn strong and light. A "frame" implies you might want to move it to care for the flowers, etc.

 

[Graybeard]

Schedule 40 PVC pipe? I built a cage (about 10' X 8' and 6' high)and covered it with bird netting to keep Cabbage Moths off of my broccoli plants. There are all sorts of fittings to do connect the pipe to do almost anything. Won't rust or rot too. You could make a cage or a fence.

 

[MC Rider]

Schedule 40 PVC pipe? I built a cage (about 10' X 8' and 6' high)and covered it with bird netting to keep Cabbage Moths off of my broccoli plants. There are all sorts of fittings to do connect the pipe to do almost anything. Won't rust or rot too. You could make a cage or a fence.

I'm guessing you would not even have to glue it. Just assemble like Legos and take apart for storage when done for the season.

 

[pb4uski]

Driveway stakes pounded into the ground around the flowers and then staple to the driveway stakes whatever you are using to keep the critters out?

 

[Jerry1]

Driveway stakes pounded into the ground around the flowers and then staple to the driveway stakes whatever you are using to keep the critters out?

Need better structure to hold the netting. Plus, I can’t have any blunt points sticking out of the ground because it’s in the pool area. It’s not real close to the pool, but kids be kids . . .

 

[Jerry1]

yes, little 1x2 oak sticks are darn strong and light. A "frame" implies you might want to move it to care for the flowers, etc.

Yes, being able to move it until the plants get a couple feet tall would be helpful.

 

[pacergal]

What critters are eating your dahlias?
I have only had to fight snails and slugs on mine in the past. Along with moles/voles who ate the tubers. Only have about 5 left which come back annually. Not sure I want to re invest in more tubers, but they are too gorgeous in the garden! Tried pulling and wintering them in peat moss one year, lost just as many to mildew.

 

[38Chevy454]

Another vote for repurposing some pallets. Price is right if you get them free, just some labor to disassemble and remove the nails. BTW, those nails can be a tough to get out in the hardwood pallets, and made worse by ring shank nails or similar.

I made a raised garden bad using pallets, biggest drawback is limited width of the boards at around 4-5 inches. Plus it still looks like pallet wood since the lengths are also limited to most around 42-48 inches, give or take.

 

[Jerry1]

The rabbits eat them until they get big. They’re at risk from a couple inches to about a foot. That said, the main purpose of the frame is to allow me to tie up some trellis netting to support them. Something like this:

I got caught off guard last year with how big some of them got and how much support they needed. I plan to put that netting at 2ft and 4ft.

 

[Aerides]

Anyone near you growing bamboo? I can chop down canes for that purpose and it will all grow back in weeks.

 

[Ronstar]

Another vote for pallets. And put some sealer on your frame to extend its life.

 

[Jerry1]

Anyone near you growing bamboo? I can chop down canes for that purpose and it will all grow back in weeks.

I wish. I don’t think that’s an option in Michigan. Still, might be less expensive than wood.

 

[OldShooter]

I often see free wood on FB Marketplace. Also landscape blocks.

 

[pb4uski]

I think what I would do is get some 2x2" or 2x3' lumber and make 4 sections... 2 - 8' long x 6' high sections and 2 - 4' long x 6' high sections. Each section would be like a studded wall with vertical studs 16' on center or perhaps 24" on center. You can add small 6" or 8" triangles of 1/2" plywood as reinforcements for the corners. I would probably use screws as fasteners in case I ever wanted to take it apart and repurpose the lumber. Then use 2 or 3 door hinges on the inside of each corners to fasten the 4 sections together into a rectangle.

For the off season you can pop out the hinge pins and store the sections separately if you wish to.

 

[Jerry1]

I often see free wood on FB Marketplace. Also landscape blocks.

Given the comments about pallets, FB Mkt. occurred to me. I went in FB and typed in “pallets free”. We’ll see what tomorrow brings but I found a guy very close that is selling a bunch of his wood (pallet wood) as, according to his post, he has too much. The good part is that it’s already broke down. He wants a $1 per board, but we’ll see if I can put together what I need for $20. Wish me luck.

 

[CardsFan]

Schedule 40 PVC pipe? I built a cage (about 10' X 8' and 6' high)and covered it with bird netting to keep Cabbage Moths off of my broccoli plants. There are all sorts of fittings to do connect the pipe to do almost anything. Won't rust or rot too. You could make a cage or a fence.

I'm guessing you would not even have to glue it. Just assemble like Legos and take apart for storage when done for the season.

I like this idea. Simple. Re-usable year after year. Fittings can be pricey, but for what you are doing zip ties might work fine to replace tees and crosses.

 

[OldShooter]

Given the comments about pallets, FB Mkt. occurred to me. I went in FB and typed in “pallets free”. We’ll see what tomorrow brings but I found a guy very close that is selling a bunch of his wood (pallet wood) as, according to his post, he has too much. The good part is that it’s already broke down. He wants a $1 per board, but we’ll see if I can put together what I need for $20. Wish me luck.

Good luck. I'd suggest not limiting your search to pallets, though. I have seen project leftovers like hardwood flooring and cedar boardsl.

 

[Graybeard]

I'm guessing you would not even have to glue it. Just assemble like Legos and take apart for storage when done for the season.

Correct.

 

[street]

If I read your initial post correct the area you want to protect is 4x8 feet? One thing I just did is use sheep panel and arched them over the plants to keep out bid game and wild turkeys etc.. It works well for me and does the job. Over that you could install a fine netting to keep out a fly if you wanted. All you need is a could of stakes on each end to keep the bow in the wire panel. It would look very close to this method that I have.
https://k2j4u5m5.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cattle-panel-trellis-diy.webp

 

[Jerry1]

I’m off to a good start. For $10 I got four pieces of very substantial wood. They’re probably not true 4x4’s, but that’s their approximate size. Two are over 10ft and the other two are over 6ft. I think they’re solid oak. So I have a very good base. Three 2x4’s would have run me at least $20 so I’m half off on the base. I’ll just go to Home Depot tomorrow and get some 2x2’s or something to finish off the frame. Kind of silly, but a little rewarding being Mr. Frugal.

 

[Jerry1]

If I read your initial post correct the area you want to protect is 4x8 feet? One thing I just did is use sheep panel and arched them over the plants to keep out bid game and wild turkeys etc.. It works well for me and does the job. Over that you could install a fine netting to keep out a fly if you wanted. All you need is a could of stakes on each end to keep the bow in the wire panel. It would look very close to this method that I have.
https://k2j4u5m5.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cattle-panel-trellis-diy.webp

That’s a nice design. I may use that for a small garden. This area, being in my pool area, needs to be a bit more sound in case a ball or something gets thrown into it, or even if a kid trips around it. That’s why I need the stakes to go high, so there no chance, no matter how small, that someone could fall onto them. I’ll show a picture when I’m done.

 

[street]

That’s a nice design. I may use that for a small garden. This area, being in my pool area, needs to be a bit more sound in case a ball or something gets thrown into it, or even if a kid trips around it. That’s why I need the stakes to go high, so there no chance, no matter how small, that someone could fall onto them. I’ll show a picture when I’m done.

Would love to see a picture when you are done.