Garden trellis made from CAT-5 network cable
Mar 10, 2009 cheap
Last year over at The Genteel Recessionista their trellis made of twine rotted away. This year they chose to use wire salvaged from some old CAT-5 Ethernet cables to create a new one. They were able to create two trellises for about a dollar each which in my opinion look great.
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March 11th, 2009 at 5:47 AM
Cat-5 is 4 pairs of twisted wire encased in a plastic sheath. I can’t tell by the picture; did they use the individual wires inside the sheath or did they use the whole cat5 cable? I have lots of old Ethernet cable and never thought of using it for this. What a great idea!
March 11th, 2009 at 6:18 AM
It looks wonderful, and when it’s covered with beautiful plants it will look even better! If you like soy candles, drop by and enter to win.
March 11th, 2009 at 7:18 AM
What about lead?Doesn’t most communication cabling use lead-based compounds for fireproofing and to increase the insulation’s flexibility?Is there a risk of excessive lead exposure if this is used in the vegetable garden?
March 11th, 2009 at 7:41 AM
David, I took off the outer grey coating and used the twisted pairs.I’m interested in the lead question – I think it’s just in the outer sheathing, which I removed, but I’m not sure.
March 11th, 2009 at 7:44 AM
David, yes they used the individual wires inside the sheath, but you could definitely keep them intact for some extra strength and support. You can check out the full write-up on their post.Darla, you should check out their page and see their spider web designed trellis. Very creative design.Anonymous, I know some Ethernet cables contain lead but many are lead free. Definitely a good point to bring up.
March 11th, 2009 at 2:52 PM
What a great idean to reuse and make something Useful! They get my 4R award for the day!!
March 11th, 2009 at 3:41 PM
I have used cords from broken lamps as rope before. I have used electrical cords soldered with new plugs as guitar cables. This is a great idea!
March 11th, 2009 at 7:54 PM
Great idea! My hubby always has cables hanging around, too. I wonder …
March 11th, 2009 at 8:10 PM
I had a big long cable at work that both ends have lost the clip and I frequently hit it with my foot then spend 15 minutes trying to figure out why the network stopped working. Looks like I am going to make that cable pay…Red Icculus, I have finally reduced my pile of wires I refuse to throw away with my grow box projects. Probably have a few extra to make a pea trellis.
March 12th, 2009 at 1:48 PM
Seems like a great idea to me! It’s always hard to gauge how your girlfriend would take it though from an aesthetic point of view.
March 20th, 2009 at 7:44 PM
If the cable is marked ROHS compliant it has no lead. A recent greening of the electronics industry