Hoop tunnel questions/answers

I like easy trellises. What are cattle panels? We have mostly dairy cows up here. Where do you get them?

Check at your local farm supply store or farmer's co-op. Tractor Supply has them, too. They can come in different sizes and I've found our farmer's co-op has the best sellection around here.

Helen,

A cattle panel is a pre-fabricated portion of heavy fencing. It is usually made from 1/4 (or so) rods welded together and galvanized. It is flexible enough that an arch can be made from a full 16 or 20-foot length, but stiff enough and heavy enough to be a very strong trellis (or greenhouse structure).

Here's a link to a picture of a cattle panel: http://assets.farmandfleet.com/uploads/blaincat/product/22/full/226550.jpg

David

This message was edited Feb 3, 2011 5:12 PM

What do the usually cost? I'm thinking of a couple of uses for them.

We paid from $14 to $16 for them. They fluctuate with the metal prices.

HelenVT ~ this is a cattle panel that was arched for a bean trellis. On the left is a normal cattle panel used as a horizontal trellis.

Scanned photo so not as clear.

Thanks

podster - Do you think a similar arbor would be good to grow charentais melons or cucumbers on? Make them easier to pick I should imagine.

Your photo looked great.

My dad gave me a roll of 6 or 10 gauge concrete wire that he found in his garage..He says: I quote the same words as he says..LOL.. We are using that for the beans I am growing here--which means..he is gowing his speckled lima beans on it. here at my place...we both love speckle lima beans..lol..making arches and be able to sit under it and drink our coffee..I thought..mmm..I have benches made from pine logs so why not!..lol..

Yup, that is one cool cattle panel trellis/arch, podster! Thanks for the photo.

I use that concrete reinforcing wire to make my tomato cages.
Paul

podster - the Charentais melons weigh about 2lbs each. I've grown them on "pea fences", but they are not tall enough.

Keep us posted as to how well these cattle panels work out for you.

So the vines are really long on the Charentais melon? How tall do you suggest the trellis needs to be?

podster - I haven't actually measured the vines, and am not good at guessing - but I'd say the vines stretch about 5 feet.

I was curious as to the length of vines because the cattle panel length is 14 feet long. That would give you an idea how tall an arch it would be.
The lady that owns the one in the photo I posted says her husband who is over 6 feet tall can walk upright thru the tunnel and pick beans over head. I suspect your melon vines wouldn't cover it.

Perhaps you could companion plant with other vines?

podster -

Absolutely on the garden as well as eating far better foods. And the "up" side is you have more time to garden!

I've grown watermelon on trellis/fences before, the bigger ones I had to support with a sling. However, this past year I grew cheese pumpkin on a fence/trellis along with pole beans and it worked great.

I'm sure your cukes would grow on a fence/trellis just fine, Honeybee, and your melons, too. Maybe next year you can try a cattle panel. Fencing is fairly cheap though and will get you going this year.

Shoe

podster - the idea of having more time to garden is the best part of being unemployed! I figure I can raise fewer of each vegetable and get the same yield just by being home and giving the garden 7-day-a-week attention, rather than the two-day-a-week on the weekends it has been receiving the past three years.

Shoe - those pumpkins probably did much better being raised up like that. Is that Powdery Mildew I see in the photo? I know how susceptible the squash family can be to it :(

I've thought of growing climbers along our fence line - but am afraid it would invite deer to jump into the garden! I have a friend who lives several miles from here, and she planted tomatoes along her fence, and that's exactly what the deer did.

These panels are a great idea. In the past I used chicken wire. What a mess it was every year to unroll it in the spring and roll it back up in the fall. I gave up growing pole beans and peas because of the hassle. Thanks for a great idea. I'm excited because a Tractor Supply store is being built in the town next door!

Ahhh TSC... I am almost embarassed to admit Tractor Supply is my favorite store. You will enjoy it!

Honeybee, nope, not P-mildew, those ugly leaves are from a hard drought this past summer and also possibly from squash bugs poking their little noses on them! I don't seem to get PM very much, notice how the other leaves are nice and green? At my other garden north of town we got about 5 or 6 more pumpkins/squash off 3 plants, not too bad considering no irrigation.

Deer love tomatoes (and so do dang squirrels!) but I haven't had them mess with squash and such. Heck, it might even keep them out of your garden.

Shoe

Podster, no need to be embarrassed! TSC is my favorite, too. Wish ours were more garden oriented, but it'd just cost me more $$$...

Yes, I have wished that also. But then I would be doomed!

When we lived up north, DH used to take me on date-night to the Farm and Fleet. I could spend hours in there. TSC is my second favorite--they don't have Farm and Fleets down here =(.

I love it ~ date night! How well matched is that!?!! I have been to Farm & Fleet when visiting my Mom. It is a cool store too. They have plants and critters for sale as well at the time of year I've been there.

Yes, I've said it before...I probably should get out more =P!

Here's a photo taken this morning, Feb 22nd 2011 showing the hoop loops covering the pea beds. I used clothes pins to hold down the floating row covers.

Can we now fire the starter pistol for the spring races? Huh, huh =P!

terri_emory - I'm using 2010 pea seeds, so am not going to fire that pistol just yet. LOL

Well I have been lurking. I am so thankful I found your thread.

I have for many years planted with my square burpee tomato cages and wrapped each cage. This was very time consuming and limited amount of greens I could grow. I have to get a head start because of our heat.

I have had workers on site for many days and today we got to the vegetable bed on the east side Northeast side of our home. Our lot is 150' deep x 125' wide. I had raised bed built in on each side. The other side is used as a holding garden and herbs.

My workers did not understand what I wanted them to do with the 3/4" PVC and the 2' rebar. I took my laptop out to the raised bed and showed them your photos. They got it right away.

The photo is the bed, after it was double dug, twice, and then the hoops were installed. They PVC is 10' long but I wanted them tall. The bed is 3 1/2' wide. They cannot be seen over the fence or from the front or back landscape park. I am not going to do a continuous cover. I am going to cover about every three hoops which should cover 4 tomato cages. When I get them covered I will take another photo.

A cold spell is coming in Sunday and our high will be 47. So I am going to get it planted and covered before Sunday. I am going to lay down some black plastic garbage bags tomorrow to try and heat up the soil.

Again, thanks for all the great and helpful ideas. Sharon

That is sweet! Sort of half low tunnel and half hight tunnel!

Sharon - that's a wonderful set-up for tomatoes. I look forward to another photo when they are covered.