Cattle Panel Hoophouse

Well Jeanette, he's a total computer geek. If it's not hardware or software, his brain malfunctions... he missed the 'hippie revolution' because he went into science technology & electronics at Brooklyn Poly Tech during the 60's. So when he left IBM, he decided to become the hippie he never got a chance to be.... a total aging 'baby boomer,' tie-dye shirts & all. A real life kid at 63!

But he did buy me 20 Earth Boxes 7-8 years ago.

~* Robin

I think I saw that somewhere in one of the threads, Badseed. So the pallets are 4' x 4'?

~* Robin

Edited to say DUH! Up above!

This message was edited Jun 28, 2006 9:58 PM

Well, I don't know what to tell you Robin. Badseed is right. Those cattle panels are so easy to use you can do almost anything your imagination tells you.

Are you saying that you can't stand up in them? Guess I had better go back to your original post and see what the problem is.

I looked at your post. Can your 2 oldest ones fix it? It appears to be, and you did not send a picture, that it must be short and squatty. Is that the problem?

I'm 5'7" and my panel ends are set 6 ft apart and I have plenty of room over my head.

This was the year before I covered it with plastic and used it as a seedling house .

Scoot I love that picture, but without your standing in it so we can have some perspective it doesn't mean much. I think 6 feet apart at the bottom would really cut you short of walking around room. I think the 8 foot would be much better.

Anyway, it is Robin's problem and I hope she lets us know how she resolves it. It could be that she decides that it is just fine the way it is.

Jeanette

I have really enjoyed reading this thread--thanks for all the postings and tips.

I am still wondering about the temperature difference that Melissa experienced at night. Kinda of defeats the purpose to have it COLDER that the outside temperature. Anybody ever figure it out??

Thanks again for a great thread.

Melissa, did you ever figure out if it was your thermometer tht was off, or why it is colder in your hh at night than the outside air? Jeanette

Badseed (Michele) directed me to this thread. Thank You!

Now, this is exactly what I need! Getting it is another story, but it sure would solve my problem with those potted daylilies I have.

Guess I'll print out the directions and leave it on my husbands desk ........... too subtle?

Melissa,

Now that you have had this for a while ...................

What things do you use it for?
When can you start seeds in it?
Do you heat it? How?

I'm thinking about using one for the following purposes .....

Storing potted daylilies over the winter.

starting daylily seeds and or moving one's started in the basement into the hoop house when it's warm enough.

starting tomato plants and other veggies

potting up dahlias to give them an early start ............ do you think one's that are potted now, could survive winter in there?

So many ideas, so little knowledge ...... ;)

Kathy

Things will still freeze in the Winter.

I would think the potted day-lilies would do much better outdoors under an insulating blanket of leaves and snow. BTDT

HH's are like a giant cold-frame.
They loose their heat quickly when the sun goes down.
Mornings they can get too hot very quickly even in the Winter sun.

A HH is no more than a plastic tent if you think about it.
Great for a season extender but that is all IMO

Like early Spring or late Fall when it is warm enough outdoors but a frost may occur.

That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure someone else will chime in ;-)))

Best,
Shirley

This message was edited Sep 25, 2006 9:56 AM

Hi Tree_Climber,

I was just reading this thread thinking that in a year or two my little GH (10 x12) just might not be big enough and this sounded like a good option to store those potted dl's when there you were! I have got to look into those cattle panels and find out their cost.

MollyD

16 to 19 $ depending on which of the 3 types you get.

Found them at $17.99 in my area.

Molly

I think Scoot said that things will still freeze in the cold.

Has anyone looked into the bubble wrap for an insulation between 2 layers of visquine? I have no idea what it costs.

There are plenty of ideas out there. You might order a catalog from Farmtek. They have tons of different things.

If I were going to try to use this as a heated greenhouse I would definilty make it a double wall.

Boy, I just can't imagine it being warm enough to keep from freezing and not costing an arm and a leg to heat it.

Jeanette

I doubt that this is they type of thing you would want to try and heat, but if anyone has please fill us in.

I am still wondering about it's effectiveness at storing potted Daylilies/Perennials through winter though and possibly leaving potted Dahlias all winter or at least potting them up in late Winter and putting them in the Hoophouse.

If you use it for seedlings in the Spring, what date do you feel is safe to start moving them out there? (zone 5)

Jnette,
I agree on the prohibitive heating costs.
How can you possibly afford to heat a plastic tent ?
In this area even the professional glass GH's shut down for the Winter.


T_C when you are past the freeze date , this will only protect you from FROST.

This message was edited Sep 26, 2006 9:04 AM

I still want to give this a try, but .............. I still want that greenhouse I dream about. ;)

Thanks for all the helpful information. Going to start with small hoop house using the cattle panels. Hey Vicki,,,, saw you are from Arcadia... I am from Wauchula originally. Family is still there. Do you grow daylilies, brugmansias??? Elaine

Georgia, you are right. Tree Climber, why don't you do the same? Just get a couple of cattle panels and play around with it. You can always add more of the panels. Even one panel is 4 feet wide. And, they are so easy to work with. As far as the ends go, I cut a panel in half and put one on an end so the deer couldn't get in. AND THEN, I used a bungie cord to hold it. Worked great. That was my entrance. No, it did not go clear to the top. But, I wasn't using it during cold weather.

To cut it I used bolt cutters.

Elaine, I stuck a couple of Daturas in my raised bed in the hoophouse and I could not believe how they did. I didn't take the plastic off until almost the end of June and they are still blooming out there, even tho we have had nighttime temps down to 32, and they are 2 feet taller than the cattle panel at the top.

You will not believe this, but I even grew corn in a 3 gallon bucket and got about 7 ears of corn that were delicious. I did it just for a joke but maybe next year I will fill the hoophouse with corn in buckets. LOL The corn grew to about 6 feet tall.

My ground is like cement. That is why the buckets.

Jeanette

Oh my Jeanette,, I sure do love corn.. this clay we have in Georgia is also like cement. I grow a lot in containers. Those daturas are amazing. I have double/triple white, yellow, and a few double purple. Names (?) I do have one named Golden Queen that I grew from seed this past year. It is blooming and I think will set seeds. And,,,, I love tomatoes as much as corn.. Will try to grow some over the winter in greenhouse. I went searching today and found 5x16 ft. cow fence at Tractor Suppy. $14.95 Have to get a trailer to tow behind jeep and bring home.
DH I know will help me, he loves that corn too. LOL,,,, Elaine

That's a good price Elaine, but don't go crazy. You know this is winter coming up, even in Georgia. I would hate to see you get discouraged. Don't get a big trailer. They bend them into an arc to haul them. 8 foot long. We just used our pickup. arced it from front to back. Fit perfect.

I did heat mine on the coldest nights. I just used a kerosene heater. I wouldn't recommend doing it for the long haul but it did keep annuals alive and allowed me to sprout Caladium, Canna and elephant ears, etc. During a nice sunny day, it can easily go over 120 in there if you have it sealed up well. The kerosene heater costs $4 a night to run and if turned on at 10 pm at the low setting, the gas lasts until about 9am when the sun can take over again.

Maybe Georgia wouldn't be too bad then on kerosene. Not like the north. LOL

Jeanette

Wellll, I found cattle panels today at Ace Hardware... It is not the heavy duty though... hmmm maybe I will have to double it ... and use supports. More time, please,, "Mother Nature".. And I only used shop lights last year... Had planned to use small propane heater this year..

Elaine

Elaine, you might just get away with it in Georgia. zone 7 isn't bad. Don't know if I would double the panels like you are suggesting. How many did you get? That is too bad they aren't heavy. Mine are very sturdy. And you might find yours are just fine too. Don't know.

Jeanette

I bought mine at a Tractor Supply store. Don't let those things fool you. Whatever you do, don't lose your grip on the ends as they pack quite a punch on the fly. Not like *I* have any personal experience. LOL

Hmmm no experience lol 175 kids and never changed a diper lol inexperienced indeed. Will not say who I am so you can not retaliate.

ROTFLOL!!

Badseed is not joking. They can decapitate you if you aren't careful. Mainly if you have them arced like in the truck and you open the tailgate without a hold on them. Is that what you are referring to Badseed????

Jeanette

Weeeelllll, let's say one person is building the hoophouse by herrself. We'll call her Michele because that is HER name. LOL She lines up two rows of skids so that the final span will be 9'. Then she wedges one of those puppies on the inside of one row of skids then holds the other end in place while she loosely screws on a decking board to hold it until they are all in place. Then she walks around the other side and lifts it off the skid to place it on the outside. She DEFINATELY did not have a couple of beers while building! Ahem...So she lifts the other side and loses footing on the skid. One end is screwed down but it's perpendicular to the ground and the other end goes bouncing, flipping and thrashing like the tail on an alligator. When if finally stops boinging all over, it is because it has found it's resting place on the top of her head, leaving a nice knot! Really good that builder was not me! snicker giggle

LOL

Well, Michele, you just scared me away from the idea of trying to build this myself............. LOL Actually, you are much braver than me, I'd never have considreded going it alone. Hope the knot on your head has not left any permanent reminder. ;)

ROTFLOL I was warned not to walk on skids/flats. I was also warned to watch out for the ends on those panels. I approach every project at full throttle most of the time, trying to get done before hubby leaves for work or before the kids get home from school or before it gets dark or before I have to cook dinner.....................sometimes the clock bites back. LOL

You can do it! You can even do it yourself if need be. Just WATCH OUT FOR THE SPRING ON THE PANELS AND DON'T WALK ON SKIDS if you use them. hahahahahaha GO FOR IT! You can whip one up in a couple of hours with or without help. Have someone help if they are around.

As for my head....it already had issues so I am no worse for the experience and I sure did make a lot of nice plants this year. ;)

Even with all the knots on the skull it was worth it just to see those flowers and veggies grow wasn't it? LOL

No, with just one other person it can be done much easier and in 1/3 or less, the time and ten times less bumps and grinds.

Those babies do have spring don't they?

She just might be lucky to be able to tell us about it. Take heed.

Jeanette

Is anyone familiar with the 10.5 mil film sold by Northern Greenhouse sales? They're page is at: http://www.northerngreenhouse.com/products/polys/clear.htm . It seems a little more expensive but I wondered if it would provide a stronger covering as well as retaining heat a bit better.

MollyD1953

I don't know anything about it, but for what it is worth, what I put on was 4 mil. I was not planning on retaining it for the winter so I could just rip it off and discard it. (however, I think the 4 mil would have lasted a couple of years if I wanted to leave it on but not heat it) I would think the 10.5 would last you a long time. As far as heating, I still think you should double wall to do that. Did you check into the bubble wrap for insulation?

Also, I do not know anyother dos and don'ts about using heat in the plastic. I know people do heat hoophouses but don't know what their covering is.

Jeanette

Jeanette,

It's okay to heat but you wouldn't place the heater where it would touch or blow heat on the plastic. I'm going with a solar pool cover for insulation.

MollyD

Molly...it would be a bit stronger but will not necessarily help with heat retention.

I use 6 mil/ 4 year plastic on our g-house. (Even though it is rate "4 years" we're going on 6 years now. I wouldn't recommend stretching it that many years under many circumstances but I'm pushing the limits here!)

I read the "tests" they gave at the link you offered and I feel the 6 mil would pass many of those tests. I use it as a double layer (inflated) and that is where the heat retention will come into play. The thickness of the poly/plastic will not play a big factor on heat retention but only on it's strength and light diffusion/allowance.

You might also want to keep in mind, since you're so much further North than me and you probably get more snow, it that it is not just the strength of the plastic that is a factor but also the angle of pitch your greenhouse roof is. You need a roof pitch that will allow snow build-up to slide off; if that pitch is not sufficient then no strength of plastic will support quit a few feet of snow sitting on it.

As an afterthought, the 12 mil plastic is being shown as being stronger than "other greenhouse poly" but you'll still need two layers for good heat retention. ($$$$). Two layers of 4-6 mil (much less expensive) will give you the same strength plus the heat retention plus might save you some bucks!

Shoe.

Shoe,

I don't know much about these like the solar pool cover, guess I assumed Molly would have that dead air space. That is the important factor and why I suggested the bubble wrap. I know it comes in rolls but don't know how much or the cost.

Charleys also has a lot of that stuff. Sometimes by the end of trying to get off with the least expensive, you end up paying more than if you had started out with all of the right materials in the first place.

About the heater Molly, that is good to know. I have a portable hexagon greenhouse from Charleys and love it. But it did say not to heat it. So, I only use it a couple of months in the spring to house my new starts that I get going in the house. If I use a heater it would surely cut down on a lot of the clutter etc. in the house. Altho, I love watching the little seedlings. LOL

Jeanette

What about this stuff from FarmTek?

7.5 Oz Custom Tarp Sheet
Item# 104687C

• Super heavy 7.5 oz. per sq. yd. fabric is available in either clear or silver/white.
• Available as tarp sheets, tarps that are bound and grommeted, or tarps with pockets and straps. Choose the style that best suits your need!
• Far superior to film when used as greenhouse cover.
• Our Tarp Anchor Kit, sold on pg. 80, is ideal for use with the pocket-style tarps.
• Minimum order: 100 sq. ft.
• Weave: 12 x 10. (ASTM D-3775)
• Thickness: 16 mil (ASTM D-1777)
• Tear Strength: Warp: 79 x Fill 83. (ASTM D-2261)
• Tensile Strength: Warp: 307 x Fill: 267. (ASTM D-1682)
• Mullen Burst: 591 PSI (ASTM D-3786)