I just revisited the original thread, http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/581839/
and noticed that the link I posted is not working. Here is the corrected link:
http://middlecity.com/mambo/growers/hoophouse.html
If you've made a cattle panel hoophouse, would you share your photos with us please?
I've been debating about a greenhouse from Harbor Freight, then I think, why spend so much if we can build one using cattle panels so cheaply.
My original is still standing, plastic is still fine... I just want to improve on that a little bit, and as I've revisited the threads... I'm not so sure that the HF Greenhouse is the way I want to go.
This message was edited Mar 24, 2009 7:55 PM
Cattle Panel Hoophouses
I have the 6x8 HFGH and it is doing great. This is the 3rd year for it. We did build a 2"x4" base for it and drove stakes in the ground to nail the base to so it wouldn't blow away. Last winter I chased the panels all winter long. The wind kept blowing them off. Last summer I screwed the panels down and that has worked great. I decided last fall I wanted to heat the GH this winter for my pond plants, palms and Brugmansias, so I got silicone caulk and caulked all the seams. I was happy with that, it made the GH pretty much weather tight, I used it until January when I had a heating failure in the middle of the coldest days of the year. The GH now does pretty well as far as temps go.
I am building a new pvc house this year because the HF GH just is not big enough. If I were not going to have many seeds to grow out or just wanted it for a few plants it would be great but I like growing seeds way too much so I need more space.
I'm really leaning towards another cattle panel one as well, only double walled and bigger than the one I have now. :)
Ohhhh
i would be intersted in how you do that.
my problem is the height. I know i talked iwth Badseed and she gave me some measurments .I wish i could make it a bit taller.
i know i can do some things but worriy about the winds.
So your going to double it up huh , meaning in height or footage , sorry i m a bit thick n the head at times . LOL :)
very excited to see yours and how it turns out
I thought about a chicken run with mine too.
Sue, read this
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=2149218
then you can see a picture of that suggestion here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=2807613
That is the easiest way to make it taller.
i like seeing info about stock panel green house.the first one we built was about 6 yrs ago.we used posts from trees we cut on our place.we made it 16 ft long(which is 2 panels).these are put on the outside of the posts,which posts are cut just a little below the top of the panel.we used stapels to nail the panels to the posts.for the top you take a panel put short end on post inside the panel top.bend it over to the other side of panel and posts.we used wire to connect to wires .then you just keep putting panels up and wire them togeather all across the top.we put a small sliding glass in the back a wide door,and a wood barrel stovein it.i cant remember for sure but i think it was about 14 ft wide inside.the first year it 25 below 0 i had 300 tomatoes and every thing else you could think of.never lost hardly anything.i am in the process of building another one here where we moved to just make sure if you can get good green house plastic as the cheap dont last
Poverty, I like the sounds of yours too. Do you have any pictures of it?
melissa,no i dont have any pictures,sorry.but i can tell you the way we built that it was easy and very nice to work in.i had 4 tables i had made for rabbit cages,made out of 2x4,8ft long,4 ft wide,my wood stove was in the center next to the left wall .it was tall,wide roomey to move around in.of course it depends on how much you want to grow.with me i am starting a market garden down here where i moved so need plenty of room.pluse i want to try and raise a few cherry tom,lett,ect for my own personal use in winter in a raised bed.the price of everything is getting to much besides i know what im eating.i used no electric in the greenhouse,.it of course wasnt perfect but i worked at it to i kept a fire going all night.it is a lot cheaper than buying a greenhouse,and the stock panels are sturdy and we had been given a bunch of flat soaker hose which we couldnt use at the time,so we but it across the top of the plastic and nailed it to the posts it held the plastic in wind good.i am in the process of getting mine ip thru the summer just the same way agin.good luck.
How did you install the woodstove poverty? That is what I want to use to heat with too, but we're not sure how to install it with all the plastic!
Ok i remember reading that part of the thread. I guess i was thinking someting else. LOL
i like how they lifted theirs up. Good idea. But i don't think i can do that htis yr being on a budget and no one to help me. I have my FIL but he is on oxygen. I might ask my builder if he know someone who can help if he now a guy.
Thanks for that idea Melissa. Looks like it will be very helpful
I think i m going to do 4 panels but might do five panels. :)
Sue did you read above what poverty did? They used cattle panels for the sides and just used posts on the inside to attach the cattle panels to. You could do that by yourself, but you're going to have to have help with the plastic no matter what.
my barrel wood stove was probley about 2 ft from the side but remember the plastic is on the out side of the panels.the top just went thru one of the squares of the top panel.we just didnt leavve plastic close to pipe.with this one i am going to cut a square peice of tin to fit around the pipe and drill 4 holes to put wire thru and wire it to the roof panel so it cant slide.als remember if you are making a good size one make your door big enough to push a weelbarrow in and out,it really helps.we made our doors so you opened them both at the same time if you wanted.only problem i had with it was we had bad winds up there and we made them to open outward,the wind kept opening them unless i wired them tight.no wind no problem,im going to fix these doors differentif you have any questions let me know.this greenhouse works well i think and is about as cheap as you can get.
How did i miss that duh ? lol :)
i did reread it and yes i see what he did.
I was also thinking of using some of the logs we cut down from out property . I would love to see some pics of that poverty :)
Hmm very good ideas
Oh i can't wait.
I can't do anything until April. I hope to get our up and going by the first weekend in April
I have me seeds inside going to start them this week or next week.
Can you cut the plastic to make a hole in the top of your GH ?
so here is my idea. I hope i can explain it well enough
I want to make a water chimney for my rain barrels that are inside the Gh . using Pvc pipes and a large funnel to collect rain.
Cut a x in the plastic , cute a few wires to make a hole for the pvs pipe. Seal up with water proof tape or a panel .
Hence the rain chimney collector ?
any tips
My Fil says i can't cut out the x in the plastic or cut the panel and peel back a square or two. For reason i have no idea ? he is not a man of new ideas LOL :)
just wondering if this might work
any helpful tips thansk
sue
If you sealed it, I don't know why it wouldn't work, but I would think you would collect more water by putting gutters on either side of it and draining into barrels. the the whole hoophouse would act like a funnel for you.
thanks poverty, we are afraid of the plastic melting, the pipe heating up the entire set of panels and the plastic just melting away.
I was thinking of that too but was wondering how i would attache some gutters to it ?
I was also thinking of attaching rain chains by a tall stick attached to the Gh on the outside .
hmm good to know
back to the drawing board and see on gutters for the front and back of the Gh.
thanks
sue
still freezing rain !! ug
I think the gutters along the side would be a great way to collect water. To do so, you would need three sheets of plastic, sized appropriately. Cover the sides of the greenhouse first, then attach the gutter over top edge of the side covers. Then add the top, putting the edges into the gutter with overlaps between the two pieces for a seal. Here's a diagram that is more clear (I hope). The gutters could drain straight down to rain barrels on the end of the house.
I'm going to try something like this when I build a greenhouse this fall.
David
David, that's an awesome idea! Never thought of gutters on a GH. Appreciate you sharing the idea and diagram!
I've been thinking more about the cattle panel hoophouse and how to do greenhouse ends. I have a diagram that I've used to go through a mental building process. I'd like to show the diagrams and descriptions and see what you think. I picked 2-foot sidewalls to make the hoop tall enough for me to stand in (I'm 6' 7") and to still minimize the need for expensive wood.
The first diagram is a side view. The description:
Two 8-ft by 2-ft frames of treated 2 x 4 fastened to 16” frame with lag screws (adjust length of center panel to extend overall length in cattle panel increments)
Cover side frame with thin plywood, siding, or other solid material (to strengthen the panel). Fastened in place to ground using 48” length 3/8” rebar through ½” conduit clamps on the inside edge end of end boards on longer wood panels, drive rebar half-way into ground (see side view). For additional security, add clamps and rebar to middle brace on side walls.
Cattle panel wire fastened with large fencing stapes to top 2 x 4 rail (fasten first side loosely). Roof frame is 52-inch cattle panels, four panels side-by-side, tied together with UV-resistant plastic zip ties. Cover with greenhouse film, stapled on lower edge with lath cover. Secure ends with nylon cord and elastic (folded and taped sleeve?). Also snug cover to frame at intervals with cord and elastic over film.
The ends are a little more complicated, but not too much. I'm thinking they should be modular, so they could be removed in summer and the house converted to a shade tunnel to shield plants that can't bear the full Texas sun all day. The ends would also have a thermostat-controlled vent fan (attic fan?) and louvres of some sort.
The ends to fit under the cattle panel arch, with overhang of at least one square. The wire arch is matched with slightly smaller arch of 1” (3/4?) PVC. The cover of greenhouse film is cut to size and shape and wrapped over the PVC arch and secured with clamps on back of PVC. The plastic is stapled to the wood braces with a thin lath cover. The ends of the PVC are socketed into holes on front edge of 2”x4” brace. The top of arch braced in a v-shaped slot on 2” x 4” brace.
Plastic zip-ties around PVC and cattle panel wire through the film (reinforced with tape?) will secure the edges of the end wall. The ends of the braces are screwed to top surface of side wall with deck screws. Bottom braces pinned to ground using 24” long rebar.
The door is framed for 36” x 80” screen door, hinged out. 1”x2” strip fastened around 3 inner edges of frame for sill (No threshold...depends on floor). The door can be covered with plastic to seal. (Velcro maybe?)
I haven't finished the concept for inside, but I'm thinking that I'd have a row of water dark barrels on the north side, with a working shelf on top. The other side would be open to allow freestanding plants (and my lawn chair).
dreaves that sounds really cool
i was just looking at some cattle panels today. Measuring them for my clear poly that i m ordering.
I was also looking at gutters and thought about your idea on that you mentioned early in the thread.
can't forget the lawn chair ? ! :)
I am hoping to get this up and going in the next week or two.
I m looking forward to seeing yours . I will definetly do pics for you. :)
We're redoing mine right now. If you're 6'7 you better think about 2 1/2 ft. sides, because I don't think that 2 ft will be enough. We also have an 80 inch door, and only have a couple of inches between the top of the door frame and the hoop in the cattle panel.
We put in treated 4x4's at each corner, 2 1/2 feet above ground, 2 1/2 feet below ground.Mine is 20 feet long, so we also put in a 4x4 at 10 feet. 2.5 above, 2.5 below. In the front, we've put in 2 4x4's for the door frame. We did the same in the back, as we were waffling back and forth about a door on each end. To the top of the outside of the 4x4's, we've run treated 2x6's. The cattle panels were attached to these on the inside with U Nails (fencing nails). My husband didn't feel that a 2x4 would withstand the wind as well as a 2x6 would. We have also run 2x6's at the bottom of the 4x4's for additional strength of the frame, I decided to do this instead of doing a Plywood base. I may decide I want a plywood base, but that won't be hard to attach later on, either to the inside or outside.
Instead of lathe, I bought batten tape. It was 8.00 for 100 feet, so I believe almost as economical as lathe, and easier to work with than the lathe was with my last cattle panel hoop-house.
My issue is the amount of space lost because of the curve of the cattle panels, I'm not happy with that, and I haven't decided what I'm going to do about it, but am thinking about attaching additional 1 ft of 4x4 to each corner, and the side center, and running a 2x4 down the length to force the cattle panel out a bit, which would flatten it somewhat on the top, but I believe still leave enough curve for snow/water runoff.
That is on the agenda tomorrow. When we're finished, I'll post photos. I don't have a program to generate a plan, I drew mine on grid paper. :)
I really need to get at least one cattle panel before I start to see how they bend, and what I might be able to do with the shape. I wonder if the panel could be bent to the desired width, then with that secure, pull down on the middle to change the shape (flatten) the arch? That seems like it would have the effect of making the sides of the curve steeper.
dreaves wow your tall. HA . Never thought i would say that to someone . Im 5'10" everyone says that to me. ( i hate it , like i dont know
that im tall ) LOL
I have the same problem wondering if i can get the height.
Im wondering if you double layer two panels to add height ? and prop with a post inside ? with brackets.,
Might be to easy for a good wind to pick it up ? half to use a good heavy weight i guess to anchor it .
good ideas
with all of our heads put together we will surely conquer this task LOL
sue
If you have the bottoms 9' apart, the top of the arch is about 6' high. I'm 5'5" and could breeze right through. Hubby is 6'3" and he had to stoop to get through.
I laid 2 rows of skids and attached the cattel panel to those with a decking board. That allowed for air circulation under the plants and kept them off the cold ground.
I was able to hang 3 rows of hanging baskets down each side.
As far as skids, I've found out something. Some companies make really good hardwood ones while others make cheaper ones. Many companies reuse them while others don't care what happens to them. I got mine from a small hardware store. I could have all of the cheaper ones I wanted but couldn't take the ones with a certain name stamped on them as that company bought back the skids. When I worked at Target, we reused them and also returned them to the company. You might try a pet store or something similar that gets heavy deliveries or a small hardware store where I did well. ;)
There is actually a place a few miles from me that makes them but I have no idea what they do with them or who they sell them too but I've seen them stacked by the thousands!
Sue, are you wanting this to be a temporary hoop house for just this season, or something you plan on using for a few years?
Well i think it will be temp this yr, then turned into a chicken tractor.
I am hoping to get a larger size one
I found a site that has the frames made out of galvanized poles with all the hardware.
Unless i don't make enough money at the farmers market then i will do my cattle panel again.
So it can either way LOL :)
I would like to do something like this in the near future
http://www.growerssolution.com/page/GS/CTGY/greenhouses
Then I'd definitely scout hardware stores, and especially stores that sell feed and get skids, if it's temporary, there is no sense spending extra money on lumber.
Sue--My two daughters got some of my height--one is 5'11", the other is almost 6'1" (she does play basketball...that's the other comment tall people always get--"Do you play basketball?"). My wife is ONLY 5'8". We all call her shorty. : )
Badseed--Thanks for the information on the height. I was planning on an 8' width, so that should give me 6' of clearance from the wire alone, then I'm adding the 2' sidewalls for a total of 8' height on center.
Good luck to both of you with the market growing! That's my ambition in a few years when I can semi-retire. (once the younger daughter--now 17--graduates from college). Until then I'm relearning and buying equipment...the Kubota tractor, single-bottom plow, and double-gang disc won't count as a business expense later, since they'll already be paid for! We see what else I just "have" to get, too.
David
This message was edited Mar 31, 2008 9:00 AM
taynors Your link to the greenhouses.Their prices are pretty good.I too want a gh and have been looking at all sorts of things.I saw on one of the other forums where someone used their childs swingset.Threw plastic over it and put a picnic table in the middle to hold thir plants and made sure the plastic was held down with bricks etc. Said it worked great.Am past swingsets or might try that for now.Deanna
I saw that one too deanna lol very creative . :)
Yep i always was asked about basketball too dreaves lol
you got a Kabota !! dreaves oh you lucky ducky. My DH is drooling over one. We are deciding on barn or Kabota tractor this yr. I m voting for the barn. chipping off two inches of ice this yr on the truck. Got my vote the other direction lololol :)
We have some extra lumber we all ready have
but for the doors we will have to go buy some . Depending on finances i might need it another yr with it LOL
oh that reminds me i have to order my plastic for it
bbl
I've seen comments about being sure that the same side is up for the panels, but which side is better? Should the long wires be up, or should the shorter wires be toward the plastic? I can see possible reasons for either way.
David
You want to put the long ones facing out. If you put the short ones on the outside, it's easier for the plastic to get ripped.
Here is a dumb question
One of the measurments is for Up and Over wouldn't that be the same length of the cattle panel 16' ? the lady explained it to me but i m still confused ?
any help would be greatful. :)
here it is
http://www.northerngreenhouse.com/ordering/pdf/CustomMeasuring.pdf
this is so hard to do when i don't have the basic construction up. I m tempted to just do it here at my apt and then tie it to the back of my truck and drag it over to the farm LOL
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