Cattle panels make great garden arbors, trellises, fences, chicken coops, greenhouses and much more. In this gardening video you will learn about the many ways cattle panels can be useful to gardeners, farmers, landscapers and hobbyists.
Garden Design
15 Comments
I have one panel that I’ve covered with poly and secured with cement blocks – have been wanting to get two more to make what I call a hillbilly hoop house with a door like the example at the end of your video, and simply remove the poly in warmer weather. What never occurred to me was using it as a fence heightener. My fence is only thigh high, so deer can just walk over that. Looks like I’ll be getting more than two! I had also been struggling with how to secure it – I’ve got T-posts and the tool on site. Yippee!
Very important!!
If you have not used a T post driver before, you need to know to be careful with it. It is heavy to help pound the posts in, which is great. BUT, when lifting it up to pound down again, don't lift it too high as the top portion can tip over in your hands and bang you on the head!! BE CAREFUL.
Thank you for sharing!
I've seen them used to make raised beds with excellent results. filled with woodchips around the outside then compost & soil. [vids on y.t.] also, when used as an arch, growing pole beans, cukes, squash, etc. as for decorating – use battery operated L.E.D. lights too. using these panels is one of the best garden ideas I've seen in a LONG time!!!
I build my raised beds from cattle panels. Cut a panel in half lengthwise so you have two pieces 16' long x approx 2' wide. Bend each piece into a circle, square or oval to suit the spot you want to put it and tie the ends together with aluminum wire. Line them with 1/4" steel hardware cloth secured with zip ties, and then line again with landscaping cloth, or pile wood chips or dead leaves against the side as you fill it. I fill them halfway with small-medium branches & stumps, leaves, grass clippings etc similar to making a hugelkultur bed, then finish filling with organic material and my favorite soil mix. In an hour or two you now have two very sturdy galvanized steel raised beds that will outlast us all, for a total cost of no more than $40 (plus the soil). That's only $20 per bed, max. Even less costly than using lumber, but they will last basically forever.
Each bed will have a top surface area of about 20 square feet, and be about 5' across depending on how you bend/shape them. All you need is an angle grinder, bolt-cutters or hacksaw (lots of elbow grease needed with the hacksaw) to cut the panels, a snips to cut the hardware cloth, a scissors to cut the landscape material if you use that, and a pliers to twist the wire ties tight.
The hugel-style layer makes these beds do very well in both dry spells and wet spells, because they drain well yet the old wood at the bottom retains moisture very well. The fact that the sides are breathable means you will never have a plant get root bound by running into a solid bed wall; they will air-prune just as they would in a fabric pot.
I see a lot of people nowadays using solid galvanized beds or tubs, and paying $150 or more plus shipping for each one… and I just shake my head and chuckle every time. I will never build a bed out of lumber again either, because the first time I had to replace mine after only 3 years was enough of that nonsense for me.
When we bought our first batch of cattle panels we didn't have access to a truck, so we had Home Depot deliver them and unload them right onto our driveway. There's a flat fee for delivery, in our case it was $80, so you have to order enough stuff at once to make that worthwhile. But it's definitely an option. We bit the bullet and ordered a few panels, couple rolls of wire fencing, some yard furniture etc all at once and it worked out great to make that delivery fee not so hard to swallow.
You could bend the panels like an arch and get it into a 6’ bed right? I have access to a truck but I’ve never touched a cattle panel so idk how easy they are to bend! 😅 #citygirl
Thanks for sharing….very good ideas!!!!
We have them in rolls here in Ontario
I like that outro music 🙂
So…where did you get your cattle panels? I saw you at orchard nursery, so I know you are near Walnut Creek.
An absolute pleasure to watch and so easy to listen to the narration. Comments are fantastic as well with great, simple ideas, I especially enjoy the repurposing ideas. Thrilled to have found Plant Abundance. I do have a question: I started some kiwi cuttings, in water. Leaves popped out in a week! Time to plant. Popped the roots in Growth hormone and into the soil. In less than 8 hrs, leaves were drooping, within days, they died. I can't seem to find an answer. Maybe someone can help. Love the videos!
Cut in half and made short green house/ shade cloth. 4 ft wide alittle more than 3 ft tall. Also using the same idea for supporting an indeterminate tomato. Using them as a stronger trellis to support grapes, raspberries, and blackberries on the walls of my garden.
I will try to use one to make a shed for seasoning fire wood. Need to get a pallet first. For the bottom.
Enjoyed your video, thanks for sharing. I also use cattle panels in my garden, specifically for raised bed frames. I bend panel lengthwise 90 degreed to form a pitched frame. Cover frame with shade cloth/frost blankets, works great.