Arched trellis from cattle panels

16 years ago

I recently posted some of this information on another, largely lost and unrelated, thread in this forum. I've concluded it would be more searchable with its own thread. With all of us soon to need support for peas, tomatoes, sweet peas, purple hyacinth beans and more, I hope forum members agree it merits a stand alone thread.

This picture shows neonposey's purple hyacinth beans just getting started, and was taken before I planted the cukes. You'll also notice the cardboard in place waiting for wood chips, and a couple of bags of leaves. Too bad I didn't take an after pic because it really was pretty. This picture however, is probably better anyway because it shows the structure itself.

Last year I found a thread in the Vegetable Growing forum with detailed instructions for making an arch out of a cattle panel. At a cost of $14.88 each, they were cheap and easy. I used them to grow cucumbers. For beauty, I located them at the openings to my wooded paths and planted two purple hyacinth beans at the front opening.

It worked well enough that I planned to grow my sugar snap peas on them this winter, then switch the trellis to warm weather cukes again. I haven't actually sown the peas yet, but it might work for you.

I tried to locate the old thread for you, with the post from hunter_tx, but it is gone. I will try to explain it as well as she did, because it really is easy.

I was able to do the first one by myself, but found a partner really makes it easier. Put the cattle panel on a flat surface (concrete is better than grass). Working from the outside, fold one end to match the other. Have your partner hold the two ends together while you step a crease into the middle. Gloves are beneficial.

I found the arch to have its most pleasing proportions when the base was spaced exactly 5 feet wide. This also allowed me to drive my lawn tractor through. I used a couple of railroad ties to determine placement, holding them in place with stakes and setting the arch on the inside. I reached up to grab hold of the peak of the arch and pulled down to get the curve in the arch. Next I snipped the bottom horizontal row of wire away with bolt cutters. This left a series of vertical spikes which I shoved into the ground. Once it was anchored I removed the railroad ties to use on the next one.

I did one single this way and two doubles. I found that by putting two end to end I got a longer tunnel.

I really was easy, and cheap.

The following comments are responses to follow up questions:

Tansymoon,

I don't know if you can bring a cattle panel home in a van. The ones I bought were 52 inches wide by 16 feet long. The store had a policy against loading 16 foot long items into a pick up bed (good call) so I had to bring a trailer.

I bought mine at a local lumber yard called Lumber 2. They were also available at Atwood's...

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Comments (19)

farfaraway
16 years ago
Thank you, Seedmama, for posting this. I'm going to show this to my hubby today. I think I might put one of these in the veggie bed, and one on our little walkway and climb some morning glories up the side...
greylady_gardener
16 years ago
Love your arch! It really creates a nice entrance to your 'woodsy path'. :)

there is a thread about it in the vertical gardening forum.
Just thought that it would be another explanation.

Here is a link that might be useful: thread about cattle panel trellis'
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Extended cab pickup - short bed with a toolbox. And wheel wells. I'd have to see how wide it really is, but I'd say 4-5ft. Do they bend that much? And I'd be a little afraid to drive down with road with peak of arch(es) higher than the cab. Bungies won't hold spring-loaded panels if something moves. Now, a battery-operated sawzall - that's an idea. I don't know if a hacksaw would work (slow). What gauge wire are they made of? I really have to get some up for my dad -he's ready to plant tomatoes and I can't stand seeing them sprawl. He also thinks he can plant peas now (I think it's too late, he can try for a fall crop but usually we just put in a spring crop in April). Of course he planted his bush cukes and squash on the north side of the garden right next to neighbor's hedge, with 2 rows of corn to the south of them and then tomatoes are going to the south of those. So I don't know if maybe it's best to let tomatoes sprawl so everything north of them will get some light (at least the corn). Peas and beans are going in a different bed with some afternoon shade.
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LOL. Jeff, I was thinking about your comment that it looks flimsy and wondering how to explain that it really is NOT, when I remembered that about 16 years ago a friend and I hit a cow. It was a black cow on a country road in the middle of a very dark night. We saw it in the headlights as we came around a corner, we braked as hard as we could, and when we actually hit it we were going pretty slow, but it was a very very solid and upsetting "kerthunk". The hood of the car was ruined; the cow just got up and walked away. Cattle panels have to be able to stand up to cows better than our car did. Susan
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Squash has not done well for me in containers but I attribute that to being so close to the water, lots of humidity = PM/DM, and bugs. Point being I'm probably not the one to ask BUT I would say the bigger the better because squash roots will spread much more than cucumber roots and thus in a container more potting mix volume IS better.... This is one vegetable I honestly think you'd do better growing in the ground though.... Tom
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Ok. In order for the arch to be higher, the tanks would need to be much closer together if you put them on the inside of the panel. They might be hard to get between, to weed, etc. So I would suggest you put them on the outside of the arch.(one on each side). I don't know if you considered that already as the option and pretty much have the tanks where you want them, but it looks like you wouldn't be able to weed the tank on the right, if it is right near the fencing. Have you put any drainage holes in the bottoms of these tanks? Don't put too many in. I was using about 9 food-grade stock tanks and put waaaay too many holes in them and the water would drain out much too soon, and I have to water them about every other day......which is a drag. I've tried to plug some of the holes and they're doing a big better. But mine are up on some cement blocks, and not right on the ground. I love trellis gardening. I grow (in the ground) cucumbers on both sides of the trellis and they love it. I also use my kids old swing set with fencing up one side and over it and grow winter squash, and it seems to love growing upwards.
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wendeyzee
16 years ago
Awesome!!! Thanks for sharing seedmama, those are easy to find here. I'll be making a couple of those this spring.

Thanks to graylady for adding the original thread as well, I loved the pics :-)

Wendey
lindakimy
16 years ago
Oh, I like that!

I'd love to copy but I think I've made the paths into my "woodland garden" too narrow. I'll live to regret that - I can only manage a wheelbarrow in there, not the garden cart I pull behind the riding mower. LOTS more hauling and hefting this way.

I need to look into that arbor of yours, though. Somehow I've managed to inherit a lot of seeds for vines this year. WHERE to put them!?
proudgm_03
16 years ago
I don't understand about putting a fold in your panel. How long of a panel did you use?
Thanks
vera_eastern_wa
16 years ago
Yes, great idea!
I don't understand about not loading them into a pickup bed though. That's exactly how we've always brought them home...where ever that was at the time for construction of our dog areas. All you have to do is bring bright colored flags to attach to the panel ends and a few tie downs.

Proudgm...cattle panels are a standard 16' long and 2 choices of width of either apprx 2' or 4'...

Vera
shasta_2008
16 years ago
What a great idea!! I have 3 entrys to my woods and was looking for ideas...and I was going to make a teepee out of young trees for cukes but I like this better, I LOVE the arch. Is there any possible way to bend this in the parking lot at the store to fit it into the truck? Or would we cature too much attention? LOL
mboardman
16 years ago
Thank you for posting your idea and photos. I too have been trying to figure out something for my potager. Below is a link from a thread posted earlier that shows some more great photos of rebar and pig fencing. They are very inspirational.

You'll see, this version involved welding. I didn't even want to bring up the subject with DH since he doesn't want do this. Your version is much easier.

Here is a link that might be useful: More trellis from fencing ideas
seedmama
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks greylady for posting an additional link. While it isn't the one I originally used for great directions, it does a much nicer job of showing the potential beauty of this cheap and easy arch.

Proudgm, the cattle panel is 16 feet long, so I refer to folding it end to end to get a crease at the 8 foot point . The crease defines where the peak of the arch is. I tried not creasing it just to see what a round top arch would look like. It didn't appeal to me, but it might be just the thing for you.

Shasta, the thread from greylady makes reference to folding in the parking lot, and that makes a lot of sense to me. I just didn't think of it. I'd probably still take a helper though. The employees at my particular lumber yard embody the fact that they have the cheapest prices in town. I wouldn't trust them to fold a one dollar bill. You can fold them almost completely flat because the fullness will come back when you pull down on the inplace arches from overhead. You'll still need tie downs.

The caution against hauling full length panels in a pick up is well founded. A standard pick up has a bed 8 feet long. That would leave a full 8 feet sticking out. Basic physics suggests it wouldn't be a well balanced load. If you live in a completely rural area where people are accustomed to red flags on loads, and farm equipment puttering down public highways you might chance it. For me, however, the road from lumber yard to home caters to a demographic blend of city slickers and county bumpkins. Store policy or no, I felt an 8 foot extension was just asking for an accident.

Shasta, you won't attract any more attention folding panels in the parking lot than you will pulling containers out of the recycle bin. Go for it!
dirtbert
16 years ago
Whenever we have bought them we have brought them home from the lumber yard in a pick up truck.
However, they always "rainbow" them in the back (they make an arch!) so there is no part hanging out the back, the tail gate holds them in.
zengeos
16 years ago
This is exactly what I have been looking for! Only problem is...how do I get them home? I'll need 5 or 6 to start....
zengeos
16 years ago
DIRTBET

Aren't they too wide to do that? 52" wide is wider than a pickup bed....
pogoduck
16 years ago
I love these. Here's a link to the cattle panel arch I made last fall.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:365719}}
zengeos
16 years ago
Pogo...you related to Bilbo Baggins?? :)

Love the arch where it bows out a little at the sides! Sure beats boring strait trellis any day!!!
seedmama
Original Author
16 years ago
Dirtbert,
You're method of "rainbowing" them makes perfect sense. That's what I love about this forum...how friendly forum members share with each other for the betterment of all! It also makes me glad I posted the photo to get the thread going, even though it wasn't a perfectly beautiful example, all neat and tidy. I'm also glad to know I don't have to drive all the way to Dad's, unload his trailer, go get my load, return the trailer and reload Dad's equipment. This way is much easier.

Zengeos,
Think about the 52" running the LENGTH of the pickup. When you tuck each 52" end in along the length of the pickup it will automatically form the rainbow shape dirtbert is referring to, and will make your pickup resemble a covered wagon. Or maybe I'm mistaken about which way is best to position them. Maybe its a covered wagon turned 90 degrees?
mickey_dee2002
16 years ago
Just wondering if anyone knows of a source for the cattle panels in south central Michigan in the Lansing area?
Thanks for any help.
Mike
seedmama
Original Author
16 years ago
Mike,
I did a google search for "lansing michigan farm supply" and got 10 plus promising leads. Three of them are local Tractor Supply Company locations.
thelarkascending
8 years ago
Hey guys,

I know this is what 6 (??) years after... a long enough time so I'm not really expecting a reply. But this looks so nice and cheap, that I couldn't resist. I didn't see any mention of growing roses on those trellises. Do any of y'all think they would be strong enough? Is there a reason no one mentioned that, or would that work just as well as lighter, smaller vines? :) Grace
seedmama
Original Author
8 years ago
I have seen roses grown on them. Secure them to the ground with really sturdy stakes. Good luck!

Arched trellis from cattle panels

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