Using livestock paneling, we constructed a large, inexpensive cattle panel greenhouse to use as a cold frame for our winter garden and to sow seedlings in the spring.
How We Built a Greenhouse Using Cattle Panels
It is finally complete!
My parents homestead officially has a greenhouse! A cattle panel greenhouse to be exact. It has been a dream, several years in the making, to build a greenhouse to extend our growing season year-around.
Why did it take awhile to get the greenhouse up and running? The answer to that question would be research, cost and time. Just google greenhouse and you can spend hours researching through a surplus of search results.When building a greenhouse there are so many factors to consider, let alone the variety of options you can choose from. Sizing. Insulation. Position. Venting. Do you build it yourself, hire a contractor, purchase a used one or grab a kit online?
Talk about analysis paralysis.
The next item to consider was the expense of building a greenhouse. Did you know that the average cost of building a greenhouse is nearly $14,000? Wowee! Guess it’s time to break the piggy bank. Or start a bake sale to raise funds.
Lastly, time played an important roll in considering which route to select when building the greenhouse. If we decided to build it ourselves, we’d need to find the time to do so. And I don’t know about you but an average day on the homestead is already booked with many duties — gardening, tending to the livestock, harvesting, preserving, cooking, cleaning … so the thought of another task tacked onto the list was a little daunting.
After much consideration and watching an encouraging video from Homestead Heart, my family decided to build a greenhouse using cattle panels. This was a significantly cheaper alternative to many store bought greenhouses plus it checked off all the boxes on our greenhouse wishlist.
Why Build a Cattle Panel Greenhouse?
The biggest draw to building a greenhouse using cattle panels is the low cost. But we also chose to build this type because:
- Cattle panels are strong, sturdy and durable.
- If we ever disassemble the greenhouse we could easily use the panels in another project such as a trellis in the garden.
- Since we are novice greenhouse builders, using cattle panels made the construction simple.
- The small size of the greenhouse is perfect for our winter and spring garden. It would not be ideal if we wanted to be market gardeners or needed to grow an enormous amount of food for a large family.
- Many greenhouses are large and permanent. The cattle panel greenhouse we created is a manageable size that can easily be pulled around by a lawn mower, should the need to move it ever arise.
What Can You Use a Cattle Panel Greenhouse For?
A cattle panel greenhouse can be used for year-around gardening. You can either plant your seeds into the ground or add shelving units to the inside of the facility to grow seedlings. This fall we plan to use the greenhouse as a cold frame. We planted seeds directly into the ground so that we can enjoy fresh greens throughout the frigid winter months.
Come spring time, we will set shelving and place containers full of seedlings to get a head start on the growing season.
If you plan to use your cattle panel greenhouse as a cold frame during the winter, here are some great cold hardy plants you can grow.
- Beets
- Carrots
- Cilantro
- Claytonia
- Garlic
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Some onion varieties (such as leeks or green onions)
- Parsley
- Radishes
- Spinach
- Swiss chard
- Tatsoi
Watch Video Tutorial
How to Build a DIY Greenhouse
My Dad, a very talented carpenter, drew up the plans for the greenhouse build. The project was to be 8.5 feet by 20 feet with a budget of $500. After grabbing several cattle panels at our local Tractor Supply store, we headed to the hardware shop to get supplies to build the frame.
Using some 2’ by 6’ and 2’ by 4’ pine boards, we secured the bottom of the frame together. Next, we bent 5 cattle panels into the ledge that we created, attaching them to the wood frame with cable staples. To make the panels secure and uniform, we zip tied them together.
For ventilation, we used a vintage door in the front and installed a free window we got from a friend in the back of the greenhouse. Pipe insulation was added to the top of the panels to prevent the greenhouse plastic from tearing.
Lastly, we pulled the plastic the panels and secured them to the wood framework. The total cost of building the cattle panel greenhouse was less than $500.
Overall, we are thrilled with the way the project turned out. If you are looking for a budget friendly build, consider creating a greenhouse with cattle panels.
FAQ
How Do You Attach Plastic to a Cattle Panel Greenhouse?
To attach greenhouse plastic to a cattle panel greenhouse, we used plastic round cap nails. These fasteners worked well to hold the plastic in place without it tearing when strong winds or storms pass through our area.
What is the Standard Size for Cattle Panel?
Constructed of 4 gauge wire, galvanized and welded into one piece of steel, standard cattle panels are built to be 16 feet long and 50 inches (about 4 feet) wide. We bent the large paneling in half to create the roof of the greenhouse but you can always use a pair of cutters to shorten the paneling if you plan to create a smaller hoop house.
What Else Can You Build With Cattle Panels?
There are plenty of uses for cattle panels, other than keeping your livestock contained. I’ve heard of people using them to build dog houses, chicken coops and compost bins. This past summer, my parents used the panels as a giant garden trellis for their cucumbers. It was quite fun walking through a tunnel of cukes in the middle of the garden.
What is a Cheap Alternative to a Greenhouse?
A cold frame! Not ready to build an entire greenhouse just yet? Try building a cold frame using a wooden or metal frame or even recycled materials. Learn how we built a 19th century style cold frame here.
Growing Food Year Round in a Greenhouse
With food costs and shortages on the rise, there is a growing need to increase food security for you and your family. Discover how to grow your own food and improve food security by adding a small greenhouse to your property.
More Gardening Tutorials
How to Start a Garden for Beginners
How to Build a Cinder Block Raised Garden Bed
Vertical Gardening for Small Spaces
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Came here after looking up cattle panels mentioned by a commentator on an ‘Ice Age Farmer’ video.
Looks good and certainly cost effective where you are. looking forward to having a browse of your site.
I’m in New Zealand upper mid North Island and have an established fruit garden. Helping a friend develop his property down North in a place called Paihia, at present clearing land of invasive non-native trees, cutting in drainage to follow natural watercourses and terracing/leveling some areas to make them more manageable. Nothing drastic just working with what is there. The neighbor wife is into gardening and developing their small section so I will show her this.
What are the dimensions of the building, and I was wondering if you have a materials list as well?
The greenhouse is 8.5 feet by 20 feet. I do not have a complete list of materials or step by step building plans at the moment but may make them available to download in the future.
Would love to see a materials list with dimensions/sizes of the materials and where you sourced the greenhouse plastic from.
In the future, I will create a guide with the specific project plans. The plastic covering we purchased online from the Greenhouse MegaStore. I highly recommend them!
I love your greenhouse idea! I have been thinking and pondering ideas! This is great! I was thinking too that perhaps you could use pallets to make your base frame.
I think your pallet idea is brilliant! There are some greenhouses out there that do use pallets as the base.
What “piping” did you use to keep the panels from tearing the cover?
We used foam piping insulation. Similar to the kind you would use to insulate water pipes for winter. I believe it comes in 4 to 6 foot lengths. After putting it over the two cattle panels, we wrapped it with duct tape every few inches.
Loved the green house plan. Could you tell me what the black round rolls, you threw over the roof to secure the Plastic ?…thank you..
Thanks Pam! The black rolls are foam piping insulation. It’s the same stuff you’d use to insulate water pipes. You can purchase it from Home Depot. I believe they call it poly pipe foam insulation.