Start of the Panel Greenhouse!

[catjac1975]

I do that for the goat and lil'horse shelter. It was supposed to be temporary but it's going into it's third year. I would be interested to know how they keep the fencing from abrading the greenhouse plastic though. It's kind of hard on tarps. :/

I do that for the goat and lil'horse shelter. It was supposed to be temporary but it's going into it's third year. I would be interested to know how they keep the fencing from abrading the greenhouse plastic though. It's kind of hard on tarps. :/

They used foam pipe insulation over the sharp edges-great idea!

 

[thistlebloom]

They used foam pipe insulation over the sharp edges-great idea!

That is a great idea! I had forgotten that I did a similar thing with an old garden hose. I split it and zip tied it over the edges of the panels where they met, that kept the sharpest edges from making holes, but the metal still has a general roughness and when the wind flaps the tarp around it wears it thin. Not a big deal really.

edited to add- I bet the foam insulation helps more because it has a larger diameter and would help hold the plastic off the metal better.

 

[secuono]

I like that Sec. Looks kinda low tho for a head that's, you know, pertnear 6 foot above the ground, but it could be good crawling in and out of.

Think knee pads...because...decades later happen, and knees remember real well about crawling around on them. Maybe even have a spot near the entrance to hang the knee pads.

Now, it's almost the first of the year. I have my own engineering to start doing! you're inspiring me to get cracking! I have some ANTI GOPHER garden cages to start initiating!

I plan on using cinder blocks to make it taller. I totally forgot about the dirt making head clearance lower...
I'm already crawling on the ground when dealing with my sheep, pigs, goats, dogs and even the rabbits. I like sitting on the ground or doing things on ground level, really gets you back to being a simple human and not an all high and mighty person. It's most fun laying in the pasture w/the dogs napping next to me and the livestock grazing around me. Very calming.


I plan on wrapping some padding on the sides of the wood the plastic will lay on.
There is tubing insulation in the plumbing section, for those of you curious about that. Lots of types can work, though.

I have no deer issues in the garden/rabbit yard. Our dogs keep them away, the hot fence and such help, too. They go into the pasture all the time, I don't care, most livestock doesn't mind, mare doesn't mind as long as they don't get too close. But the LGD always chases them off if she spots them.

Other panels have already been moved and made into a catch pen for the sheep. Just need to train them to go in....

 

[canesisters]

Hey yall... what's the difference between a cattle panel and a hog panel?

 

[digitS']

Cane', since that was to y'all, I'll take a shot at that question.

I don't know that we had "cattle panels" when I had cattle . Well anyway, I never had hogs either.

I believe that it is a matter of height and spacing of the grid. Someone should correct me if I'm wrong. Certainly, pigs don't need a very high fence but I see these panels that are real tight at the bottom. I think those are for pigs.

Steve

 

[canesisters]

I'm gonna drift off topic a little (yeah... what's new, right?).
I've been toying with the idea of building one of those panel greenhouses but couldn't justify the cost of the materials in my 'frugal' little brain.
Then, over the past few days of watching my ancient old horse trudge through deep mud to get into the barn - I started thinking how much better it would be if I could set up some sort of portable-ish shelter out in the field that would keep her feed dry and that could be moved if she churned up the ground into a sloppy mess.
And then it hit me that one of these MIGHT just be the answer to my muddy footed horse problem. And since she's older than the dirt she's slopping around in, it could one day be converted into a greenhouse (if the notion to build one doesn't pass by the time she does).
The farm supply store near me has both hog and cattle panels - 16' long - for $25........

 

[digitS']

Could it do double duty, Cane'?

Early in the winter for feed storage . .

. late winter (perhaps moved) for plant starts . . .

Steve

 

[catjac1975]

I'm gonna drift off topic a little (yeah... what's new, right?).
I've been toying with the idea of building one of those panel greenhouses but couldn't justify the cost of the materials in my 'frugal' little brain.
Then, over the past few days of watching my ancient old horse trudge through deep mud to get into the barn - I started thinking how much better it would be if I could set up some sort of portable-ish shelter out in the field that would keep her feed dry and that could be moved if she churned up the ground into a sloppy mess.
And then it hit me that one of these MIGHT just be the answer to my muddy footed horse problem. And since she's older than the dirt she's slopping around in, it could one day be converted into a greenhouse (if the notion to build one doesn't pass by the time she does).
The farm supply store near me has both hog and cattle panels - 16' long - for $25........

Because of all the mud, if you build the shelter for the horse, put it on some type of wheels so it can be pulled to dry ground periodically.

 

[thistlebloom]

Steves right, the hog panels have a tighter grid. I don't know if they're as tall as the cattle panels...those are 52".
I think Cats idea of wheels is a good one. But you'd have to build a frame, probably something like Journey made for her tractor.
We just pound in t-posts to secure the corners to.
I've already mentioned this, but we use 3 panels end to end for the goats and mini horse. It's really an effective shelter, and I think a cheap way to go. You aren't going to be wearing them out.
Double duty is a really creative idea Cane!

 

[canesisters]

Steve, that's sort of what I was thinking. Plants in the spring/fall - horse in the winter. But at $25/ea... the more I think about it... I might try building the feeder shelter and if it's not too hard I might make a tiny little greenhouse too.
Or maybe I'll just wait... Gail is 34 this spring....

Thistle - I've been looking at picts on the web and several talk about using t-posts - but I can't see them in the pictures. How do you have yours set up? Would it be possible to use t-posts to secure the ends of the pannels and nothing else? I'd like to keep it as portable as possible without getting so heavy that I need a truck to move it. If it's so muddy that I need to move it, it's too muddy for the truck to do the job.