I'll Do It Myself!
If you aren't in any online garden groups yet, it's not a bad idea to join!
Here's a WONDERFUL nugget from Judy Ypma!! She's on a roll! Q&As we're good too.
Question: does the cattle panel just bend that perfectly when you secure the bottom? Or do you have to manually manipulate/bend it? Iām hoping to use some this spring to make trellis arches for squash vines.
A It does bend fairly easily. I secured one end in my base and "walked the other end into the base. I zipp tyed these two together because I have had it where they do not bend the same. I have used these in my garden many times and they work very well for squash.
A They are not permanently bent but will naturally form a smooth arch when the ends are wide enough. As you move the ends closer together it will shift towards a raindrop shape unless you constrain the shapes of the sides to be straight with a post (technically you just need to constrain the position in three vertical places to do that, but that's just geek trivia).
Q Looks great!! What did you do to keep the cattle panel edges from ripping the plastic?
A I put tape on the sharp edges. I'm not sure if this will be sufficient, but time will tell. I used a pool noodle before, but did not have any handy when I started this last week.
A It should help a lot by just by making sure that the outside wires are the long ones so the ends of the short pieces are under them when the plastic is placed on top. Putting the edges with narrower spacing on the two ends of the tunnel may also help along with wrapping an additional layer of plastic, tape, or something like pipe insulation along that edge will protect the plastic cover from rips or punctures from sharp points or wires sticking out.
Q This looks like something I might be able to tackle! What are the dimensions? Where did you get your materials? Hardware store?
A I bought the cattle panels - two of them at the TSC. I zip tied them together, (got those at Lowes.)) I built a 2 by 4 frame for foundation, (Lowes again) The base is 8 foot by 8ft 8 inches. I just am working out of my imagination so there are no written plans. I put a door frame and the reinforcement on both sides for stability. I bought a roll of 6 ml plastic and some heavy duty duck tape, (You guessed it, lowes again.) The black plastic that is stapled on was a rescue from an old greenhouse. If I didn't have that I would have improvised. š It is almost 6 feet at the highest point in the middle. You 100% can do this
A Helps if you have a commercial greenhouse operation local. When they replace plastic they sometimes give away their old and it works well. Ours is 10x28 I think...6 cattle panels long
Q Love these but without a solid base I know my local groundhog family would set up housekeeping in no time.
A Yep. I have moles also. That is why mine is on these patio bricks.
Q This looks amazing! How are you going to do the door?
A I am going to use 2 by 2 lumber. On the back side I am going to use something called a Zipwall. I don't plan on using the back door a lot, so it might just be temporary. I looked at how wooden screen doors are made and it looks pretty straight froward. I think I can do it, but have never tried so we shall see! (New things are exciting š )
Thanks again for sharing, Judy Ypma!!