To make a single cattle panel trellis you’ll need: Materials needed for a cattle panel trellis It didn’t take long for my newly installed arches to be covered with productive plants. Here’s the process I followed to make my cattle panel trellis, along with some important lessons I learned along the way. ![]() The panel is bent into an arch and attached to stakes hammered into the ground. Cattle panels can be found at various farm supply stores. They are straight, not rolled like fencing. Typically made from welded, four-gauge, galvanized wire, standard cattle panels are 16 feet long and 50 inches wide. Simply stated, a cattle panel trellis is a wire arch made from a piece of common farm fencing known as a cattle panel (also called a feedlot panel or a livestock panel). While it’s not quite as elegant as some manufactured garden arches, it certainly makes up for this shortcoming by being extremely effective, affordable, and easy to install. If you’re looking for a great way to increase the growing space in your garden, a simple cattle panel trellis does the job just as effectively as these more costly options. What is a cattle panel trellis?Ĭommercially made garden arches constructed of wood or metal are attractive, but they’re also expensive. Cattle panel arches are an excellent, inexpensive way to grow more food in less space. In this article, I share one of my favorite ways to grow food vertically: by using a cattle panel trellis. And in many cases, growing vertically is also really beautiful. It also keeps the plants off the ground, distancing them from soil-dwelling pests. Vertical gardening increases the air circulation around your plants, making them less susceptible to fungal diseases. ![]() It allows you to grow more food in a given area and makes harvesting so simple. You can of course easily paint your arch any other colour of your choosing with suitable paint.Growing vegetables vertically has many benefits. One side is anchored into the ground and the other side is fixed to the wall.Īny Colour you Like Although most metal arches come painted in black, some retailers offer green, dark copper or silver. Very Wide Arches Another benefit of metal arches over wooden ones is that they are often available in much wider sizes - we've seen up to 3.6 metres wide and almost as tall.įix to a Wall Yet another reason to select a metal arch is that a number of half-arches are available - these are ideal for installing in a side return or alleyway where you would not normally be able to fit a full arch. ![]() This will also provide a handy base for climbing plants to get established and eventually work their way around the arch. It is not recommended to leave a metal arch unsecured on a hard surface, but if your installation is proving problematic consider placing some heavy planters either side of the archway and securely fixing the arch to them. Often, a manufacturer will make available optional sockets and fixing that will allow you to install your chosen arch onto such a surface. Install on a Patio Metal arches can also be installed on hardstanding such as a patio or other stone or concrete surfaces. Some of these arches are designed to sit up to 60cm into the ground and the legs will be that much longer to compensate.Įven with solid metal arches, it is still worth considering using mounting sockets or concreting the feet into the ground to give the maximum possible stability. This requires more effort (and hands!) to erect, but will result in a rock solid installation. Stronger metal arches are made from cast-iron or more commonly, solid steel. ![]() Metal by nature is much more flexible than chunky timber so if you are looking for a more distinctive, ornate or perhaps even contemporary garden archway then your best choice is a metal one.Ī lot of cheaper metal arches tend to be made from hollow tubular steel which makes them lightweight but more susceptible to damage in bad weather.įix Securely You can mitigate this by securely fixing the arch into the ground with either special mounting sockets or even concreting the legs into the ground.
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