My husband and I have decided to erect a greenhouse using cattle panel walls and hooping cattle panel over the walls. Can anyone tell us what kind of plastic to use and how to keep the plastic on the panels.Has anyone made such a structure? Can anyone tell us the place we can get the best buy on the plastic?We want to start seedlings in it. thanks,Terry

-- Theresa Lipe (elipe@fidnet.com), December 28, 2001

Answers

Response to greenhouse

Try Northern Greenhouse Sales for poly covers, 204-327-5540.

-- bruce (rural@inebraska.com), December 28, 2001.

Response to greenhouse

I have a 12x28 made the same way.I used 2x6s on the outside walls on the bottom stapled to the panel on the inside." fencing staples 1 in".Treated 2x6s.The plastic is attached to the 2x6 by 1x2s running the length of the wall,pull plastic over the structure,tighten plastic,attach 1x2s. I use woodscrews to attach the 1x2s.6 mil plastic is what I use.Every 4 ft on the 2x6s I screw in eye bolts Then loop baler twine over the plastic for protection against winds.The cattle panels work out fine!!

-- David R In TN. (srimmer@earthlink.net), December 29, 2001.

Walmart had fairly reasonable prices on 6 mil. I ve seen it less at hardware stores. It will run about 10 bucks for 25 feet by 10 feet. DO NOT opt for the cheaper 4 mil- it shreds fast. I use these plastics to cover baled hay coming home on a 800 mile trip on my trailer. 6 mil survives for several trips, 4 mil shreds after one.

-- Kevin in NC (Vantravlrs@aol.com), December 29, 2001.

Farmtek has remnants of heavier type stuff up to 16 mil that they sell. You would have to call them to find out what they have, but you could certainly get a covering there that would outlast most anything else.

-- chuck in md (woah@mission4me.com), December 29, 2001.

Most plastic or Visqueen is succeptible to UV damage and will not last more than a year here in Alaska. We use a product developed specifically for greenhouses that is guarenteed at least 3 years against UV damage and I use it up to 6 years, then put it over my hay stacks for another 3-4 years. Monsanto Cloud nine is one that we have had good success with. It is expensive, but If you consider the cost of new visqueen every year and the problems of attaching it, the cost is minimal. We attach it with a combination metal base plate and a top snap to hold it in place. We have also used 1/4 inch lath strips screwed into a wooden base. The beauty of this is that you can use 2 layers and pump air between them fo create an inflated insulation layer. Supposedly saves up to 40% on the cost of heating over the single layer method. McKonkie out of Sumner WA sells a number of this type of cover and most greenhouse supply catalogs will carry some form of it. Stuppies is another greenhouse supplier that has it. Look them up on the internet.

-- David A. (mncscott@ak.net), December 29, 2001.

Theresa: First of all do not hesitate to build it - one of the best things we ever did! It was for us the difference between barely a garden and a fabulous garden last season. Now, I did not built it, my husband did so I don't have the technical answers on the lumber part, but I will do my best: He simply pounded rebar stakes into the ground, bent the cattle panels to a hoop, attached them with thick wire to the rebar. The cover we used was from Gardener's Supply Company, and if I recall it cost us about 125.00 for a 6'x100' roll, including shipping. (The entire greenhouse cost was 300.00). Now, I don't know if they still carry it as their most recent catalogs dont' show it. It claimed to last 5 years. After using 6 ml plastic for small hoop tunnels directly in the garden and having it disintegrate I will never again use anything BUT the greenhouse plastic. Anyways, back to the greenhouse. He then used posts that we already had and literally rolled the side ends around them and half buried them into the ground. Oh, I forgot - I did have to sew large pieces of the plastic (yes you can sew it, but use a thread made especially for outdoor use) together in order to get it to fit. He then used lumber to make a door and to frame out the end, which I can't help you with. We also took large plastic barrels, painted them black, placed them a few feet apart (6 feet or so), filled with water, then placed old wide boards on them as shelves, and created at the same time a little bit of heat retention to release into the night. I cannot stress enough what a huge difference this made for us garden wise. Good luck. If I could ever figure out how to send pictures I would send some!

-- Katie (homesteader@accessnevada.com), January 04, 2002.