by Jennifer Poindexter
Are you an avid gardener or even a homesteader? Did you know cattle panels could be one of the greatest tools you could use in either of these situations?
If you have seen these panels while shopping at your local farm or gardening supply store but were never quite sure how to utilize them, you’ve come to the right place.
I’m going to share some of the top ways you may use cattle panels around your homestead or garden.
Here are a few ways cattle panels could be useful to you:
1. Cattle Panels Make Excellent Livestock Fencing
The most obvious use for cattle panels is their original use. These panels make excellent fencing for livestock.
Pigs have a difficult time rooting their way through them, and they’re sturdy enough to contain cattle or goats as well. If you have livestock around your home, don’t bypass cattle panels when creating a fence.
2. Cattle Panels are Great for Gates
I live on a farm, and we raise goats. If you’ve ever raised goats, you know if they want to get out of an area, they will. The best way to keep goats contained, in my experience, is keep them happy.
However, we use electric fencing to keep bears away from them, and I use livestock gates for entry into their pasture. Yet, small goats can fit through the spacing in the gate.
How do you stop this? We apply cattle fencing to the gates. This makes the holes smaller, and the goats can’t fit through them. Therefore, keeping the goats in a safe space and out of the hands of predators.
3. Railing Made of Cattle Panels
My husband and I are small-time house flippers. We buy old homes that need a lot of TLC, live in them for a few years, fix them up debt free, and then trade up to another house to get closer to the home of our dreams.
One way we’ve found to gussy up a basic deck railing is to use cattle panels. It’s durable and provides a different look to your home.
Plus, it’s budget-friendly. What originally gave me this idea was my kids. One of our decks was high off the ground, and I could see them going straight through wooden railings. I figured if cattle panels were strong enough for cows, it would be strong enough to keep my kids safe as well.
4. A Cattle Panel Trellis
Do you grow plants that like to climb? There are many items from flowers to vegetables that are served well by being provided with a trellis.
If you need an inexpensive but durable trellis, consider using cattle panels. They can be used as a lean-to trellis or to help your plants grow vertically.
You may use them in the ground or cut the cattle panel down and utilize it to help container grown plants.
5. Cattle Panels Make an Excellent Hoop House
My first greenhouse was a cold-frame hoop house. These are some of my favorite types of greenhouses because they’re easy to use and inexpensive to build.
If you’d like to have a hoophouse around your home, consider using cattle panels as the frame to the greenhouse. Then cover it in durable plastic.
Whether you’re new to building greenhouses or want something simple, this style of greenhouse could be for you.
6. Cattle Panel Arbor
Would you like to have a special entrance to your garden? If you purchase an arbor, it can become an expensive project quickly.
However, if you build one out of cattle panels, this could make the project more affordable. Bend cattle panels until they form an arch. You can use t-posts to secure the panels.
If you need to attach multiple cattle panels or secure them to the t-posts be sure to use strong wire to ensure the panels don’t go anywhere. Then plant items next to the arbor that will climb and create a beautiful entrance.
7. Cattle Panel Garden Grid
Do you practice square foot gardening or do you struggle with proper spacing in your garden beds?
Cattle panels can help with this. Lay the cattle panel over your raised garden or in ground garden plot.
Cut the panel down to size, place it over the growing area again, and plant one item per square of the panel. This will ensure adequate spacing throughout your garden.
8. Cattle Panels Make a Great Cold Frame
We’ve discussed different ways you can cut and mold cattle panels to make a variety of items. However, have you considered using cattle panels for a cold frame?
You can cut the cattle panel down to a manageable size and bend it to form a hoop or a tent over your garden bed.
Use the sharp edges to dig into the dirt to keep the frame secure. Once in place, cover the cattle panel frame with plastic to create a makeshift cold frame that will protect your crops from frost and extend their growing season.
9. Cattle Panels For a Landscape Fence
Have you ever lined your flower beds with unique landscape barriers such as purchased fencing or landscaping timbers? This keeps your yard tidy and adds a finished look to your growing spaces.
If you have taller shrubs growing around an area, it can be hard to contain or protect them with smaller landscaping fencing.
Instead, cut cattle panels to an adequate height to create a barrier between your shrubs and the rest of your yard. This will keep the area neat and protected.
10. Cattle Panel Chicken Fencing
Many gardeners and homesteaders raise chickens because they’re easy and give so much more than they take.
Chicken manure makes an excellent addition to your garden. Plus, chickens are great at making compost due to their scratching abilities.
If you need a fence to keep your chickens safe, use cattle panels. Create an outline for the fence constructed of wood. Next, attach cattle panels to the wood as the actual fencing.
Then cover the cattle panels in chicken wire to ensure your chickens stay in the designated space and predators stay out.
11. Cattle Panel Tomato Cages
Do you love growing tomatoes? Do you need strong cages to support them in your growing space?
Some tomato cages you buy fold under the weight of large tomato plants. In turn, your tomato plants break and clutter up your garden.
Avoid this by cutting cattle panels into smaller sections. Then place each section, vertically, around the tomato plant to form a boxed tomato cage.
12. Cattle Panel Backyard Fencing
The final way you may use cattle panels around your home is when creating a fence for your backyard or other decorative setting.
Build the frame of the fence out of wood. This includes your fence post and the top and bottom edges of the fence as well.
Then fill the center space with cattle panels. This will make a durable fence that looks great, too!
This concludes our ideas of ways you may utilize cattle panels around your homestead or garden area.
Hopefully, we’ve inspired you to use what you may already have on hand (or you can easily purchase at a farm or garden supply store) to create durable items for your home.
More About Using Cattle Panels Around the Homestead or Garden
https://extension.wvu.edu/lawn-gardening-pests/gardening/gardening-101/low-tunnels-for-beginners
https://video.okstate.edu/media/Tomato+Trellising+with+Cattle+Panels/1_trmq31ao
