Cattle Panel Greenhouse - finished install for $1 a square foot.

Psyched to share a set of videos documenting a new greenhouse I built the other day using 4 cattle panels, black locust off-cut lumber, greenhouse poly remnant and about 20 hours of work. The final product is incredibly tight, secure, structurally sound, and very promising at only about $1 a square foot as a complete structure. Thats with 4 year, 6mil new poly and all black locust and galvanized cattle panel construction. This thing should last quite a while. Check out the video of a walking tour as well as a documentation of the design and build process from start to finish...

Cattle Panel Greenhouse Tour


Design and Build process


Would love to hear folks feedback!

Check out www.edibleacres.org to see who we are!

Very cool! Thank you for posting. Can't beat the price! And to think some people pay thousands of dollars for a kit much smaller than what you build for a hundred. Well done.

How did you get the plastic pulled tight? Can you use 6 or 10 mil poly plastic from a home center or is there something special about greenhouse plastic?

Greenhouse plastic is UV resistant. Builders plastic will turn to shreds in about six months. (Here is Colorado, anyway.)

Nice greenhouse!

As far as pulling the plastic tight... I used 1/2" or so thick black locust battons I cut on a table saw and pre-drilled holes in them... I'd put one in on one side, then go to the other and pull super tight while I put in the one opposite, then move down a few feet... repeat... back and forth. Made for a drum tight fit actually. Very happy with it, and locust battons kick ass to keep poly where you want it. I've seen it hold through some massive winds.

As far as the plastic, I got it from Am Leonard Poly remnant sale (you can goole that). It was 6mil greenhouse specific poly, UV stabilized. I don't want to have to replace it every year or two... seems like a lot of wasted petroleum that way!

Hope that was helpful, good luck if you try to build one, super worth while!

Sean, I have a chainsawmill and regularly end up with true 2"x2" rough sawn hardwoods, black locust, scyamore, ash, white oak, and chinese elm currently in surplus, and use them around the property for lots of projects.  Took a load bearing wall out between the kitchen and dining room and hauled up an 8-1/2" square ash beam as a flush header...but your lead on A.M. Leonard is a game changer for me.  Cheapest I've been able to find true greenhouse poly for my new build is $200.  They have a remnant for only $73!    Thanks for this post!

Hi Sean and all.

thanks for hte tip on remnant poly for greenhouse.

AND this permies post is right up near the top of the bing search i did.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=Am+Leonard+Poly+remnant+sale&pc=MOZI&form=MOZSBR

just a few lines down is the link to this post.

go Sean, go permies!

Love your greenhouse design and what you're doing at edible acres!! Been watching a lot of your videos because we are considering starting nursery here in southern KY. We've been studying permaculture design and plant propagation for the last few years.
We've had an 8'x12' greenhouse frame for several years but haven't gotten it framed out and used it yet but we're planning to frame it out this week and get the plastic on it by next weekend. We have tomatoes, squash, lettuce and spinach in raised containers we made from food grade 55 gallon barrels that we intend to move into the greenhouse and see how long we can keep them going.
What you are doing resonates with us!! Keep up the good work. Love your videos!!

I've been considering building this style greenhouse but I've been wondering about whether it can handle a heavy snow load.  Sean, I see you're in NY so you get a heavy winter.  Did you get any heavy snow after filming?  

Sure took a while to respond to your question about snow!  Just in time for the snow of THIS winter... It will handle snow/wind seemingly incredibly well.  It's only been up for less than a year now, but the way it feels when you push and pull on it, the heavy heavy winds it's gone through without issues and the shape with the tall middle and steep side slopes really bodes well for super winter hardy.  Very worth while experiment to put one up.  I'm making two more this fall, one for the chicken area so they have somewhere warm to be and another between us and the road as more visual barrier...

Good to know! Thanks Sean!  We built the cattle panel greenhouse last weekend. I added a 2x4 from the door header to the window header to add support...just in case.  I started a thread on it and have some videos posted so you can see what I mean.  
Like you, we are going to use the greenhouse to overwinter the chickens.  We definitely need to build another one because we are getting another batch of pullets.  I added a roosting bar near the window by attaching a 2x2 on either skid.  I'll be posting that video this afternoon.

Here's a link to the thread - Permies.com Cattle Panel Greenhouse thread