How to Build a Hog Panel Garden Trellis

While hog, cow, goat panels are great for containing critters, they also offer opportunities for creating other projects, like making trellises. The panels are all 16’ long and 54” high and are made from heavy steel wire that is welded where the wires intersect and then they receive a corrosion and rust resistant zinc plated finish. The spaces between the wires are large compared to mesh fencing and are 4 inches by 4 inches or 6 inches by 6 inches, or 6 inches by 4 inches. This type of panel is a regular stock item at Lowes, Home Depot, Menards, and Tractor Supply Company. The wider spacing coupled with beefier wires makes hog panels more aesthetically attractive than wire mesh fencing. In short, they are ideal for making garden structures that can support viny and climbing plants like tomatoes and peas.

For this type of vegetable plant you can make a trellis that mounts against a garage, shed or building wall. You just need to make sure that the wire work is relieved from the wall by at least 6” so that the plants can climb you have enough room to pick the fruit. The best way to do this is to run some treated 2” x 6” dimensional lumber along the ground and mount 4 pieces of the 2 x 6 x 52”  at 4 foot intervals with another piece along the top. Then mount the panel to the 2x 6 framework. If the wall, say for instance it is a garden shed, is less than 16 feet long, you will need to cut the panel to the required length. You can mess around with a hacksaw, or better yet use a bolt / wire cutter. There are several brands of bolt cutters on the market such as Tekton, Ridgid, Milwaukee, etc. however, one of the best is Tech Team’s #714 12” bolt cutter  https://techteamproducts.com/product/12-bolt-cutter/  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079T9YMV8?ref=myi_title_dp  or #75014” cutter  https://techteamproducts.com/product/14-bolt-cutter-750/   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JNCFRKL?ref=myi_title_dp  either one will give you the necessary leverage to make the cuts and get the job done. For other ideas you can always do a hey Alexa or hey Siri Google search or watch the video  https://youtu.be/JBicNp2rmCk  .

Another easy to build hog panel trellis arrangement, that also doubles as a perimeter fence to keep out deer, is a perimeter trellis / fence. It’s actually very easy to build, especially if you design everything around 16’ units, which is the exact length of the panels. For example 16’ x 16’, or 16’ x 32’, this way you don’t need to make any cuts. All you need are 6’ long T-posts, a driver, and some stainless-steel cable ties. Drive the T-posts into the ground at 4’ intervals so that they are solidly anchored and vertical. Now, using the cable ties, begin to attach the panels to the posts. When you get to the last post do not secure the panel as you will be able to pull this panel a little to the side so that you can gain access to your garden.