best garden fence?

[wsmoak]

I need to put a permanent fence around the garden, about 50 feet square.

Last year it was a quarter that size (just four 4x8 beds) and it survived okay with T-posts, deer netting and electric wire. I was surprised! We did have a rabbit visiting late in the season, but he only nibbled the lettuce on one edge so there was still plenty left for me.

I need to keep out: rabbits, deer, chickens and cats. (And squirrels, raccoons, etc.)

I looked at all the fence options at Home Depot and... what do you suggest?

I think 2x4" or even 2x3" welded wire would still let in rabbits.

There is some low 'garden fence' with smaller openings at the bottom, but there are 4x4" squares not even 2' off the ground.

I'm leaning towards 5' tall 2x4" welded wire reinforced with chicken wire along the bottom.

Will 2' tall and a 1' apron of chicken wire buried to the outside do it? (so, a 36" roll) How do you edge that though... seems like it would get mangled by the weed-eater, and bermuda grass is a constant battle here.

I will put the electric wire back up, I had it at about 12" and 40".

Thanks for ideas, pictures would be great!

 

[bid]

Mine is the 4', 2x4" welded wire with 24" chicken wire along the bottom. You are correct that without the chicken wire along the bottom baby bunny can squeeze in, quite easily as a matter of fact. I didn't bend it down for an apron along the outside and so far, so good. I think if you want to do that either dig down a few inches for the apron, cover it with some extra soil or possibly a combination of the two. One problem I have is the chickens love to scratch around the perimeter of the fence and even dust bathe. I just fill it in with soil or a few bricks, logs anything to cover the gap.

So much depends on what is available for animals to eat otherwise I think. They won't work any harder than necessary to get a meal.The electric wire should take care of most of the other would be harvesters.

 

[lesa]

My fencing has smaller holes along the bottom, than the top...Not sure what it is called. (Got it at Home Depot). It has kept all the little critters out.

 

[journey11]

We had bad deer and rabbit problems where I used to live (don't know why, but they mostly leave me alone where I live now.) We fenced with the 2x4 welded wire, 6 feet tall around the perimeter. (You are right to skirt it with chicken wire to keep out baby bunnies.) On a small enough garden, the deer generally won't jump that 6' fence (mine was about 12'x15' then.) Yours is probably big enough that they will try (50x50 right?) because they can get a run. You'll want to run a few high lines above your fence, at 1 foot intervals going 8'-10' high, depending on how determined they are...plain wire; I've seen people use thin nylon rope too. That will help confuse their depth perception and they'll fear getting stuck in it. I've used the 30lb test monofilament fishing line trick around my garden to keep the deer out (with no other barrier), running it at different heights and perimeters. It does work in my situation. Electric will help better with the coons. If deer can see it, it doesn't matter if it's electrified or not, they'll still run right through it. We are constantly putting back up the 2" polybraid electric fence we use on my dad's farm for my horse. The horse is smart enough to avoid it. The deer just pretend like it's not there.

 

[boggybranch]

Nothing like hotwire for effectivness, AND

E N T E R T A I N M E N T

 

[wsmoak]

We had bad deer and rabbit problems where I used to live (don't know why, but they mostly leave me alone where I live now.) We fenced with the 2x4 welded wire, 6 feet tall around the perimeter. (You are right to skirt it with chicken wire to keep out baby bunnies.) On a small enough garden, the deer generally won't jump that 6' fence (mine was about 12'x15' then.) Yours is probably big enough that they will try (50x50 right?) because they can get a run.

The Mother Earth site mentioned they don't have good depth perception, and that if you put a second electric tape 3' out from the inner fence, they won't try to jump both fences. I'm planning to leave room for an outer fence of electric tape if they become a problem.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/Install-The-Best-Garden-Fences.aspx?page=3

I could be wrong, but I don't think the deer are going to work that hard to get in the garden. There is *plenty* of other food for them -- I planted winter rye and even feed them corn and wheat (well *away* from the garden!)

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I wonder if I can get away with 4x4" wire considering I'm going to have to add chicken wire anyway...

-Wendy

 

[journey11]

I could be wrong, but I don't think the deer are going to work that hard to get in the garden. There is *plenty* of other food for them -- I planted winter rye and even feed them corn and wheat (well *away* from the garden!)

That will usually be the case with rural deer, having lots of land to roam and browse from to get a complete diet. But city deer are the worst! Their habitat is so squeezed by development and since you can't hunt them in the city limits, they have no fear.

Hope your new fence does the trick! :happy_flower

 

[lobopatrick]

The size and type of hurdle to use relies upon mostly on the kind of animal you're trying to prevent. A simple 2-foot-high chicken-wire hurdle will prevent bunnies, but a more powerful hurdle is necessary to deal with such garden thieves as deer, raccoons, skunks, or woodchucks.