The Low Down of Garden Fencing

garden chair and table

Pets like cats, dogs, and rabbits are adorable…until they mess up your garden, that is. The bane of gardening maintenance usually involves critters (not just your beloved furbabies). Wild animals, rodents, and other creatures should be discouraged from eating or messing around in your yard with the help of an effective garden fence. Not sure how to go about it? Here are some practical tips.

Out of sight, out of mind

In most cases, animals can’t have what they can’t see. Blocking your garden from view is an effective technique for critter-proofing. A solid fence will hide a garden and its delectable offering, and consequently, the desire to feast on them. This is especially true if you live somewhere with wild animals like deer, foxes, rabbits, and others roaming about.

You don’t have to invest in an expensive solid brick wall to protect your garden. A fence of wooden planks or bamboo poles in the appropriate height (make sure to check building codes in your area for height restriction) should do the trick.

When it comes to your pets, it’s best to keep them indoors. Provide a different outdoor venue for them to run around and exercise, such as an enclosed “catio” for your cats, or a backyard with no vegetables, flowers, or fruit that dogs can trample on.

Make it dig-proof

If they can’t go over it, they will go under it. Rabbits and other burrowing animals can still get through to your garden by digging under your fence. Prevent this by installing a chicken-wire fence with holes no bigger than one centimeter in diameter. The bottom of the wire mesh should curve 90 degrees outward before being buried in the soil at least half a foot deep. That should discourage Bugs from stealing and feasting on your carrots.

Make it jump and climb-proof

Animals are wily and determined if they’re after a food source. Raccoons and opossums will climb a chicken-wire fence if they see that your garden yields something they can eat. Deer can jump over fences, too. You can install a solid wooden fence not shorter than 6 feet, and then string electric wire at the top. Angle the wire to further deter jumping and climbing over.

Regularly check for holes and gaps

Apart from keeping them out, you wouldn’t want any animal to get stuck in a hole in your fence. Those YouTube videos of dogs peeking out from below wooden gates or poking from holes in privet hedges may be cute, but extracting them could cause lots of effort and risk. Some animals like deer and foxes could also get hurt when they’re stuck, or lash out at rescuers with kicks and bites. Avoid these scenarios altogether by regularly mending holes and gaps in your fence. You can grow climbing plants to cover your chicken wire fence, or board up holes in wooden fences. Keep the soil around and under your fence packed and firm to prevent animals from digging.


Leave a Reply