The secret to having a great garden is a good location with plenty of sunshine and good composted soil, and a way to easily water your the garden plants. But it is also important to keep out all the wild and domestic critters that like to either eat the plants or dig holes in the garden, or use the garden soil for potty time. Many times I waited for family or friends to come over to my house and help put up a solid fence. But after several weeks of waiting I decided there must be a better easier way to protect my garden each summer and then to easily remove the fencing for garden clean up and plowing. So I developed this simple fence idea for myself and any other woman who loves to garden but needs a fence to protect her flowers or vegetable plants. Supplies needed include 4'high tomato stakes (amount needed based on size of garden, placing stakes 3 feet apart). Plastic ties and a roll of wire fencing or chicken wire. A short handled sledge hammer. Using the hammer pound the stakes into the ground around your garden. Unroll the wire and lean it against the stakes making sure you allow on place for a gate into the garden. Using plastic ties (which come in several colors & lengths), fasten the wire to the stakes. I usually put a tie at the top and middle, and bottom of each stake to hold the wire firm and help prevent creatures from getting underneath the wire. You can use a wire gate or make a gate with a stiff square of wire fence and plastic ties as hinges. To remove fencing just cut the plastic ties and re-roll the fencing. To better protect your garden you can place treated lumber boards around the edges of the garden first and stake them in place using metal conduit pipe cut into 18"long pieces. Again it will last several season and should you need to remove the boards, simply pull the medal stakes out of the ground. I have found this method allows me to protect my garden during the summer and in the fall I often leave the fencing in place so that winter winds do not blow away the layer of leaves I mulch the garden with to provide worm food during the cold months. Any tips or suggestions on this subject or your own fence inventions would be appreciated.
This reminds me of our extension garden in the nearby vacant lot. The fence is made from the bamboo twigs that have thorns. That is to keep away the intruders particularly stray animals. But when the bamboo got old, they tend to crack and decay until some parts of the fence became open. And there were the stray goats that raided our garden, eating ALL the leaves of the cassava and sweet potato. My husband was so dismayed that he almost quarreled with the goat's owner. Now the fence is still the same but it is monitored for open cracks where animals can enter.
Most of the time I don't have a problem, but when growing corn, water melons or such things that raccoons love I put up an electric fence. Just two wires, one 8 or 10 inches above the ground and another a foot or so higher. Much easier to work in the garden without a fence in the way. Besides, raccoons and other critters can climb over fences.