Today we have a guest post from fellow blogger, Lucy. Enjoy!
You have managed to build a lovely garden, all bright and colorful, and have also used the best HPS bulbs to ensure proper, healthy growth of your greeneries. You spend enough time learning how to harvest buttercrunch lettuce, and how to grow other vegetables and flowers in a perfect way, so as to make your garden look beautiful. However, chances are bright that your garden is not attractive to you alone but also wild animals that live nearby. This problem is going to be bigger if you grow food in your garden.
Of course, you can use scare devices, repellents, or even a farm dog to keep the intruders away, but if you want a real effective solution you should consider investing in the best garden fence. A good fence will keep your garden protected 24/7 and there absolutely will be nothing you need to worry about. However, there are so many different types of garden fences, how do you choose one for yourself. If this is the question now running in your mind, then continue reading and discover your answer.
Understand Your Requirements
The biggest problem for your garden possibly is the wild animals entering to eat the food you grow. Some of the most common animals that you can find entering your garden are groundhogs, deer, skunks, rabbits, pocket gophers, raccoons, voles, and squirrels. You must have expected moles and opossums also to be a part of this list but they actually do not harm your garden, and in fact, they eat many insects and thus may prove to be beneficial.
Recommended Reading: Fences for Pasture & Garden
So, while trying to figure out what type of fence you want for your garden you need to find out the animals that are entering and causing problems. Usually, animals leave behind signs that will help you identify them. You can look for signs like scat, tooth marks, footprints, or the way the place has been dug for food.
During daytime, it is quite easy to find out the damage that may have been caused by squirrels, groundhogs or birds, but this task becomes difficult during the night. If you are not able to detect which types of animals are creating troubles then install a wireless motion sensor light in the garden area. Next, turn off almost every light in your home, and when the light turns on you will be able to see what animal has been entering your garden.
Choose from the Basic Types of Fencing
Once you have identified the animal that has been trespassing, you next need to decide what type of fence you must install. You can install a plastic mesh to prevent deer from entering, but rabbits will easily gnaw through, making openings for other small animals to easily enter.
You can use a fence to prevent chickens, pigs, dogs, and goats from moving out. Usually, people prefer post-and-wire fencing to start with. For this purpose, you can select from the basic fencing options mentioned below.
Woven wire fence – This type of fence needs to be stretched forcibly between strong posts. But it is flexible enough to be installed easily even on uneven terrain.
Welded wire fence – This kind of fence is stronger compared to the woven wire fence and does not need much stretching and thus can be installed easily. It works best if you install it on a level ground.
Stock panel fence – stock panel fences have panels that are 16 feet lengthwise and are great choices as you can easily relocate them whenever you desire.
Opt for a Multi-Animal Fence
The basic fences that we just learned about are good to begin with, but if you want to keep smaller animals away then you need a fence with more features. If you are facing troubles because of animals like rabbits, groundhogs, skunks, or pocket gophers you will require a chicken wire or a poultry netting buried barrier. The depth of the buried edge depends on the type of animal that is trying to dig.
Install a Special Purpose Fence
It may be best to install a fence that targets a specific animal you are having problems with. Deer are one of the most common problems for gardens and there are various things you can do to prevent them from moving into your garden and destroying your crops. For instance, you may hang dirty dog blankets from trees that come in way of the deer’s path or you may grow daffodils and catnip. But, none such measures will prove to be as effective as a properly built fence.
Though deer are good jumpers they do not have a good depth perception and thus installing two fences will help keep them out. If you already are using a fence to keep pets and children in the yard you just have to install another fence about three feet inside the present one.
You spend so much time and put in lots of efforts into making your garden look beautiful. Naturally, you do not want animals to enter and damage your hard work, and to prevent this from happening it is very important for you to select and install the best fence for your garden. Once you install the right fence, your greeneries will always stay protected and you will be able to enjoy complete peace of mind all the time.
Hi there! I’m Lucy – founder of GardenAmbition.com and I’m a self-confessed garden fanatic. Gardening has always been a passion of mine and will always be my favorite pastime. Now that I am married and have one adorable son, I have the time to write and share my personal experiences with other garden enthusiasts like me.
