How To Build A Garden Fence

If you want to keep your garden free from animals, whether wild or domestic, then it is a good idea to have a garden fence.

Now, you may think that this is an expensive project, but you are wrong. Creating a small garden fence is actually a simple DIY task that you can accomplish with a few supplies. For anyone who is serious about protecting their produce, this is a great article.

Let's get started!

The Supplies

As mentioned earlier, you will need to have the following supplies in order to accomplish this job. Now, when it comes to fence posts and the T-posts, it will depend on the size of farm you have.

Here is the complete list of what you will need:

Steps To Follow

Setting the posts​​​​

You must first plot out the area which will be surrounded by the posts, and then gather all of the necessary supplies, such as a post hole digger, and an auger for digging holes on each of the corners. This is important as you will fix the posts on each of the corners firmly, and this will anchor the entire garden.

Next, you will need at least 4 wooden posts i.e., one for each of the square corners of the garden. You may end up needing more if your garden is not square shaped.

Set these at least two feet into the ground, and leave 8 feet of the post above ground.

In addition, ensure that the posts are set up securely, so the weight of the garden doesn’t pull them out of alignment. It might actually become necessary for you to set the posts up in concrete or brace them with additional diagonal posts.

After you have set up the wooden posts, fill in the gaps with some evenly spaced metal T- posts. Put one post after every eight or nine feet. Drive them at least one foot into the ground, leaving seven feet on top.

The mesh wire

Once you are done with the wooden and metal posts in one above, it is now time to put up the mesh wire. This must be placed outside of the posts, i.e. it must face away from the garden.  It is extremely important to do this so that you can avoid getting hurt while working in the garden.

Also, any curious animals trying to get into the garden will be sent away running, as the mesh will poke and pierce them when they try gaining access into the garden.

Ensure to position the mesh wire at the same level as the wooden posts and leave a two-foot gap at the bottom of the mesh. This means that from the ground to where the mesh starts should be at least two feet.

When attaching the mesh wire with the wooden posts, you should use the fencing staples. The zip ties should be used to attach the mesh wire to the Metal T-posts.

The hardware cloth

This step is a little more complicated than the rest. The cloth helps to protect against the more common animals such as rabbits and squirrels.

You will need to dig a shallow and wide trench all around the garden fence. In the trench, bury at least one foot of the hardware cloth and ensure to fold it away from the interior of the fence in order to ensure that the burrowing animals are stopped by the cloth when they try to dig under the fence.

The hardware cloth that goes above the ground can be attached to the fence posts by use of the zip ties and fencing staples.

Installing the gate

A gate, in this case, doesn’t necessarily mean an imposing, wrought-iron and ornate centerpiece that could be too expensive. So, if your mind has already started doing some calculations on how much a fence should cost, just stop. We don’t mean that unless it is what you want.

We are actually talking about a simple wooden construction that is just enough to keep the animals out. In actual sense, it is a simple door or a wooden beam that stretches between two posts and can be able to seal the entrance of the garden with a simple latch.

A few points to note

Conclusion

Once you have a garden in place, you can now be assured of a great harvest. You must, however, keep checking the fence time and again, to ensure that it is still firmly secured in the ground. Also, keep checking the wooden poles as they may get destroyed by ants.

It is also a great idea to re-tighten the wire mesh as frequently as possible because they can also come loose and make your garden unsafe again.