How to Build a Vegetable Garden Fence

Building a fence around any vegetable garden is a good idea if you don't want to lose your food to rabbits, groundhogs, turtles and other wildlife. You can build a fence from just about any fencing material, but your choice of material and the height of your fence will likely depend on the predominant animals in your area.

Things You'll Need

• Fence materials
• Shovel, measuring tape and other tools
• Concrete (optional)

Instructions

1. Choose a fencing material. You need something with holes small enough to keep out animals that you don't want to enter your garden. In addition, think about the upkeep that the fence will need. A metal fence, such as chain link, won't need much upkeep after you build it. On the other hand, if you choose a wooden fence, you will probably need to replace some of the boards eventually.

2. Decide how high and deep your vegetable garden fence needs to be. If you just want to keep turtles and rabbits out, 2 feet high is enough. However, if you need to keep deer out of your garden, you will need either an 8 to 10-foot-high fence or an electric fence. Consider burying chicken wire from the bottom of the fence in an L-shape about a foot deep in the ground and angling away from the garden to keep out animals that can burrow.

3. Know that if you use a wood fence, you should use caution with treated wood posts. The chemicals may leach out of the wood and enter the soil. Traces of the chemicals would then end up in your vegetables. You may wish to consider using non-treated posts. Alternatively, you can fill the postholes with cement and then put in the posts.

4. Think about wind and sun in your area. If you experience high winds that could be detrimental to your vegetable plants, you will need a fence that doesn't allow too much wind through. In addition, while plants do need sunshine, too much can damage the plants and you will also have to use a lot of water on your garden. If there aren't any shade trees near the garden, you can choose a tall fence that provides shade through part of the day.

5. Measure the perimeter of your garden so that you will know how many materials you need. Remember to add a gate so that you can enter the garden.

6. Mark all the places at which you will put the posts or poles for your fence before you begin digging. With most fences, you will put all of the posts or poles in first, before you build the remainder of the fence. Check to be sure that you correctly placed all of the posts. Then, finish the rest of the fence, making sure to fasten it securely to the posts or poles.

Tips & Warnings

• Get help from friends or family to help you build the fence. This is a difficult job for just one person.