Fencing Garden Pests

Fencing Garden Pests
Out of Your Garden Areas

Fencing garden pests out of your garden areas is probably the most effective way to eliminate wildlife damage to your plants and flowers.

If planting some (or even a lot) of the deer, groundhog or rabbit resistant plants or flowers in your garden has been unsuccessful in keeping these garden animal pests controlled, you may need to resort to fencing around the area.

Rabbit Fencing
For rabbits, a 2-foot high, 1-inch mesh chicken wire (heavy gauge; galvanized wire will resist rusting) fence planted into the ground to a depth of 4-6 inches should prevent most rabbits from getting into your garden area.

Anything larger than the 1-inch mesh may let some of the smaller rabbits get through.

Groundhog Fencing
For groundhogs, a woobly 4-foot high, 1-inch mesh chicken wire (same as for rabbits) fence sunk below ground about 1-foot. Bend the top of the fencing outward 9 to 12-inches to help deter the groundhog from climbing the fence.

Set stakes around the fence to hold it up keeping it wobbly though, again so the groundhog is unable to climb it.

Deer Fencing
For deer, you may need to enclose the entire garden or the deer will simply go around parts of the fence where there are gaps.

The most effective fencing will be about 8-foot high; although, some deer can clear that height unless there are other obstacles to prevent a clear take-off or landing.

Be sure the fence gaps are small enough to prevent the deer from sqeezing through. You'll also need to partially bury the fence to keep the deer from crawling under it.

Some gardeners have had success in deterring deer by using a combination of other things also such as mothballs, blood meal, garlic or fabric softener coupled with noisemakers, flags, radios, floodlights or sprinklers.

Although fencing garden pests out of your garden areas may be time consuming and labor intensive, if you want to protect your flowers and plants from wildlife, then fencing may be your only alternative.

Fencing Garden PestsOut of Your Garden Areas

Fencing Garden Pests
Out of Your Garden Areas