This is to deter deer, groundhogs, rabbits, raccoons & skunks, but especially rabbits. Our existing fence is 10 years old and seen better days. Rabbits are finding rusted holes & slipping under it. We may also have problems with raccoons. Not sure about that. Rumors abound. Everyone has a different opinion! I am researching fencing systems. We are looking for low cost but effective solutions. Our existing fence is a double fence affair, one line of chicken wire 3 feet tall with the top 8" or so bending outwards to stop the climbers (raccoons, woodchucks), there is an electric cord on top of this. The second fence is 4 feet tall & consists of 2 electric wires. The double fencing has done well to stop the deer. They don't have good depth perception and don't try to jump it. The first fence used to extend along the ground in an 'L' shape about 12" from the fence. This was to stop the diggers. It has worked well until it simply rusted out. We now have a bevvy of rabbits of all ages making our community garden their home. They simply slip under the fence. We also have a resident turkey flock taking to making dust baths in our gardens. I think we can't possibly fence them out as they fly. We gardeners are using a variety of netting, noise makers, etc to discourage them. That seems to be working. Any advice, experience, anecdotes, etc will be appreciated. We hope to devise a system and install it in October.
Mylar baloons floating in the garden... the erratic movement seems to have helped keep the critters out of mine this Summer. I went to the dollar store and bought plain foil ones and used a perm market to draw a face.... I just tied them here and there. random pattern and heights.
The big threat here are rabbits. We have to dig the chicken wire in ~10 inches under the surface if the ground. You can use the regular galvanized chicken wire or the type with small squares. I prefer the type with small squares so that a rabbit cannot get its mouth in a position to bite the wire through. It looks like this: It is sold rolled up. Good luck.
Thanks @Sjoerd . How long has your fence been in place? I take it the 10" under ground has not rusted out yet?
Hiya Cayu. I re-did my fences last year and before that the fence had been in place for 10 years. One tip: don't get that green plastified (sp?) fencing wire because it cracks, the moisture get in and in that coated system the wire rusts much faster.
Good to know Sj. Carolyn, a cat sounds like a great idea but this is a community garden....no one there to feed/care for it.
