Removable garden netting ideas

[K0k0shka]

Hello fellow gardeners! I need your input and ideas. I've been fighting a losing battle against the rodent thieves destroying my garden (rabbits, squirrels and chipmunks, mostly). A couple of years ago I decided that the only way to protect it was to cover it with netting completely, including over the top. So I bought a greenhouse frame and put it over the garden, but instead of plastic, I covered it on all sides with chicken wire. This has stopped the rabbits, squirrels and birds (wohoo!), but to my shock and surprise, the chipmunks are able to squeeze through the chicken wire holes, so my expensive and time-consuming project has done nothing to stop them, and I still get no strawberries from that garden. What I also discovered to my shock and horror is that snow will absolutely NOT fall through chicken wire like I thought it would, so one morning I woke up to the garden structure completely collapsed under the monster overnight snow. So now I have to rebuild everything.

Here are my two problems/questions:

1) Has anybody done a temporary overhead cover for their garden, one that can easily be taken down in the fall to prevent snow from crushing it, then put back up for the new growing season? Do you have any ideas on how to do that? I need a ladder to reach the top from the inside, and it's a lot of work... Looking for some way to make this easier. Some way to roll it up/down... or something.

2) I'll need something with smaller holes for the chipmunks, but HC is too expensive to put around/over the entire garden. If I layer bird netting on top of the existing chicken wire, would that be enough? Or will they just chew through it? Or if I put HC only around the bottom few feet, can I have the top be bird netting or chicken wire? I know chipmunks can climb, but how likely are they to keep climbing to the top if they encounter HC for the first, say, 5 feet of height?

Any thoughts and ideas are welcome! The main objectives: to keep the chipmunks out, and to avoid snow damage.

Here's a picture of the garden before it got crushed:

 

[cavemanrich]

This is just an Idea that popped in mind. It may work,, but is somewhat complex,,, but not overly complex. The energizer vary in price. The stronger ones are more cash. You also need bare wire,,, not very expensive,, and other home made items,, like insulators, and zip ties.

If you use a 3 foot hardware cloth perimeter, You could energize it with a HOT Wire setup. That would convince all the intruders to stay away. I know Squirrels will learn to stay away from such. Never had Chipmunks,,, but I think they learn also. If you do consider this option,, then I can give you instructions, and sketches how to achieve it. Explanation does get long. You simply turn off when you are ready to enter garden. When thru,, just turn back on. For the top,,,,,, use bird netting. It is not very pricey, and you would remove for winter time.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[rjmyooper]

The 1st thing I thought of was to roll it up with a 2x4 and strap it to the top. It will be at least a 2 person job.

 

[Egger4me]

Maybe moth balls would help? Or live trap as many as you can to get there numbers down.

 

[Alagirl]

correct me if I am wrong, but chipmunks dig....and they are not the climbers that squirrels are.
And if you trap, trap to kill. There are likely too many of those critters on your property.
I have squirrels, but they seem to behave in the backyard - where my weenie dogs have free range, they just tease them from the fenceline.
I have not had a chipmunk problem in a while - never mind the possum that got in the house a couple of weeks ago.