Fencing off the Garden

[SusanJoM]

Well, it's not as if I didn't know it was going to happen, but I had put in the raised beds before I decided to re-start a flock of chickens. Now that I'm up to 50 chickens and can't bear to keep them "in", the veggies took a beating. Add the chickens to the gophers and there wasn't much left for me.

So....before Spring I need to turn all of the raised beds over and put hardware cloth under them for the gophers. Then I need to put a fence up, and I'm trying to decide whether to fence each 4 X 8 bed OR fence around 4 4 X 8 beds.

Currently I'm partial to fencing around all four so that I can just go inside and move more freely around. I'm have room to put up a 14 X 24' enclosure which will house all 4 beds with room to move around and room between the beds and the fence.

So.....Who has good ideas for me? I can't imagine I need anything as strong as what I put up around the coop; on the other hand, I'm not partial to the look of "poultry wire", so maybe just a lighter gauge of the 2 X 4 will do.

But...anyone have any garden enclosure pictures to help me out with the planning????

That would be very nice....

Susan

 

[skyfires]

Yeah Susan,,,,I did the same thing two weeks ago,,,went for the chicken wire though,,put deer fencing as a cover over the top. Placed large rocks all the way around the outside,, built a small tunnel of wire and 2X4's linking the 16X50 foot run to the garden. Made little gates to close it off when I want to. Never have closed the gates,,they can come and go when they want. The peppers and onions will do fine. Forget your tomatoes and lettuce,,, H*ll, who needs tomatoes anyway,,,,, just look for a new location next year for your garden,,,,far away from your runs,,,,

 

[SusanJoM]

Quote:
That would be a good idea if I had more space with the right lighting, etc., but I've been tweaking this 1/2 acre for 30 years now, and the only good space left is where it is....so...fencing it my only option if I'm gonna let the chickens out....and I am....

As for this year's stuff, I just have small cages around what I'm still trying to salvage and/or get started (one good tomato MINE, lettuce for through the winter in half wine barrels, young chard starts in same). Most everything else I have simply acknowledged as theirs....

Oooh, I just saw this picture, and maybe I can go with chicken wire after all. This is pretty nice
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb122/NealV/35050.jpg

Susan