I have been spending most of my time outdoors these past few weeks getting the yard in shape. I have mulched, planted the vegetable garden, and have been busy with the beehives. The chicken coop got an inspection and will need some reinforcements of the latches and some dabs of paint here are there. But this past week, most of my time was occupied with building a small garden fence to keep the bunnies out of the raised garden beds. I also wanted to add a small extension of the fence to keep the puppy away from the beehives. As of today, the only final touches left to put on the garden fence include trimming down the fence posts and adding the decorative caps.
I have never put in a fence before, but with a bit of research and muscles I think it came out nicely. It had to meet a few criteria.
1. It had to be attractive.
2. It could not block the view into the garden.
3. It had to be cost-effective.
4. It had to keep out the critters and deter the chickens.
5. It had to be simple enough not to be intimidating for me to tackle.
Here is what I did:
Map out your fence blueprint style. Take measurements. Decide on placement of your gate and which way it will swing. Determine how deep and how you wish to secure your posts. Also determine what type of lumber you will be using. It is best to avoid pressure treated lumber in the garden.
Working on one side, place the first and last post into the ground with a post hole digger. Be sure that they are level on adjacent sides.
Once the posts are level, tie a string between those two end posts to create a straight line for your fence posts on that side of the fence. Typically fence posts are 6 to 8 feet apart. Place the posts at equal intervals.
Using deck screws, screw in some cross rails to the top and bottom of the fence posts. Be sure they are level. Repeat the above steps on the remaining sides of your fence.
Build and hang your garden gate.
Finally, with heavy- duty staples, staple some garden wiring or chicken wire from the top rail to the bottom of the ground to keep the critters out.
second to last day and to David with the gates!
Photo Credit: Tilly’s Nest
33 thoughts on “A Simple Garden Fence”
I think it looks great too. Nice job, nice design, nice helper friend.
Good work! Looks great.
It looks great! My husband is in the process of building a fence around our garden area. It is still a work in progress 😉
Great work, looks fabulous!!!!
Awww, your more than welcome. I loved the visit and working along side a fellow homesteader.
Looks great! Don't you just love the colored tomato cages? I bought some of them this year too.
Beautiful!
It looks so nice. I am proud of you and your accomplishment!
Your fence looks great!
Wow, what a wonderful job you did. You must feel such a sense of accomplishment.
This looks really beautiful. Nice work!
The garden fence looks so neat and beautiful. You did a great job! I wonder how long it took you to finish everything. I think i want to do the same, build a garden fence.
– AtlantaPostCaps.com
Good looking fence. We are having a good year with our bees so far, how are you doing?
Your garden is beautiful!! Not too big, but not too small! Like your bee set up as well! Great fence!
Wow I would be so proud of myself if I erected a fence like that. The garden gate is sweet too. Well done.
Looks great! Did you use 4×4 or 6×6 for the posts? I love this idea!
I used 4 x 4 posts. I actually cut 8' posts in half. The fence is about 2 1/2 feet tall. 18 inches or so is buried into the ground. I used strapping for the cross rails. and 2 x 4 for the gate with strapping used again for the decorative accents. All non-pressure treated wood. Best to be safe around the food we eat. Thanks for stopping in today!
The fences are amazing, well organized, and I love your concept.
I'm about to tackle a similar project. Can you tell me the dimensions of your garden? I think mine is similar in size. Your post here is a tremendous help to me. Good work! -Michael
Hi Michael! Thank you. The garden is approximately 16 feet by 32 feet.
What kind of wood did you use? Do you remember the approx cost? Thanks. Looks perfect for what I am wanting to do
I used non-pressure treated because it is around the garden. I didn't want the chemicals in pressure treated wood to leak into the soil. It was around $150 or so…
This looks really great – needed some motivation I've been putting off my fence but I have to keep our dogs out. -Carole
What did you use as ground cover around your garden? Thanks!
I use double chipped wood chips. I like them because they are not treated, a bit tidier than mulch and they sometimes last two seasons.
Where did you find the square mesh wire?
I found it at the local garden center. In their fencing area with hardware cloth and chicken wire.
Nice job.
Question. Did you dig the netting in lower into the ground to discourage burrowing under by bunnies and other critters?
Just wondering.
Thanks so much. Yes, I did bury it down just a few inches-enough to deter the diggers. There is green grass around there so the bunnies tend to stay outside the fence. This does not keep out all wildlife but has deterred some.
About how much did this cost? I am looking at the costs of a garden for my college campus!
Hello Lily, I don’t recall specifically, but I believe the cost of materials was a few hundred dollars. You can price out many items that you will need online. I purchased my supplies through Home Depot.
How deep into the ground did you place the posts using the post hole digger? Were just the posts buried, or was cement added?
The posts are 2 feet into the ground and I did not use cement.