Permanent garden fencing advice

[dwhiteykc]

I've been combing the net for advice, and as always, can't find anything addressing 'exactly' what I'm facing. After convincing my wife to downsize her gardens, I've got two plots that are about 50'x30'. We're outlining w RR ties (to elevate & help drain).

Being that I tend to act, then think, then plan, I've already sunk 4-5" 8' wood posts on the corners @ 2' down set in concrete. I sunk a mix of 6' and 7' t-posts every 8-9 feet between the wood posts. And I'm sitting on a 330' roll of 48" tall 4"x4" woven wire 'goat fence'. My common sense finally kicked in and realized that if I want to stretch that woven wire tight - I'll likely collapse my currently un-braced corners. I should add that I'm broke, and obviously from reading above, an amateur fencer! I've got a bunch of Wedge-loc brackets and some extra t-posts - if I brace each corner each direction with those, could I get a good stretch on the woven wire?

Thanks in advance - great advice on this site.

 

[MMagis]

Yes, that will work fine. With such short runs, you don’t need to stretch it all that much, so the corner braces won’t be taking the pressure that long runs of fence do.
Now, I don’t want to ruin your plans, but that fence won’t keep out much more than livestock and pets. Rabbits, coons, and groundhogs will go through it. Deer will go over.

 

[markrahn]

dwhiteykc Permanent garden fencing advice

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Being that I tend to act, then think, then plan,

Saaayyy,, you and I are in the same club:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[dwhiteykc]

Yeah, I have a feeling I'll be adding to that fence as the years go by! At this point, it is mainly to keep chickens & kids & the soon-to-be dogs out. I've got some of that light-weight mesh/netting that I can rig over the berry patch when it fruits out for birds and some extra chicken-mesh I can run around low on the vegetable garden if rabbits pop up (none last year, but plenty of coons).

I've also got a fencer sitting in the shop that's looking for a use - so may run a hot wire around low & high to zap a few brave coons (or chickens that think they can climb fence).

So do you think I need to run the Wedge-locs at all to support a stretch?

 

[Scooby074]

Electric fence.

3 wires, one at say 3-4' (deer nose level), one at ~12 " and one at grass top level. Where your on a raised bed, make the bottom a few inches above the RR sleeper.

Deer locally will laugh at woven fences. They'll jump right over (or run thru) but electrics will keep them out. I havent had a deer in my garden since i installed the electric fence. The lower wires will keep the rabbits and raccoons out. I havent laughed as hard as the time i watched a raccoon getting shocked by my fence multiple times. Zapp...growl....Zapp ...growl... this went on for like 1 minute. And they say raccoons are smart.:laughing:

 

[MMagis]

So do you think I need to run the Wedge-locs at all to support a stretch?

Since you have the parts, I'd go ahead and do it.

 

[Chuck52]

I'd sure go to 2x4" welded wire fencing. That keeps out coons and possums and all but the baby rabbits. To keep deer out, I just run a visible line or two in the 6 to 7 foot height. Sure a deer can jump that, but they mostly won't unless they are under food stress. I've used nylon cord with flagging and also just flagging tape... anything they can see and avoid. For years I've kept deer out with cattle panels and a single line at about 6'. I'm going to 2x4" welded to keep the smaller critters out, and I'll run a single hot wire on top of the posts to stop, or at least irritate, the coons. I'll probably have visual barriers inside the fence, like pole bean supports and the like, and supplement that with flagged lines at 6' where there are gaps. Deer don't jump into my blueberry patch even though it is just 52" welded wire. I assume they are put off by the fact that they'd have trouble jumping in without landing on my raised beds made with concrete blocks. It just looks "busy" in that enclosure I suppose.

Chuck

 

[Western]

I would brace it with whatever I had. I would use a "light" pull as already suggested. You can always come back later and add to it (better bracing).

Electric works good. You can always come back later and put "chicken wire" on the lower half later also, to keep initial cost down.

 

[bp fick]

Take a pair or normal household shears and give one wing of the chickens a hair cut. Just the long wing tip feathers. Chickens can fly up and over a 4' fence without blinking an eye.

The 7' foot poly netting has worked well to keep out deer here. Deer won't work hard unless they are hungry. It also helps if it looks to them as if they are jumping into a cage. That they generally won't do that either.

 

[boggen]

if you are putting a RR tie perimeter around the garden. stable the bottom of the fence down to it. along with chicken wire.

if you go with electrical fence. i hate running the weedeater non stop for low hung wires. and would suggest making RR tie double wide around perimeter to help combat weeds and grass growing to tall and shorting out the hot wire.

if you use say a plow, disc, harrow, or even a tiller on back of a tractor or riding lawn mower. it makes simplier if you can just pull clear through the garden.

with above said. get yourself some pipe that fits a little loose around a T post. dig a hole and a few inches bigger than pipe. fill hole with say 6" inches depth of rock. ((this will allow water to drain out of the pipe)) back fill with some dirt. then make some panels. that can easily clip or tie onto the T posts.

i should correct above, *duh* if you are going with RR tie perimeter, double them up (one on top of other) if need be. and drill holes big enough to sink end of tee posts into them. or instead of T posts get "rebar" to use as posts.