If you're looking for a fence for your vegetable garden to keep critters out, you might be wondering where to start. What's the best material? Will it do the job? Will it look terrible in my backyard!?
While vegetable gardens are a great source of food and nutrition for you and your family, we need to protect them from rabbits, deer and everything in between!
Whether you need fence ideas for raised garden beds or are looking to protect large in-ground gardens, the right barrier will guard against invaders while still giving you a beautiful, bountiful landscape.
We're diving into the five best backyard garden fence ideas you have to deter pests and protect your crops:
- Plastic and stainless steel
- Wood
- Bamboo
- Chicken wire
- Living fences
Let's look at the pros and cons of these vegetable garden fence ideas to protect your garden's bounties.
Plastic and Stainless Steel Veg Garden Fences
These mesh-style fences are useful in many situations, particularly as a fence around a raised bed garden. Made of corrosion-resistant materials, they block any animal larger than the holes from getting in. At the same time, rain, sun and nutrients still have full access, letting plants grow to their fullest.
Our Frame It All Animal Barrier is one such fence. Our goal with this was to make an easy-to-assemble decorative garden fence for our Raised Garden Bed Kits. Animal barriers can be installed directly into the joints of our raised gardens and come with a gate on the raised bed for easy planting. Protecting vegetable gardens from animals is essential for a successful harvest and our stainless steel and plastic barriers are built to withstand the toughest tests.
Regardless of whether you decide our animal barriers are right for you, plastic and stainless steel veg fences are often chosen for their durability and great appearance. While they are a more expensive option upfront than chicken wire or poultry netting, you'll have a garden bed that looks great and doesn't require replacing the fence at least once a month.
If you do choose one of our fences, you'll have the luxury of stacking and extending however you see necessary. Your needs will depend on the size of your garden beds and the animals you're dealing with. Either way, you'll be able to create something that keeps animals out of your garden year-round.
Plastic and stainless steel vegetable fences also offer several advantages over other fencing materials. They are lightweight yet strong enough to withstand harsh weather conditions, making them ideal for protecting vegetable gardens from animals in any environment without rusting, warping or rotting. Furthermore, they can be installed quickly and require minimal maintenance over time. See our Raised Garden Beds With Fence for inspiration for your backyard.
Wooden Garden Fences
Wood fences can also be a great way to protect your vegetable garden from hungry intruders. They provide a secure, natural-looking border fence that can be used around your garden space, regardless of its size. Wood veg fences can be a little more difficult to install and maintain than metal fences due to the DIY component involved and the risk of the wood rotting and/or splitting. This can make them great for small gardens, but the effort might not be worth it for larger ones - that's up to you to decide.
Wooden garden fences do give you more freedom to DIY if that's what you do best. You can turn a plain picket fence into a creative vegetable garden enclosure that looks exactly how you want it and protects your garden from large and small animals alike.
Tip: To prevent damage from pests, we recommend you use heavy-duty metal wire instead of plastic mesh to cover the top and bottom rails of your fence. You should also use high-quality wood preservative products to prevent rot, insects and mold from damaging your fencing over time. If you want the look of a wood fence without the potential for rot, consider individual fence pickets made of composite materials that offer the look of classic wood.
In summary, a wooden fence is a great option if you already have a DIY vegetable garden and you love DIY projects. While there will be pre-built options out there, opting for a wooden fence may require a little more effort to maintain and make it fully pest-proof.
Bamboo Veggie Garden Fences
Bamboo is an interesting option for creating a tall fence around your garden area that's relatively easy to install. It is a natural and sustainable material that can be used to create a strong and durable barrier. Bamboo is also a fast-growing plant, which means it can be harvested and used for fencing in a relatively short amount of time. Additionally, bamboo is relatively inexpensive and easy to work with, making it a great choice for DIY gardeners. The tall and dense nature of bamboo creates a barrier that many animals can't penetrate. The color and smooth texture also make it a naturally attractive vegetable garden border fence.
There are a few drawbacks, however. If you're growing bamboo, it can be invasive and spread beyond the area if it's not properly contained. This can cause more effort than you initially hoped for. Additionally, bamboo itself can be affected by pests and some species are more susceptible to certain pests than others, so we recommend doing some research before investing. Finally, it may not be as sturdy as other fencing options such as wood and metal, so take some time to consider if this unique garden fence is going to be the best option for you.
Wire Mesh Veg Fences
Wire mesh fencing is an incredibly popular option for protecting your vegetable garden from birds and small animals such as rabbits and squirrels. If you don't want to invest huge amounts of money to protect your garden from small critters, wire mesh will do the trick. Simply order as much wire netting as you may need and bend it into shape - you'll be good to go.
Wire mesh won't be the best-looking fence, nor will it be the best option if you're looking to create a unique garden fence. On the positive side, it's affordable, easy to install and does the job.
There are a lot of mesh sizes and materials available, so use these tips for choosing the right type of wire mesh:
- Make sure your fence is sturdy and secure.
- Use a wire mesh with a small enough mesh size to keep out small pests common in your areas, but large enough that you can easily see through it.
- Use a mesh that won't rust or corrode over time, as this can leave holes in your fence and allow pests in. Galvanized steel is one such option, as this has a zinc coating to resist rust.
Living Veg Fences
Living fencing is an efficient way to keep critters away from your vegetable garden while making a fence that is unique and attractive. Hedges and bushes are two of the most popular living fencing options for vegetable gardens. You can also plant small trees or have vine plants grow along a trellis.
If you're looking for a way to keep pests out of your garden and you want a garden feature, then a living fence is for you. They are easy to plant and maintain and offer a lot of benefits compared to traditional fences. Not only are they made from 100% organic materials, but they also work hard to keep bugs and other harmful insects at bay. Living garden barrier fences also offer shade to plants while blocking wind and noise.
How do you decide which living garden fence to use? Here are five essential tips for choosing the right type of living garden fence:
- Get a good understanding of your backyard and the kind of pests you're trying to keep out to know whether this is a suitable option.
- Determine which plants will be best for your specific area (i.e. is it warm or cold where you live?).
- Select the right kind of fencing material for the bottom of the fence - metal or wood - to prevent damage to your plants while keeping pests out.
- Choose a fence design that will work well with your yard's layout and make sure it has enough space between posts so that air can flow through easily (this will help keep ants away).
- Know how much maintenance it'll need throughout the year so there aren't any surprises down the road. This can include everything from cutting back overgrown grasses around posts every few months during summer months when they start getting taller than usual due to dry weather conditions.
Conclusion
There are a variety of fences to protect your garden that will prevent garden visitors from eating your backyard vegetables. From short-term solutions like a simple wire fence or stainless steel and living fences that will last several years, you can find something that will fit your needs.
When you need a fence, there are many aspects to consider. Do you want a simple garden fence for basic pest control or a sturdier garden fence to protect your fruits and vegetables against more powerful animals? How large is your garden? Do you want it to be purely functional or a decorative addition?
We've found that creating an amazing vegetable garden fence comes down to what material you prefer and how you envisage your creative vegetable garden fence will come to life. So if duration is the main determining factor, then the stainless steel and plastic net solution that we offer is probably best for you since it is built to last. Remember, no matter what kind of fence you choose, make sure it is designed specifically for use in the garden or vegetable garden so that you can keep your garden safe, enjoyable to look at and easy to maintain.
We hope this has helped you decide which type of fence is best for your garden. Get in touch with us today if you've got any questions about what we offer at Frame It All.