Building a Garden Fence, Part 2

We installed rabbit wire and a small gate on the fence this week, so it is now a secure garden so long as a deer family doesn't hop over the fence. Our neighbor has an unfenced garden, and tells us the deer stay away on account of his dog, so we're hoping for similar luck.

The rabbit wire was installed by digging a shallow ditch around the bottom of the fence, then inserting the wire into the ditch and covering it with dirt and sod to pack it in. We then stapled the wire to the back side of the fence rails and posts with heavy duty staples and an electric staple gun. 

Our simple gate was made from weathered old boards salvaged from the dump. We placed a measured and cut piece of rabbit wire on top of the square frame and stapled it in place before adding the diagonal wood board on top for support. Finally, we added a latch to hold the gate shut.

The garden itself seems to be doing fine for now. Last week we had several very cold days, including at least one frost that was not great for the tomatoes, but this week we've seen a string of sunny 90 degree days and the plants seem to be perking up. Apparently early June is the best time to plant most of the delicate veggies (at least in our zone), so we may have jumped the gun by a week or two. A few plants may not make it as a result, so that is a lesson learned for this year.

The next phase for the garden includes adding two more raised beds, building an arbor-like entryway over the gate, and eventually planting a few flowers around the perimeter of the garden fence. I would love to try roses. Stay tuned!