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So starting this garden, we know we have lots of wildlife critters about. Everything from chipmunks, rabbits, and raccoons to goodsize groups of deer (in fact, I saw a group of 4 in my yard this morning eating the new buds from the wild bushes).

Now, since this is our first go and we're only looking to feed two or three people we're going to start small with maybe 20'x12' or maybe 20'x20' (depending on what the final vegetable count is that my wife decides she wants Wink ) but we want to put up fencing to keep out most of the critters without breaking the bank. So we were thinking some simple chicken style wire fencing with posts. However, in HD we were beleagured by the number of options available in terms of height and aperture size.

I've heard based on the small garden size deer won't jump a 3 or 4 foot fence? Is that true? And that chipmunks really aren't much of a problem in general? That didn't seem very likely - when I worked at a conservatory before, chipmunks were a plague upon our sunflowers.

My current inclination is to just go with a 4 or 5 foot fence with 1" holes and then bury it 6 inches down and bend it out at the bottom to prevent burrowers, but honestly, at this point, I'm feeling kind of lost and any and all help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated Smile

Thanks!

Hello
# Choose a fencing material. You need something with holes small enough to keep out animals that you don't want to enter your garden. In addition, think about the upkeep that the fence will need. A metal fence, such as chain link, won't need much upkeep after you build it. On the other hand, if you choose a wooden fence, you will probably need to replace some of the boards eventually.
# Decide how high and deep your vegetable garden fence needs to be. If you just want to keep turtles and rabbits out, 2 feet high is enough. However, if you need to keep deer out of your garden, you will need either an 8 to 10-foot-high fence or an electric fence. Consider burying chicken wire from the bottom of the fence in an L-shape about a foot deep in the ground and angling away from the garden to keep out animals that can burrow.
# Know that if you use a wood fence, you should use caution with treated wood posts. The chemicals may leach out of the wood and enter the soil. Traces of the chemicals would then end up in your vegetables. You may wish to consider using non-treated posts. Alternatively, you can fill the postholes with cement and then put in the posts.

Thanks