Fence Defense

A gardener – whether vegetable or floral – has an interesting hobby. Well, gardening probably should be considered more of a sport. A hobby is a nice relaxing pastime that helps you to decompress and enjoy all that life has to offer. While gardening is sometimes this way, at other times is behaves more like a sport. It’s a match between you and nature! Nature sends the animal lineup. There’s the bounding deer, the elusive squirrel, and a host of other rodents that make up the offensive line. You, the gardener, are on defense trying to keep the animals from scoring. So what is the key to having a strong defense? De Fence!

There are many types, designs, shapes and sizes of fence at your disposal. The idea of the fence is simple – form an impenetrable barrier around the bounty of your harvest. That may be easier said than done however. Nature’s offensive line is brutal when it comes to breaking through your barriers.

First, you have to try to keep the burrowers out. While this doesn’t necessarily work with the deep burrowers, you can keep the shallower ones away. Make sure that your fence extends at least several inches into the ground. That way, when the squirrels, rabbits and other rodents make a run on the salad bar, they can’t dig under it.

The next thing to consider is the height of the fence. A simple two-foot tall fence could keep the squirrel line away. However, Nature sends her enforcer for this: the deer. With his long neck, he can reach over that fence and enjoy living his vegetarian lifestyle at your expense. A four-foot high fence is more than enough to keep his long neck where it belongs.

Of course, now that you have built this impenetrable fortress, you need to make it look good. It doesn’t do to have a strong defense dressed in ballerina costumes. It has to fit with the environment. Anyone can re-create the Alcatraz prison in his backyard. The skilled gardener can give the prison that decorative touch. Make sure that what you do matches with the rest of your property. Fences are available in every possible shape, size and style.

The only hole in this defense … is the hole in de fence. Sometimes when a homeowner matches fences it leaves large openings (large is a somewhat nebulous term – people believe some rabbits can squeeze through any opening smaller than two inches in diameter). When form and function clash, it’s best to go for subtlety. For instance if you have wood timber fences that leave four foot openings ripe for the taking, reinforce them by tacking thin chicken wire to the back of the fence. It usually can’t be seen from a distance but still maintains the defense against Mother Nature’s attack.

While it’s not 100 percent foolproof, the key to a good defense in the garden is in de fence. Just make sure it is sturdy, deep enough, high enough, and – most of all – that it looks good.

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