I don't know where the best place is to post this so I'll try here. I have a 20'x 20' or so area next to my house that I would like to fence off (keep the rabbits out). The fence doesn't have to be more then a foot high . I have a local resturant that wants to buy greens from me. So I just need an area to grow lettuce, because its close to the house I would like to do white vinyl or plastic but right now cheaper might be better. Any suggestions? Also, it needs to be relatively easy to install by my kids and I.
Thanks,
Lisa
Fencing
Chicken wire is cheap and comes 24" wide. Maybe you could fold it in half to get the 1'. Probably bamboo sticks for support would be strong enough for rabbits. If your fence can't be pretty then it needs to blend in and not be noticeable. That's my best idea.
OK, I'm following you. Chicken wire would work good. I don't care if its taller then 1'. Chicken wire would work too because the ground doesn't have to be perfectly flat. Where do you get bamboo sticks? The only thing I have are Tposts.
Thank you,
Lisa
I've got a patch of bamboo on my property line that's very useful in the garden but anything you could drive in the ground would work. Lowes sells some short lengths of rebar that might be cheap. Tposts are a bit of excess but would work if you don't mind the appearance.
I'm thinking of some short chicken wire for snap peas. I've never grown them before but tis the season.
My first season, I used 24" chicken wire to keep the dogs out of the veggie beds - I used bamboo as stakes because it grows in a corner of my backyard.
Vinyl or plastic can be chewed-through - although rabbits might leave it alone.
Incidentally - birds LOVE lettuce :)
You can get bamboo in places like Lowe's or Home Depot, but I ordered a bunch from AM Leonard. You could also scout around and see if you know anyone or have a neighbor who has some; they usually don't mind cleaning out the old stalks.
Thanks everybody. My Helpers (kids) don't seem too excited but I am. I'm growing lettuce in my garden, but this is a salad blend in a whole new area which means my business is growing and that is fun.
Be careful if you use fresh bamboo. If you put the joints in the ground they'll sprout if your'er not careful and you may have bamboo where it's not welcome...
We made a mistake and used bamboo as cover for a duckblind. The stuff rooted and spread like crazy. Now we can't get rid of it. Roundup won't touch it.
We finally gave up and just whack it down at the beginning of duck season but the 1 to 1 1/2 inch "stumps" left protruding are very sharp and a tripping hazard at o'dark thirty in the morning...
I should have added, the bamboo we used was grown locally and could be a different variety than what's grown in your part of the country...
As many know, on the "left coast", things tend to be "different" from the rest of the country but I'm a "Southern By The Grace Of God" transplant, so I try to roll with the punches and hope for the best...:)
This message was edited Oct 21, 2009 2:12 AM
I have heard rumors of bamboo cultivars that don't spread as much, but they are definitely an invasive species. I am amazed that your poles rooted themselves, though! That's real determination!
I have seen many things since I moved here from Ca. But growing bamboo is not one of them.
Lisa
I would just like to suggest that you consider installing the fencing at least 4 inches BELOW the ground level. In my location, digging animals who love greens burrow under a standard fence for a meal!
Jean
We've successfully kept rabbits out with a fence made of 12" strips cut from long pieces of shade cloth. The strips are stapled to short lengths of 1 x 2 s which are screwed to the sides of raised beds.
Frank
i'm probbly late but both loews and home depot sell those
1 x 1 x 6ft that i use for staking tomatoeas. they ae about .99 cents each and you can get 3 pieces out of one 6 footer.
if you re worried bout critters digging under the fence and yu don't want to bury the fence you can do what i have done in the past and that is when you reach the groudn with the fencing material roll it out on the ground for about a foot or two.
No you are not too late. My kids put up (by themselves) they didn't want my help they said I just confused them, a 17' X 25' greens garden with 2' chicken wire. They rota tilled once but it has been raining off and on so they haven't gotten any further with it. I'm not that worried about anything getting under it I pulled the chicken wire so its bunched a little on the ground and the ground is pretty hard. They haven't gotten in to my main garden, right now we have plenty of grass may be that will keep them out. I'm counting on my dogs but they probably won't do a thing. I will post a picture, I'm really proud of what my boys did.
Lisa
when i had a dog the deer never went near my garden even though the dog was a house dog. once he passed on i had to build a 7 ft high fence to keep the @#$%&* out. LOL
If you sprinkle blood meal around the permeter of your garden the rabbits won't cross it. You have to repeat the application though if you get heavy rains. You have to bury your fencing a foot under the soil line because rabbits can and will dig under to get at your lettuce. Easiest thing to do is trap them and relocate them away from your garden.