This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy was my first dog and he thought the garden was his, even though I did all the work. Now Suzie and Charley follow in his footsteps. We're located near Boston (USDA zone 6A). I have a community plot, a backyard vegetable garden, fruit trees, berry bushes, chickens, and bees. I use sustainable organic methods and do my best to grow all of my family's vegetables myself.
To keep rabbits out, you only need about a foot above ground and a couple inches below. They don't climb or dig. But the babies can squeeze through tiny holes.
My fence is 5 feet high because I have deer, but most of it is a 2 inch metal mesh. 1/4 inch metal hardware cloth is at the bottom for rabbits and voles. It's 2-foot wide cloth dug in 6-8 inches deep. So it's about 1.5 feet above ground.
I haven't seen rabbits about my yard, surprisingly. I suspect we have too many predators here. LOTS of voles, chipmunks, squirrels, and deer.
i'm super curious about these voles you spoke of... what do they look like? are they actually visible or discreet during the daytime? and what in particular are they after in the garden? i haven't had personal experience with them... well- none that i've noticed anyway... lol...but it's always good to know what's out there laying in wait! we seem to have everything here so i wouldn't be surprised if they showed up next season! and, we have tons of bunnies here! there are literally several in my yard at any given moment i swear. but i do agree that they do not seem to work very hard to get at the garden. they'll eat everything if it's left open to them but really won't do much digging or jumping if there's a barrier in place. my raised beds are 12" tall to start with and i find that just some 2ft chicken wire installed along the perimeter of each (on the ground) does the trick. yes, the babies would fit the holes but the plants are so far above their little heads when they are small that they literally don't even seem to notice what's up there. as for chipmunks, we have a ton of those too but they really don't seem keen on much other then the occasional red tomato. since what they consume is so reasonable (and they happen to be super cute), i'm happy to share. i wonder if your experience is the same... groundhogs are, however, a total different story i have now learned. they will mow down your garden once they find it. dig. climb. they're hard to stop unless you've done what you suggest. i learned that the hard way last year. such a bummer. this year, i happened to catch it red-handed the 2nd time it came. some loud shooing and a little bit of a chase and he was gone for good. not sure if they all scare easily but that one seemed to and i was grateful! though my neighbors must have loved seeing that! as always, thank you for sharing your garden adventures. you are both inspiring and encouraging! best christina
Aren't you bothered by rabbits?
ReplyDeleteThey love our garden!
I have a good fence with hardware cloth along the bottom dug in 6 inches. Even the baby bunnies can’t get in.
ReplyDeleteHow high above ground is the fence?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your help
To keep rabbits out, you only need about a foot above ground and a couple inches below. They don't climb or dig. But the babies can squeeze through tiny holes.
ReplyDeleteMy fence is 5 feet high because I have deer, but most of it is a 2 inch metal mesh. 1/4 inch metal hardware cloth is at the bottom for rabbits and voles. It's 2-foot wide cloth dug in 6-8 inches deep. So it's about 1.5 feet above ground.
I haven't seen rabbits about my yard, surprisingly. I suspect we have too many predators here. LOTS of voles, chipmunks, squirrels, and deer.
i'm super curious about these voles you spoke of... what do they look like? are they actually visible or discreet during the daytime? and what in particular are they after in the garden? i haven't had personal experience with them... well- none that i've noticed anyway... lol...but it's always good to know what's out there laying in wait! we seem to have everything here so i wouldn't be surprised if they showed up next season!
ReplyDeleteand, we have tons of bunnies here! there are literally several in my yard at any given moment i swear. but i do agree that they do not seem to work very hard to get at the garden. they'll eat everything if it's left open to them but really won't do much digging or jumping if there's a barrier in place. my raised beds are 12" tall to start with and i find that just some 2ft chicken wire installed along the perimeter of each (on the ground) does the trick. yes, the babies would fit the holes but the plants are so far above their little heads when they are small that they literally don't even seem to notice what's up there.
as for chipmunks, we have a ton of those too but they really don't seem keen on much other then the occasional red tomato. since what they consume is so reasonable (and they happen to be super cute), i'm happy to share. i wonder if your experience is the same...
groundhogs are, however, a total different story i have now learned. they will mow down your garden once they find it. dig. climb. they're hard to stop unless you've done what you suggest. i learned that the hard way last year. such a bummer. this year, i happened to catch it red-handed the 2nd time it came. some loud shooing and a little bit of a chase and he was gone for good. not sure if they all scare easily but that one seemed to and i was grateful! though my neighbors must have loved seeing that!
as always, thank you for sharing your garden adventures. you are both inspiring and encouraging!
best
christina