Learn how to make this quick and easy garden fence using welded wire--no posts or digging required!
What do they say--necessity breeds invention? Well in our case it was more laziness breeds invention but we'll say it was necessity! ;) Our chickens kept hopping into our raised garden bed every time we would let them roam the backyard and it starting to get old. We couldn't blame them since the cherry tomatoes are still coming in and the squash was delicious--but we had to figure out a way to keep them out without breaking the bank.
We had some scrap welded wire left over from our green bean trellis so we stuck a piece into the ground--the the cut pieces of metal serving as the "feet" on the bottom to help drive it into the ground and the sturdy wire actually stayed pretty upright! We had put up the scrap panels in the areas that they were hopping in the most until finally we decided to make a proper project out of it and line the whole perimeter. It was really easy to do and took about 1 hour to complete. After the fencing was installed, we let the chickens out and it was funny to watch them try to find their normal spots for entry and they were walked all around the garden bed totally confused--ha!
Supplies:
48in H x 50ft L Welded Wire Fencing
Wire Cutters
Gloves
Step 1: Measure Area
First we measured our raised garden bed to see how much fencing we needed. Make sure to measure the inside and account for the extra wood in the corners. Ours measured 117in x 57in. Our
Step 2: Roll Out Fencing and Flatten
Next, you'll want to roll out your welded wire on the ground and flatten it. It helps to beds it the other way and step on it to work out the kinks. Because of the thick gauge, it should flatten out fairly easily.
Step 3: Cut Wire
Then we took our 48in H x 50ft L roll of welded wire fencing and measure how long you need the wire to be. Then cut it in half, to make the fencing roughly 24in high. The other nice part about cutting the fencing in half is you automatically have your fencing for the other side of the raised garden bed. Once you cut the wire, the side that you cut on becomes the "feet" or the bottom of the fencing.
Step 4: Insert Fence Border Into the Ground
After cutting your fencing twice, you should have all four sides. Simply press the fencing into the ground, pushing from the bottom to prevent it from bending. And voila! It really is that easy!