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Dog-Proofing a 2-Rail Split-Rail Fence with Stapled Welded Wire: 60-Inch Fabric, a 24-Inch Inside Apron, and 244 Staples for 100 Feet

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Unroll 60-inch 2 x 4-inch welded wire along the yard side of the rails, stand 36 inches of it up, and fold the bottom 24 inches flat toward the dog as a dig apron. Staple it to each rail every 12 inches and to each post 4 times, with every staple turned off the grain. How do you attach wire mesh to a split-rail fence to keep a dog in? Staple welded wire to the inside face of the rails and posts with galvanized fence staples, one every 12 inches along each rail, turned about 20 degrees off vertical. Use a 60-inch roll, stand 36 inches against the rails, and lay the bottom 24 inches flat toward the dog so digging hits wire. The University of Georgia Extension garden fencing guide says a 3-foot-high wire fence is very effective for dogs and cats. It suggests a 5-foot roll with the bottom 24 inches bent toward the outside to discourage di...
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Clipping Welded Wire to T-Posts on a Sloped Garden Fence: Posts Square to the Ground Uphill, Plumb Across the Slope, and a Fifth Clip at Every Low Spot

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Where the fence climbs the hill, drive each T-post square to the ground , not plumb; where it runs across the hill, drive the posts plumb . Hang the fabric on the uphill face of cross-slope posts and add a fifth clip at the bottom wire on every post that sits in a low spot. How should T-posts be set when a fence runs up a slope? Set them perpendicular to the ground on runs going up and down a slope, and plumb on runs going across it. Perpendicular posts resist overturning on steep ground, and the fence wires stay square to the posts. On cross-slope runs, put the fabric on the uphill side, where pressure is greatest. The BC Ministry of Agriculture's wire fence construction factsheet says plumb posts on a steep slope are easier to overturn. It sets posts perpendicular to the ground on lines going up and down slopes and plumb across slopes, ...
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Raccoon-Proofing a 16 x 24 Foot Garden with a Floppy-Top Fence and a Tie-Wired Apron: 48-Inch Fabric Clipped Only to 30 Inches, a 24-Inch Buried Apron, and 160 Seam Ties

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Hang 48-inch welded wire on posts that stand only 30 inches tall, so the top 18 inches flops outward when a raccoon climbs. Join a separate 24-inch apron to the bottom edge with 16-gauge tie wire every 6 inches , then bury the apron flat on the outside. How do you build a garden fence raccoons cannot climb or dig under? Leave the top 18 inches of a 48-inch fence unattached so it folds back on a climbing raccoon, and bury a 24-inch horizontal apron on the outside so digging hits wire. If the apron is a second roll, fasten its edge to the fence with tie wire or hog rings. The University of Georgia Extension garden fencing guide recommends a 24-inch horizontal apron buried several inches on the outside, with the top 18 inches of a 36- or 48-inch fence left unattached. It says the apron and fence can come from two rolls fastened together ...
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Testing a 5-Wire Polywire Deer Fence Around a Garden with an Electric Fence Voltage Tester: 5,000 Volts at the Far Corner, Weekly Readings, and Finding a Short One Section at a Time

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Clip the tester's ground lead to a probe pushed into moist soil, touch the probe to each hot wire at the corner farthest from the energizer, and log the reading. A garden deer fence should hold at least 5,000 volts there; anything lower means a short, a weak ground, or a failing energizer. What voltage should an electric deer fence around a garden read? At least 5,000 volts on every hot wire, measured at the far end of the fence. Read it with a tester that shows a number in kilovolts, check it weekly and after storms, and treat a sudden drop as a short to track down before deer learn the fence is off. The Minnesota DNR's energized fence guidelines for gardens call for an energizer delivering a minimum of 5000 volts under all conditions. They list polywire heights of 12, 20, 28, 36, and 44 inches and say to check voltage weekly or a...
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Building a Two-Wire Raspberry Trellis with 12-Gauge Galvanized Wire: 24-Inch Crossarms at 48 Inches, Posts 20 Feet Apart, and 92 Feet of Wire for a 40-Foot Row

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Set three 7-foot posts 30 inches deep at 20-foot spacing, bolt a 24-inch 2x4 crossarm to each at 48 inches , and run two strands of 12-gauge galvanized wire through holes near the arm ends. The canes grow between the wires, which sit 22 inches apart. What wire and spacing does a home raspberry trellis need? Number 12 or 14 galvanized wire on wood posts 15 to 20 feet apart, with two wires about 18 to 24 inches apart carried on crossarms 3 to 4 feet above the ground. The canes grow up between the wires, so the row stays upright and you can pick from both sides. Iowa State University Extension's raspberry trellis answer lists No. 12 or 14 galvanized wire, posts 3 to 5 inches in diameter and 6 to 8 feet long set 2 to 3 feet deep, and 15 to 20 feet apart. It puts a 24- to 30-inch crosspiece near the top, with wires about 18 to 24 i...
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Fencing a 20 x 26 Foot Vegetable Garden with One 100-Foot Roll of 4-Foot 12-Gauge Welded Wire: 14 Posts, a 4-Foot Gate Gap, and 12 Feet Left Over

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. A 20 x 26 foot garden has a 92-foot perimeter, and a 4-foot gate gap leaves 88 feet of fence to hang. One 100-foot roll covers it in a single piece with 12 feet left for tie-off wraps and a patch, so you never splice mid-run. How much welded wire do you need to fence a small vegetable garden? Measure the perimeter, subtract the gate opening, and add a few inches at each end for the wraps. A 20 by 26 foot garden needs 88 feet of fabric after a 4-foot gate, so one 100-foot roll of 4-foot welded wire fences it in a single piece. The University of Georgia Extension garden fencing guide says a 3-foot-high wire fence is very effective for keeping out dogs and cats. For rabbits it recommends a 2-foot chicken wire fence with 1-inch mesh and a 12-inch apron bent toward the outside and buried several inches. Iowa State University Extension...
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Tearing Out an Old 4-Strand Barbed Wire Fence with 24-Inch Bolt Cutters: Pin Both Sides Before Every Cut, 50-Foot Sections, and 24-Inch Coils

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Pull the line-post staples first so each strand only hangs between its end wraps, then pin the wire on both sides of every cut before the bolt cutter jaws close. Cut each strand into 50-foot pieces, coil them 24 inches across, and haul every coil off the same day. How do you cut out old barbed wire without it whipping back? Secure the strand on both sides of the cut first, with a helper's gloved hands, a foot on the wire, or locking pliers clamped to a post, then cut. Pull the staples before cutting so tension is low, wear leather gauntlet gloves and eye protection, and never leave cut wire on the ground. The Conservation Volunteers' wire handling and joining handbook says to secure high tensile or spring steel wire on both sides of the cut before cutting, so it cannot recoil. It also calls for thick leather gloves with gauntlets w...
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