The Fence Post

You might think that as we were living in a small city, in an area with traffic and in a house surrounded by other houses, without any woods around, with a sturdy picket fence surrounding our property, and with a very humble garden, that we would be safe from furry whatsits eating away all our amateur agricultural aspirations. You might also know better, as we now do.

Planting Was Swift

Last summer my wife and I planted our first backyard vegetable garden. She has dabbled with flowers and herbs in containers, but we never had space for a vegetable garden until last year. We moved into a place with a quarter of an acre yard behind the house. The layout was designed and I tilled a small 6 x 12 space. I also lugged the bags of gardening soil and some supposedly composted manure I picked up from a local farm (by “composted” they only meant that there may have been some incidental material mixed in with the bags of raw cow manure. My car smelled for a month and we couldn’t use it on the garden this year. Don’t ask why I brought it home with me.)  And then we planted several different vegetables and had them all in the ground by the second week in June.

Green Beans, Gone

Two months later, our modest effort was rewarded. We had too many tomatoes, not enough peppers, and just enough fresh basil (it’s painful to think about fresh basil in the midst of a New England winter.)  We also had some tasty snow peas. The only total failure was the green beans. It seems that a critter crawled unimpeded into our garden and ate the whole plant except for a small stump. Hmm. Fresh green beans are beloved and we want to be sure that next year they're on our plates. We already have a picket fence that I installed to keep our young son in our backyard. Now I have to consider what to use to keep some unidentified, but presumably small animal out of our garden. There are some logical, but not necessarily obvious questions I have to answer.

• What type of critters am I trying to keep out? Rabbits probably, skunk maybe?
• How long do we need this fence to last?  Maybe 2, maybe 10 years. Not sure really.

Black Vinyl-Coated Wire to the Rescue

So after answering a couple of questions, I decided that this would be the fence for our garden. I am going to use a 36-inch hexagonal chicken wire fence with black vinyl coating. It will be tall enough to keep out small animals and leave me room to bury the bottom thus preventing an attack from below. The black vinyl coating is aesthetically neutral, blending with its background and allowing us to appreciate the beauty of our garden. The UV-treated PVC coating gives extra protection from rust and corrosion. I’ll staple it to some pressure-treated posts which I may or may not set in concrete. That should work. I feel good about it.

C’mon spring!

Safety Risks and Slow Motion

The deer population has been an ongoing concern for several reasons. They’re a safety risk near roadways and a nuisance in urban areas. Do you remember the movie “Bambi?” That’s the term commonly used when referring to deer. My first encounter with a deer was at age nine. I remember riding in a car one fall morning along a country road lined with flat open fields and barbed wire fencing. Suddenly, my eyes fixed on a brown object moving at an unbelievable speed towards the road. A deer suddenly leapt over the fence in front of the car. Everything moved in slow motion as the deer slid onto the hood and smashed through the windshield where its long neck and head came to rest between the driver and me. Fortunately, no one was injured. The deer was not so lucky. True story!

Deer Control 

The Northeast and other areas have seen damage from white-tailed deer on crops, orchards, and residential landscaping. Community developments in rural areas have forced deer to look for new food sources in gardens, and even lawns. Destruction of vegetation in communities has generated awareness for new methods of deer control in conjunction with deer fencing materials: polypropylene, vinyl-coated hex netting, and high tensile deer fence.

Integrated Pest Management

The EPA definition - Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices. IPM programs use current, comprehensive information on the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment. This information, in combination with available pest control methods, is used to manage pest damage by the most economical means, and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment.

The IPM approach can be applied to both agricultural and non-agricultural settings, such as the home, garden, and workplace. IPM takes advantage of all appropriate pest management options including, but not limited to, the judicious use of pesticides.

An Integrated Pest Management approach is a strategic approach to dealing with deer. The University of Rhode Island landscape horticulture program lists a fact sheet online with an (IPM) control plan that lists effective methods to control deer.

Making Progress: Three Steps

Before instituting an effective IPM method it’s important to take the following three steps:

1. Define your objectives by identifying your short and long-term goals.
2. Analyze the site by noting the damage done, plants eaten, and size of the deer herd if possible.
3. Develop a plan by having a budget and deciding what tactics to employ. You can put all this together in an IPM approach to your deer control problem with greater success.

A Deer Fence that Delivers Results

Deer fence is one of the ways of implementing an IPM for deer control. Three types of mesh fences are available: 2" x 1-3/4" extruded black polypropylene, 1" black vinyl coated hexagonal mesh, and 12½ gauge high tensile woven wire. All are available in extra tall sizes. The type you choose can be determined by the steps listed above. Which is best suited to your needs?

Apron Fence: Heavier and Stronger

Apron fence is a versatile fencing material with many uses. Our high-quality fence mesh is made in the USA and is superior to imported brands. Woven from galvanized 17 gauge wire, 1½" hexagonal mesh apron fence is much heavier and stronger than the normal 20 gauge hex netting sold in retail stores. The extra wire thickness also increases the lifetime of the mesh.

Vegetation Grows Up and Through

The apron is created by a line wire running the length of each roll. This wire is located 12" from the bottom edge of the fence. During installation, bend the 12" apron so it lays on top of the ground. Vegetation will grow up through the mesh, securing it to the soil.

Apron fence is available in two sizes: 60" x 150' (48" high with 12" apron) and 72" x 150' (60" high with 12" apron). In addition to the standard GBW finish (Galvanized Before Weave), this fencing material can also be custom coated with a thick layer of black PVC. There are minimum order requirements on these items. Please contact us for details.

And Many Advantages

• Heavier, thicker wire has a longer lifetime than 20 gauge hex netting
• The apron prevents animals from digging under the fence
• Eliminates labor and expense of trenching
• Black vinyl adds years of rust prevention
• Black vinyl makes the fence virtually invisible
• Stronger wire is harder to dent and damage
• Use the apron section as part of the vertical fence to gain 12" more in height

Other Ways to Use Apron Fencing

• Perimeter fence for game bird pens
• Apron fence for beagle training pens
• Excellent wildlife exclusion fence for gardens
• Inexpensive tennis court fence
• Chicken run enclosure and protection
• Wire netting to enclose storage areas

What other ways can you think of using apron fence?

As you look around...

Fencing materials can be galvanized or vinyl-coated, small or larger openings, and a variety of heights. For long life and appearance consider vinyl coated wire. We can't stress enough that black (not green) blends extremely well into the background and almost disappears rather than boldly stands out.

Terrain Issues

Consider the terrain you will be fencing - is it level or uneven? You will want to use a fence that conforms or "racks" if the ground is uneven. On level ground, a welded wire fence is perfectly suitable as there is no give to it. Welded wire is not "rackable." Farm and Field fence adapts beautifully to the topography of your property.

Remember, with vinyl coated wire you avoid costly replacement because it lasts and lasts; plus it has a very pleasing appearance. And! Don't forget fence panels--they can really streamline installation and are perfect for remodeling decks.

Which type of fence material works best for you?

Keeping Tabs on Everybody

Have you made some alterations to your daily life that are going to require some physical changes to your property? 

• Perhaps there are now some children to think about and some barriers will be needed to keep them safe.
• Or it could be that beloved pet of yours may be better handled behind a fence?
• A veggie garden also demands some protection as the value of your crop depends on certain invaders to be excluded.

For either sanity or safety's sake, it might be time to consider a simple fence to simplify your days...and nights. Read on for some ideas on making change.

Do you need to:

• protect children as they play securely in your yard?
• keep pets from running all over the neighborhood?
• prevent "critters" from entering your garden to eat your plants?
• define your property or boundary line?
• keep deer and other wildlife away from your trees?
• prevent gophers from destroying your lawn and plantings?                                                                                                                    

• Woven wire fence products come in a wide range of styles, from 1" hexagonal chicken wire up to 10' tall heavy deer fence with large openings.

When you call us, be thinking about these questions-- 

• Do you need a large or a smaller mesh?
• Are you trying to keep something in or out?
• How many feet will you need to do the job right?
• What height is required?
• Is your land flat or does the terrain vary?
• Do you want to install the fencing materials yourself?
• Would it be better to have it installed by a reputable fence company?

Many possibilities are out there. The choices are yours. What has been most difficult for you when trying to decide which type of fencing material to use? We can help narrow things down.

Are you aware of all the possibilities that are available that you will never find at your local retail store? We will be happy to have a discussion with you about the differences between the various products that may be most suitable for your project.