How to keep critters out of your veggie garden - Video walkabout
I was sick and tired of squirrels and rabbits making an all-you-can-eat buffet out of my vegetable garden. The worst part about it was that they would find something like a tomato, for example, with just the slightest hint of red on it, take just one bite from it, and then move right along to the next course. I built this raised bed to be critter-proof and we have not had a single incident since!
The whole project took no more than a couple of afternoons, and it could definitely be done by one person if necessary.
Here is the bed in the closed position. This is how it stays when I'm not working in the garden.
This is a 4x8 foot bed, but you can change the dimensions according to your needs. The sides are made of 2-2x6s stacked, and screwed together at the corners, braced by vertical 2x2s on the inside of each corner. What makes the bed critter-proof is the lid, a frame with arched PVC tubing, that hinges open and closed and latches shut when you're not working on the garden.
Here is what it looks like when the top is open. The frame of the lid is made of 2x2s.
The five 10-foot PVC tubes are held in place with conduit straps. To keep the PVC in place (it is under some tension in that arched position), I also placed a screw through the 2x2 frame and into the PVC from the outside. I also secured one 2x2x8' across the top of the arch to brace the PVC tubes and prevent them from wobbling side to side.
I secured hardware cloth to the frame using fence staples, and to the PVC using zip ties. Of course, after I built this, I bought a pneumatic staple gun, which would have saved me a ton of time.
Some simple chain is secured to the bed frame and to the lid frame to hold the lid in the open position without falling completely backwards. The chain is secured with large hook-eyes and some quick links. You can see my other critter-proof raised bed in the background. I'll post on that one another day.
Some drawer pulls serve as handles to help with opening and closing the lid, and a hasp latch on the front can be locked if needed.
Here's a video of a walkabout around the critter-proof bed, with more details and explanation:
I hope you enjoyed this post, and that you have a bountiful harvest this year!
If you enjoyed this post, check out some of my other nature and photography posts:
- Canned pickle juice, gooseberries, and balloon shoelaces: Photography at a farmer's market
- Whole food energy bars - My favorite flavor combinations and a tutorial
- Mophead hydrangeas from the garden - Nature Photos
All content by @jaymorebeet, taken with iPhone6s on June 25, 2017.
Great design! Try putting a bowl of water out away from your garden. The critters will eat the fruit if they are thirsty. Especially squirrels and birds.
A great idea - only issue there is that mosquitoes in this region are vicious! I try to get rid of all the standing water I can! Now I'm thinking - what about mounting one of those little gerbil water feeders to the fence :) No, I will NOT become the neighborhood squirrel lady. :)
LOL! It is definetly worth a shot. =)
Very nice.
I will have to figure out something to keep my strawberries from disappearing.
Yes - keep those thieves out of your garden! Good luck!
Nice instructive video @jaymorebeet, because it certainly does stink when these critters take just a nibble out of everything and move on. Victories against nature are often hard-won! Up-voted an re-steemed.
Thanks @cognoscere - I didn't mention it in the post but I also stapled hardware cloth to the underside to prevent anyone who might like burrowing under. Impenetrable!