Garden Fence Posts Distance

I'm building a garden fence about 50 feet by

50 feet. I'm setting 8 foot 4X4s two feet deep in cement. And then I'm using 2in by 2 inch wire fencing to keep the rabbits out.

About how far apart should the posts be to keep the fence upright and tight? 10 feet apart looks about right, but I'm not 100 percent sure.

Thanks,

S.

Reply to
samson
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You sure 2x2 wire fence is going to keep rabbits?

As I remember, it took 1" chicken wire to protect shrubs.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

10 foot is probably OK for 2x2 wire fence, but I agree with Lew, you want 1" mesh for rabbits. Chicken wire works, but will never work with 10 or even 8 foot spacing. I doubt even hardware cloth will look good with that spacing. The make special rabbit fence that has 1" spacing for the first foot or two, and then 2" spacing above that. Don't have any experience with it so I don't know if would span 10'.

One option you could consider if you don't want to space your posts closer is to use a tension wire on top and bottom. This is wire rope you thread through the top (and bottom) row of the fencing. You pull this tight with turnbuckles and it keeps the top and bottom of the mesh from folding over.

My garden fence has 4x4 posts on 7-8 foot centers, but I ran 1x4 rails near the top and at the 30" line. I stapled 36" chicken wire to the rail, and buried the bottom 6". So far so good.

HTH,

Paul

Reply to
Paul Franklin

Hi Paul,

Thanks much. This has given me a lot to think about. That rabbit fence sounds like what I need, depending on the cost.

S.

Reply to
samson

Reminds me of the stuff my dad used for hog fences. Different size, but same idea.

They are known as messenger cables and could solve a lot of problems such as insuring the fence is kept down on the ground and allowing the use of simple interior posts since most of the load is carried by the end posts.

Also, 3/8", 7x19, galvanized cable is fairly low cost, as well as the cable clamps and turn buckles.

Have fun.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

If all you want to do is put up chicken wire to keep out rabbits, you might consider steel T posts that can be simply driven into the ground. 4X4s set in concrete is kind of overkill for chicken or rodent wire. OTOH, if you might someday install pre-made fence sections onto the posts, set them on 8 foot centers. I would recommend NOT using concrete around the posts. PT 4X4s can be set directly in the ground and will last decades.

Reply to
Larry W

: My garden fence has 4x4 posts on 7-8 foot centers, but I ran 1x4 rails : near the top and at the 30" line. I stapled 36" chicken wire to the : rail, and buried the bottom 6". So far so good.

I'm actually not a gardner, but I listen to this radio show "You Bet Your Garden",

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. And I have a mind like fly-paper - all the stuff I don't want sticks.

Some of his answers are archived, and I found his fence advice at

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. It says that no burrowing creature goes more than 1.5' down, so use six foot fencing with poles, with poles six feet apart. Use a trench digging tool to dig a two foot trench. Bury two feet of fence, stack three feet abovce ground, and leave the top foot loose and bend it outwards at 90 degrees. That prevents burrowing and climbing critters from getting past your fence. There's more advice at that URL.

Good luck!

--- Chip

[ Maybe we should start rec.woodworking.gardening :-) ]
Reply to
Chip Buchholtz

What's the frost line depth in your area? Post set at 2' in my area won't last a winter.

Reply to
Nova

For rabbits you only need a fence about 18 - 24 inches high, but it has to have small openings. The rabbits around here can go through a chain-link fence barely slowing down. Their skull is smaller than it looks, and they have a flexible skeleton, so where their head can go the body will follow. They will not climb a fence or try to jump over it. I have successfully kept them out of flower beds with an 18 inch fence.

Now, if you are talking about jack rabbits or Australian ones, that is another matter.

Reply to
Gerald Ross

Folks around here have a lot of problems with turkeys in the garden. The buggers will eat anything, not just insects, and they scratch and wallow, making a mess.

Called my extension agent and asked the best way to protect the garden, since people with fencing were just putting the creatures on the wing. He said "turkeys are stupid. They would rather walk than fly. If they see an obstacle they'll fly over, but a nice electrified wire about ten inches above the ground never seems to register as anything until they hit it." Why not run one at four and one at eight and see if that doesn't do for the bunnies? I don't have a rabbit or rodent problem, having a couple of fairly large snakes in residence in my compost heap, but that would be my choice.

I find it easier to set T poles in come spring, after plowing and preparing the soil. I remove them in the fall.

Now deer are another matter. The big ones respond to sight barriers, which is why I use the polypropylene/stainless electrification. Young ones will sometimes get in and panic after the first zap. Once only....

Reply to
George

What would happen to them?

Thanks,

S.

Reply to
samson

I think he's implying that frost heave would move them around. Doesn't seem to affect shallow narrow objects much around here, where the ground freezes solid even under the snow to a couple feet or more.

LOVE spring breakup and gravel roads.

Reply to
George

Here where the frost can get 4 feet deep or more, a fence post especially if in a concrete plug, will be pushed out of the ground by the frost. If your soil is loose sand, 2 foot depth will not provide much support.

Reply to
EXT

The freeze/thaw cycles will push the post out of the ground rather quickly.

Reply to
Nova

Odd. I've got three full degrees of latitude north of Buffalo, and twenty-five years on the swingset, with ten on the clothesline posts all 18 inches in concrete. My bluebird houses are on their second set of cedar posts only because they rotted off at the ground after fifteen years. Maybe it's because we don't have many freeze/thaw cycles in a winter. Freezes and stays that way.

Reply to
George

Reply to
Phisherman

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