Make: Critter Proof Garden Bed

Make: Critter Proof Garden Bed

Make: Critter Proof Garden Bed

  • Posted by magpie
  • On June 27, 2017
  • Comments
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Message from Maggie:

Mr. Magpie is a farmer.  Our first year in our house we did herbs as well as tomatoes and cucumbers.  Unfortunately, we weren’t the only ones that enjoyed his bounty as we spent the summer fending of squirrels.  This year, we came up with a critter proof solution that has proven to be flawless allowing us to enjoy 5 varieties of lettuce and kale, broccoli, radish, rainbow chard, and more.

Supplies:

  • 4 long boards for top (Note: We used 4  53.5 inch long boards)
  • 8 long boards for bottom (Note: We used 53.5 inch long boards)
  • 4 2x4s for corner posts (Note: We used 4 18 inch 2×4 boards for corner posts)
  • Chicken wire
  • Wire cutter
  • Nails
  • Hammer
  • 2 hinges to attach top to bottom
  • 4 metal right angle brackets to create top
  • Staple gun
  • Organic soil
  • Peat moss
  • Plants
  1. Design the specifications of the box and its top.
  2. Cut the pieces of wood accordingly.
  3. Sand wood.
  4. Paint wood with outdoor wood finish for aesthetics and waterproofing.
  5. Build the box and its top using hammer and nails and metal right angel brackets for top.
  6. Measure chicken wire along each side and top.
  7. Staple chicken wire along the sides of the box and the top to enclose it.
  8. Attach top to bottom using 2 hinges.
  9. In the location where the garden will grow, loosen old soil and dig out rocks about 6 inches down.
  10. Mix in organic gardening soil and peat moss to rejuvenate soil.
  11. Put box on top of soil.
  12. Add an additional 2 inches of soil.
  13. Plant.
  14. Water!

Photographs:

1 Comments

Angel
  • Jun 27 2017
Good job and has paid for itself in produce, and in time saved since you aren't battling squirrels! Looks great too