Used to just toss chicken wire over my garden beds every spring

I did that for years thinking it kept the rabbits out. Last April after a weekend rain I went out and a fat groundhog had just pushed right under it and ate half my kale starts. Switched to a framed hardware cloth box with a hinged lid anchored to the ground with landscape staples. Now nothing gets in. Anybody else find out the hard way that wire on the ground isn't enough?

2 comments

2 Comments

ellis.mia7d agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, that groundhog story hit close to home... I had the exact same thing happen with a fat raccoon one year. It just lifted the edge of my chicken wire like it was nothing and helped itself to my entire row of sweet corn. I was so mad I almost gave up on gardening that season. The framed box with hardware cloth is the way to go for sure. Those animals are way smarter and stronger than we give them credit for.

ray_hernandez7d ago

Smart animals learn quick when free food is involved. That groundhog probably told all his buddies about your kale patch. Hardware cloth with proper anchoring is the only real solution.