Building a DIY garden fence will help keep pests like rabbits and deer out of the garden so you can ensure you will have a successful harvest for all the hard work you have put in. So when we opened up a new field we decided and designed a simple and cost-effective fence with varying options so you can be inspired to do something similar with minimal effort and simple materials while still looking beautiful.
What is the Cheapest Garden Fence to Build?
Building a great garden fence inexpensively and efficiently is easy with galvanized fencing, t-posts, and just using Cedar 4×4 for the corners to hold the fence. Add a simple gate with two more additional Cedar posts. Metal fencing is easy to install at a reasonable price compared to lumber. Choose the fencing you want for your fence aesthetically. You can find great prices on metal fencing at stores like Lowe’s or local Farm Equipment stores in your area. A few quick things to know about building your garden fence on a budget:
- Use steel or aluminum rolled fencing: this fencing will both be efficient in covering a large area but also will
- Use T-Posts and not U-posts for fencing support: Using T-posts is an effective and inexpensive way to build your garden fence with less lumber.
- Borrow Tools and Supplies from Friends: If you aren’t going to continue building things save money by finding a way to borrow tools from friends and neighbors. This makes it more cost-effective.
Why Do You Need a Garden Fence?
- We have a garden fence to keep pests out more than anything. Keeping deer out in particular in Northern Michigan is very important and essential to a great garden.
- Keep our chickens in. We plan to let our chickens clean up our garden at the end of the season and they will get the chance to daily forage out there for a few hours each day. The hope is this will improve the soil as well especially since we have determined that this will be where we have our tomatoes and peppers and beans which take a lot of nutrients to grow.
- It can keep a beautiful aesthetic to your space and create a cozy experience.
What to Consider for Your DIY Garden Fence:
- Think about how to adapt it as need be. We designed the fence with tall corner posts but used a lower fence because this saves materials but also because if deer choose to jump it we will simply add metal cord from post to post which will just as effectively keep them out as more fencing that is super high and adds double the cost. In most cases, even in high-density deer population areas, this is MORE than effective.
- Cedar is the most non-toxic option, but more expensive. So when we place wood into the ground it is very important to use wood that is graded for ground contact. This typically means either Cedar or a Pressure Treated Pine. Pressure-treated wood has a lot of chemicals and if you are using this around a garden where you will be growing food this isn’t a good thing as the plants will ingest that in the water and soil and ultimately it gets to you…YUCK! So make sure you use Cedar. It is more expensive but buying less galvanized fencing and using T-posts will help with that cost.
- Use T-Posts instead of more Wood posts to save money. T-posts are metal posts that you drive into the ground and they are just effective especially between posts. They are much less expensive than a 4×4 cedar post is so you can save money and they look just as good especially once you have things climbing your fence as they are green.
- Place a post every 4-8 feet depending on the length of your fencing. It is REALLY important to have a fence that stays vertical and upright and even that you have post-specific distances away from each other. Otherwise, it will get floppy and won’t be as strong.
- Begin with Corner Posts and use a Level. It is VERY important to make sure your corner posts are straight and level up and down. They need to be cemented into the ground as well.
- Have a gate and have fun with it. We wanted a little fence that allowed us to grow things up a small arbor. We haven’t chosen what will grow but we love the option it gives us. The gate uses simple black outdoor hardware for the gate and just kept it simple making a square and putting the fencing in the middle.
Building your own DIY garden fence takes some work for sure, but if you do it right it can be an attractive and beautiful addition to your home and gardening life so you can worry less about pests like deer and rabbits.
For Your DIY Garden Fence You Need:
- 6 – 8′ or 10′ Cedar 4″x4″ Posts – $184.62
- 2-8 – 2-in x 6-in x 8-ft Cedar (gate wood) – $34.96
- 100′ total – 4′ tall Galvanized Steel Fencing – $76.63
- 50′ total – 4′ tall Galvanized Steel Fencing – $66.00
- 20 – 3″ x 6′ T-posts – $83.60
- 1 – Black Gate Hinges – $12.28
- 1 – Gate Latch – $5.48
- 18 – Quickrete 50-lb Fast Setting Concrete Mix – 104.40
- 1 box – 1-1/4-in Leg x 1/4-in – $13.98
- 3 boxes – 25- Pack Fence Fasteners – $1.89
Tools to Build Your Garden Fence:
The total (pre-tax) cost of our DIY garden Fence for a 30×35 foot garden bed was: $583.84
How To Build Your Own DIY Fence
- Measure the depth of how deep the posts will go. We chose 10′ cedar 4×4 posts and put them 2′-3′ into the ground depending upon the grade of the location. We wanted the fence to look level from a distance so the uphill posts are 3′ deep and the downhill posts are 2′ deep.
2. Before you add any concrete, level the posts with support braces and check the vertical level on all sides.
3. The BEST tip for the entire garden fence is to choose Fast-Setting Quickrete. You literally dump the dry bag into the hole and spray enough water to wet the concrete and leave it. In about 45 min it’s complete.
4. Typically the primary reason for constructing a garden fence is to keep deer out of your garden. However, there are also animals and pests that like to dig under your fence. Therefore if you drop the fence one to two feet into the ground it will keep critters from digging under your fence.
5. After you have set the corner and gate-posts for your garden fence, it’s time to drive all of your t-posts into the ground. Make sure they are the same height on the top with a guideline and do not fill in the trench yet.
6. Now that you have all of your cedar posts, and your t-posts set for your garden fence, it is time to roll out the custom Woven Wire mesh and begin attaching it to the corner posts and t-posts.
7. To add a clean, but also safe, look to the garden fence we added some corner cap boards to cover up the areas where two peices of welded wire joined together.
8. Finally, the last step in your garden fence is to build or add your gate. We used the extra cedar boards from our deck to layout a gate with some of the extra welded wire.
If this was helpful you may want to use our Soil Guide for helping you know how to develop proper soil for your garden or this post to learn about using Steel for Your Raised Beds. You can also find out how to clear a field for your garden to grow in this post.
Wrap Up…
The Garden fence offers great protection to your garden. It is one of the most affordable and easy-to-get fencing options! We hope that this article has given you some insight into DIY garden fences. The key thing is knowing your preferences and finding something in accordance with them!
If this guide article helped you do your own DIY garden fence, consider checking out some of these articles below –
- Soil Guide for helping you know how to develop proper soil for your garden
- To learn using Steel for Your Raised Beds.
- How to clear a field for your garden to grow in this post.
- How to Keep Deer Out of Your Garden for GOOD!
- Garden Tools List
- How to Actually Grow a Kitchen Herb Garden Confidently
