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Frugal Gardening

vegetable garden gate?

19 years ago

I'm in the process of fencing in a new vegetable garden (30x15). I got the green metal stakes and the rabbit fencing (narrower gauge at the bottom), and I've buried strips of hardware cloth at the bottom to discourage voles, moles, and shrews.

I'm stumped about how to make gates. I can use some of the spare rabbit fencing (wire with green plastic coating), but how do I attach it to the fence (hinges?, latch?) and stiffen it?

Thanks for any tips for this newbie.

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Comments (7)

breezyb
19 years ago
When I built my last garden's fencing similar to yours, I bought a ready-made gate from either Home Depot or Lowe's. It wasn't expensive & was marvelously functional & a real time-saver over trying to make one myself.
jimgray
19 years ago
I used a piece of the fencing as a gate, I simply cut a piece wider than the opening, wrapped some of the wire around the fence as hinges and bent the opposite end over to hook it closed on the other side. works for me

jim
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Do not constrain yourself to something that someone else built, for a completely different purpose, simply because it is there. There is really not much substance to that structure and I agree with you that it is very fugly. The most valuable things on it are the chicken wire and the gate hinges. I agree with others: Tear it down, lose the rocks, clean the area up, then stand back and look at your entire yard area to decide what you want to do regarding a vegetable garden. Once cleaned up, you can stake out the dimensions of your new garden and run string lines to help you visualize your new layout and location. Look at the big picture. Is that area even in the right location in your yard for growing veggies regarding sunlight, easy access to water, ease of both garden and lawn maintenance, etc.? Best of luck with whatever you decide to do! -Tom
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There are two kinds of shade. One is where the sky itself is blocked. The other is where just the sun is blocked. Leafy greens will do OK in the latter, and I think root crops as well. You can grow leafy greens in a climate that is almost perpetually cloudy. As in, no direct sun at all. I grew them in the Pacific Northwest in the winter with no trouble, and up there, you forget what the sun looks like in the winter. But the light from the sky is important. From a clear sky, the light is coming mainly from the sun. Blue sky is pretty dim. In a cloudy sky it's dimmer than direct sunlight, but coming from all angles. In fact, your plants will get more sunlight on a cloudy day than on a clear day where the sun itself is blocked. This is all well understood by people with solar power generators.
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Thank you Lilyfinch Oh !! I can not disguise my passion even speaking a language that is not mine? Oh! It is difficult to hide the emotions when they are very intense ... I check that the Google translator uses the same term when I write "garden" (total area, which includes ornamental plantings and there may also be an orchard area inside) and when I write "Orchard". He always translates as "Garden". Could you help me by telling me what term you use in English when you want to refer to the area where you grow vegetables? Is it correct to use the term "vegetable garden"? Thank you very much!! If I continue participating in this forum I will finish speaking English despite my absolute inability to learn languages hahahaha In fact I already know many terms that I do not need to use the translator, for example pruning, Deadheading, manure, mulching, bareroot, hardy ... yes, all the words that I know of English are referring to gardening !! Hahahaha How strange !! True?
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vetivert8
19 years ago
More an addition than an answer: if you have to operate a gate, make a place for putting down the armload of vegies, or tools - that you can reach from either side. And, if you have to step aside - put in a concrete pad, or similar, for standing on because it doesn't take long to carve out a muddy patch to the side of the path.
flibbertigibbet
19 years ago
We nailed the fencing to a 2X4 one the "door" edge. Then on the "wall" side we made strong twisted wire loops at the top and bottom. When I come or go & simply slip the loops off or onto the board ends. It helps that my husband tapered the ends. If you're interested, I can take a picture of it to post. We also piled rocks up against the bottom of the fence on both sides to deter the javelina.
buzzy
19 years ago
Building our chicken run taught us a lot.

To make a gate, frame the limp material. We used 1 X 2's, make a rectangle and staple the netting to it. It's rigid if you put a triangular brace across.

If you have rigid gateposts you can use hinges and a latch, or you can use wire loops for both. Top and bottom on the hinge side, and just top or middle for the latch.

If you're worried about critters getting under, as we were, you make a threshold. Dig your fencing material in as deep as you need to make it, then leave several inches sticking up above ground (fold a couple inches over to make a smooth edge). If it's floppy nail a board across from gatepost to gatepost and staple the fencing material to it.

Then when you close the gate it snugs up to the bottom threshold.
lauragardens
Original Author
19 years ago
Thanks to everyone for all the helpful suggestions. Buzzy, I think you've given me just what I need. I'm especially interested in the threshold idea.

Now I have to figure out how to get that one shrew/vole/whatever OUT of the enclosed area -- he's drilling around by the new asparagus bed!
granite
19 years ago
put your garden hose in the vole tunnel and flood the tunnels. Stand by with a large flat blade shovel, and when you see a section of the tunnel move, whack it as hard as possible........Vole murder and burial all in one whack, no poisons, no corpse to look at or agonize over....DONE.

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