Katy and Ben from Bainbridge Island, WA have constructed a nearly see-through fence to baffle the deer that mow their veggie beds given half a chance. The fence itself is working, but Katy and Ben faced a DIYer’s challenge of how to create a functional gate to work with their innovative fence. They write:
“Dear Garden Mentor and Garden Mentor builder:
See-Through Fence Provides Deer-Proofed Edible Garden
Help! We have a veggie garden problem that perhaps you can help solve. Our enclosure is staked with posts of rebar. At ground level we wrapped chicken wire which is also dug in about 6 inches below ground level to avoid trenching animals. Attached to the top of the chicken wire is strong bird netting which is almost invisible in the photo as well as real life. We recently replaced the two rebar gate posts with sturdy round wooden stakes which are solid enough to hold a light gate attached to them. . Our problem is a finding a gate design that is light enough as well as not too visually different than the original design. We’ve tried making a lath frame with bird netting, just bird netting and other things that haven’t worked. I just saw this gate that looks similar to what we were going for but at 200+ bucks I had to laugh. We’re at our wits end and were hoping you might have some clever light solutions that are visually, well, invisible, as well as light and easy to put together. Thanks!
Katy and Ben”
Garden building enthusiast and garden help guest blogger Bob took this one on and suggests:
Unbraced Gate Poles
Looking at the pictures, I think part of the problem is probably the fact that single posts are not strong enough to hold a gate off it. Since these are not 4×4 posts and just poles and probably not sunk in too far, I bet when you tried to screw something heavy like a gate, the pole leans over? I would suggest putting a 2×4 or 2×2 across the top and connect the two posts at the top and you might even consider maybe another along the bottom. This should help keep the posts rigid enough to support a gate.
From the look of the setup, it looks like you don’t need a really strong or even big gate. I’d suggest using 2×2 and get some strong tie corner brackets to make a square/gate. Something like corner bracket RTA2Z pictured here . You should be able to find these parts any hardware store. Or you could just use some 3″ L brackets in each corner. That is all I used for my cold frame lids. Then you can just cut the wood to length and butt them to each other and use the metal ties to hold it together.
No need for special joints. Once you have the square gate, then staple the bird netting on one side and then use simple/basic hinges. You could small gate hinges or just regular 2 or 3 inch galvanized square hinges.
Depending on how large of a square you make for the gate, you might need to cross brace it. Either run another 2×2 diagonally or you can use wire cable.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for sharing your challenge with us Katy and Ben. And, as always, thanks Bob for providing solution ideas to the gardening community!
Read on for the tale of how shopping for vegie starts in the summer of 2007 resulted in the installation of a new waterfeature for our patio .
I knew I had a container at home that I wanted to renovate. Sure, 
it had drainage holes, but I knew I could seal those with clear caulk in no time. So, we selected a couple of 25% off water plants, snatched up the bargain spigot & pump & headed home. We figured we’d have a waterfeature running in no time. We should have known better!
We found a waterfall sealant foam spray that sets up in 1 hour and is sealed/hardened in 24 hours. After much digging through the electrical department, we were able to figure out how to put together, mount & seal a new outdoor plug & switch. (I say we, but mostly I mean Bob.) Of course, we had to buy a new drill bit to go with the electrical box and screws and washers as well. With all of this in hand, plus our BBQ racks, we checked out & headed home around 1 pm. (In case you can’t tell, the can of worms is wide open at this point.)
Day 1, Act 4: Minimal Cursing from Bob the Electrician: Right away, we fill the pot drainage holes with waterfall sealant. Its going to take 24 hours for that to be hardened and sealed. Between the drilling, rewiring, testing, and sealing, it takes Bob until around 4pm to get the electrical all set up so that we have power to the plug for the waterfeature. The lamp is now on an outdoor switch & the original “high up” plug is also charged. And, he managed this with very few 4 letter words.
Day 1, Act 5: Billy the Fish & Spot: All characters are exhausted at this point with no relaxing waterfeature to enjoy. So, we walk Shiloh to rent movies and stop at the pet shop to buy some goldfish for the new waterfeature. Goldfish are a great addition. They keep the waterfeature clean & they eat mosquito larvae!As I’m looking at the feeder fish (bargain priced at $.14/smalls & $.25/bigs), I think of the recent 
Day 2, Act 1: Filling & Testing: In the morning, we set up the container in its location and begin placing containers & stones in the pot on which we will rest plants and decorative rock. In the early afternoon, we fill the container with water and insert the 
And, we released the fish. Also, I had some Acorus in the garden beds, which I dug & planted in the water garden after reading it does well in these spaces. (That was another can of worms as I found about a trash container of roofing material left from our roofers last year hidden in this planting bed – yuck!). 
We are still doing some fine tuning, but we were able to relax on the patio with iced tea and beer and listen to our new waterfeature. We’re both happy with it & I’m glad Bob was still smiling at the end!
