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Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard

Protect your vegetable plants – above and below the ground – with mesh-wire barriers.

When it comes to vegetable gardens, inground plantings are among the most common. Unfortunately, burrowing animals and other four-legged (and sometimes feathered) pests tend to enjoy your veggies as much as you do. One way to help stop your produce from being harvested by unwanted critters is to use galvanized wire mesh barriers buried beneath the soil, as well as above it.

You can help stop gophers, moles and other burrowing animals from barging under – and into – your garden by burying galvanized wire mesh fabric along each edge of your vegetable plot, at least 18 inches down into the soil.

To prevent birds, rabbits and other browsers from feeding on your tender seedlings aboveground, cover your plantings with a V-shaped arch of wire fabric. The plants will grow right through the holes, or you can remove the entire arch once your plants have become more established.

Large mammals like deer can empty a garden of its plants in an evening. Block their access into your vegetable plot by erecting a tall fence at least 10 feet high around the garden’s edge, or by building paired parallel, shorter fences, each 6 feet tall and 4-6 feet apart. These fences may be built from many materials, including wire mesh, vinyl or wooden pickets, woven willow or bamboo canes.