For more information on protecting your garden with a critter-proof fence, see Install the Best Garden Fences.
Animal |
Habits and Damage |
Fence Requirements |
| Deer |
Most active at night. Young plants are often pulled from the ground. Tracks may be evident. Loves beans and eats many other crops. Dogs can provide some deterrence. |
Two fences, 3 feet apart, create a confusing 3-D barrier. Poly fencing 8 feet tall can go inside a lower fence, or you can use 3 strands of electric fencing, with 2 for the inner fence and 1 for the outer fence. |
| Gopher | Active day or night, creating an extensive network of tunnels. Eats potatoes and other root crops, young seedlings and germinating seeds. Special traps are available. |
3/4-inch mesh wire poultry netting buried 2 feet deep, extending 12 inches above the ground. Gophers that manage to get inside the garden may be trapped. |
| Groundhog | Active during the day, solitary or in family groups. Often takes a few bites from beans, squash or tomatoes, leaving remains behind. Some gardeners choose to shoot them. Dogs can provide some deterrence. |
2-inch mesh wire fencing, with bottom edge angled outward and buried 10 inches deep; fence height 3 to 4 feet. Add 1 strand of electric fencing 4 inches from the ground on the outside of the fence. |
| Rabbit | Most active at dawn and dusk. Feeds close to the ground and clips foliage cleanly, often at a 45-degree angle. Pea-size scat is often present. |
3/4-inch to 1-inch mesh wire poultry netting or hardware cloth, with the bottom edge securely pinned or buried 6 inches deep and angled outward. Height can be 2.5 feet for cottontails, 4 feet for jackrabbits |
| Raccoon | Active at night, often in family groups. Favored foods include ripe melons, potatoes, peas and corn. Partially eaten food is often left on the ground. |
2-strand electric fence, on from dusk to dawn, with one strand 6 inches from the ground and the other 12 inches from the ground. |
| Skunk | Most active at dawn and dusk. Makes 3- to 4-inch-deep conical holes as it digs for grubs and worms, sometimes digging up young plants. |
3/4-inch to 1 inch mesh wire poultry netting, with the bottom edge buried 12 inches deep and angled outward, 3 feet high. |
| Squirrel | Active during the day. An agile jumper that may come into the garden on tree limbs. Often eats tomatoes, corn, beans and strawberries. |
Same as rabbit, with 2-strand electric fence on 24 hours. One strand should be 3 inches from the ground, the other at the top of the fence. |
| Vole | Active at night. Eats potatoes and many other vegetables, making gnaw marks 1/8-inch wide and 3/8-inch long. Cats can be effective predators or use snap traps plaxed in their runs. |
1/4-inch mesh wire hardware cloth buried 6 to 10 inches deep, extending 12 inches high, can protect individual plantings or entire gardens. |
