One idea I've read about (never tried) for keeping things out of a vegetable garden is a "soft fence," or a "floppy fence." It starts with a standard anti-critter fence, say wire mesh on steel or wood posts two or three feet high. Then add on a two-foot-wide run of chicken wire around the top -- supported as little as possible.

An invading raccoon, for example, will readily climb the standard fence, but will be unable to scale the "floppy" fence without it tipping over and dropping the 'coon on his back. The article I read didn't talk about this, but I can see where a raccoon that manages to get inside such an enclosure would also have a hell of a time getting back out.

Just a new idea....

Soft fencing seems pretty good, but Tbone Again has a point. If something does get in it might do a lot of damage trying to get out. It might have some merit against deer if you could make it tall enough that they could not jump over it. Maybe if you had the fence far enough to have a walkway around the garden that if something did get in it would not wreck the garden trying to get out.

I hear razor cloth works pretty good, something about it slices there little feets. Might get a bit expensive if you have to do a huge area.....
just sayin

Quote from: TboneAgain on March 08, 2013, 09:29:32 PM
One idea I've read about (never tried) for keeping things out of a vegetable garden is a "soft fence," or a "floppy fence." It starts with a standard anti-critter fence, say wire mesh on steel or wood posts two or three feet high. Then add on a two-foot-wide run of chicken wire around the top -- supported as little as possible.

An invading raccoon, for example, will readily climb the standard fence, but will be unable to scale the "floppy" fence without it tipping over and dropping the 'coon on his back. The article I read didn't talk about this, but I can see where a raccoon that manages to get inside such an enclosure would also have a hell of a time getting back out.

Just a new idea....

I've read it works well against one, but two in tandem will find it accommodating.
As much as I hat them, electric fences seem to be the best defense.

Quote from: Elfie on March 09, 2013, 05:50:20 AM
I hear razor cloth works pretty good, something about it slices there little feets. Might get a bit expensive if you have to do a huge area.....
just sayin

Razor cloth? What the heck is that? I know razor wire, but razor cloth? Please enlighten.

Quote from: Solar on March 09, 2013, 06:00:29 AM
I've read it works well against one, but two in tandem will find it accommodating.
As much as I hat them, electric fences seem to be the best defense.

Electric fence is good, and VERY effective against raccoons, opossums, and others. Not so good against rabbits. Useless against deer, unless you fence off your garden to the point that YOU can't get in it.  Electric fence used to protect a garden is difficult to construct and even more difficult to maintain. To guard against raccoons, for example, you have to string at least two wires, one just six inches off the ground, the other six inches higher. The wires must be kept taut and completely free of any vegetable matter -- meaning grass, weeds, or even the crop plants you're trying to protect. If your wife takes a notion to plant yellow squash, for instance (and I'm not naming names, like Mrs. Tbone, or anything), you will fight your own crop to keep the fence clear. Heavy rain will weigh the wires down and increase their connectivity to the grass and ground below. The first electric fence I used around my garden was absolutely effective until the first heavy rain. The weight of the water sagged the wire down enough to short it out, and the raccoons tore the place up.

I haven't set out any garden stuff yet this year -- Christ, I can barely walk across the yard, it's so squishy -- but I've been giving thought to pest control. And I've come up with a solution that will completely eliminate every problem I've ever had with critters raiding my garden.

No more 'coons breaking down my sweet corn stalks or raiding my watermelons. No more rabbits raiding my sweet pea vines. No more 'possums munching on my tomatoes. No more deer clipping the tops off my bean plants. No more anything messing with anything!

I just won't plant a garden.

Problem solved!

I have not found anything called razor cloth, But I am still looking. I am wondering if it is some kind of roll out mulching strip.

Quote from: TboneAgain on March 09, 2013, 09:22:16 PM
Electric fence is good, and VERY effective against raccoons, opossums, and others. Not so good against rabbits. Useless against deer, unless you fence off your garden to the point that YOU can't get in it.  Electric fence used to protect a garden is difficult to construct and even more difficult to maintain. To guard against raccoons, for example, you have to string at least two wires, one just six inches off the ground, the other six inches higher. The wires must be kept taut and completely free of any vegetable matter -- meaning grass, weeds, or even the crop plants you're trying to protect. If your wife takes a notion to plant yellow squash, for instance (and I'm not naming names, like Mrs. Tbone, or anything), you will fight your own crop to keep the fence clear. Heavy rain will weigh the wires down and increase their connectivity to the grass and ground below. The first electric fence I used around my garden was absolutely effective until the first heavy rain. The weight of the water sagged the wire down enough to short it out, and the raccoons tore the place up.

I haven't set out any garden stuff yet this year -- Christ, I can barely walk across the yard, it's so squishy -- but I've been giving thought to pest control. And I've come up with a solution that will completely eliminate every problem I've ever had with critters raiding my garden.

No more 'coons breaking down my sweet corn stalks or raiding my watermelons. No more rabbits raiding my sweet pea vines. No more 'possums munching on my tomatoes. No more deer clipping the tops off my bean plants. No more anything messing with anything!

I just won't plant a garden.

Problem solved!

If I can't have it, no one gets any!

Actually think outside the box with electric fences, try isolating two 8" to 18" strips of real light fencing around the perimeter, one above the fence line and the other around the middle to lower part of the fence.
I used poly pipe slipped over the top of T-posts, extended out from the fence enough so as not to touch it, poly cord to anchor it down and listen for the squeals.

That's the problem with single wires, animals can hear the pulse and time it as well as avoid it, screens are another story.

I cant find the stuff,,,,, my old trapper told me about it the year he got 8 skunks out of my yard....

Quote from: Elfie on March 10, 2013, 01:22:07 PM
I cant find the stuff,,,,, my old trapper told me about it the year he got 8 skunks out of my yard....

The correct name is Concertina wire.

Here's a pic, I'd have posted it, but it's too large.

http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00pMRTrmbBZCuy/Concertina-Wire-Coil-BTO-30-.jpg

I guess when you collect your veggies you can toss them through the wire and slice them as you go, but will it julliene fries?

Quote from: Solar on March 10, 2013, 01:59:23 PM
The correct name is Concertina wire.

Here's a pic, I'd have posted it, but it's too large.

http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00pMRTrmbBZCuy/Concertina-Wire-Coil-BTO-30-.jpg

See if this will work young man.  

seriously, I was thinking razor cloth was some kind of mulching cloth that had a spiny texture. Even if concertina wire was scaled down, I don't know how effective it would be for small critters. This must have been a joke or tounge in check suggestion.

Quote from: Eyesabide on March 10, 2013, 10:49:39 PM
seriously, I was thinking razor cloth was some kind of mulching cloth that had a spiny texture. Even if concertina wire was scaled down, I don't know how effective it would be for small critters. This must have been a joke or tounge in check suggestion.

He may have made his own home-made mulching cloth job.
As he was an "old trapper" Elfie said.   

Quote from: Eyesabide on March 10, 2013, 10:49:39 PM
seriously, I was thinking razor cloth was some kind of mulching cloth that had a spiny texture. Even if concertina wire was scaled down, I don't know how effective it would be for small critters. This must have been a joke or tounge in check suggestion.

Concertina wire can be stretched. A 300' roll can be stretched to 600', or as little as 50', making passage of smaller animals difficult.

Personally I hate the stuff, it's virtually impossible to work with, it's brutal on animals that tangle up in it, not to mention it destroys you clothing, gloves and even cuts your boot laces.
I've quit using barbed wire for the same reason, even been taking it down where I put it up 20 years ago.