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If you require to keep animals like squirrels out of your elicit garden beds or want to slow down pests like cabbage moths , these multi - purpose protective screen are a good plus to the garden .
Before you work up , The Best Wood For Raised Garden Bedsshares sustainable and long - hold out wood options .
Squirrel inspecting screen preventing him from digging up vegetable bed
DIY Raised Bed Screens
I have approximately 25 squirrel that frequent my garden on a day-to-day basis . That ’s a lot of birdseed - stealing , nut - concealment , and veg garden dig going on !
In addition to their slowing down their prank , I wanted a way to prevent the cabbagemothsand butterflies from getting to my broccoli , Brassica oleracea botrytis , and kale , and prevent various other animals from destroying the vegetable . I find the most critical fourth dimension is when the plants are still seedlings and one raucous squirrel can stomp everything in an moment .
I call the answer “ squirrel screens ” but it ’s not a newfangled invention . The are mere wood structures covered in ironware cloth localize over raised beds to keep uninvited animals out .
If you have shallow raised bed , they are useful during the seedling and youthful industrial plant stage until the plants necessitate more point room . Since compose this , I have tripled the acme of my raised layer walls ( without raising the soil level ) and the screens are ready to hand all the fashion through the uprise season .
Whenany crop requiring worm pollinationare flowering , the filmdom come off . Once pollinated , they can go back on again .
There are also several other uses as you ’ll see below .
touch : What Can I Safely establish in Spring Before My Last Frost ?
One Screen—Four Uses
place over freshly sown beds , the screens forbid birds and other nibblers from taking the seedlings .
If your bed are grandiloquent enough , you may keep the screens on throughout the growing cycle for any crop that do not rely on insects or birds for pollenation . This includes any crops we run through prior to efflorescence like broccoli , kale , salad green , and so on .
Placed vertically ( with two long nooky holding the frame against the raised bed ) , the ironware cloth apply rise vines like Cucumis sativus and Citrullus vulgaris something to snaffle onto .
Related : When To Start Seeds Indoors ( Easy Printable Sowing Plan )
A few of my raise bed are in very sunny locations and the plants get too much heat .
I attach the garden silver screen vertically on the gay side and extend them withrow covers(see them at Amazon.com ) , have in place withbinder clips .
This offer enough shade to prevent seedlings from dry out andnon - fruit plants from beetle off .
Related:25 Vegetables you could Grow in Shade
In the cold months , I add hinges to the screen to insure them to the raised beds and berth hoarfrost cover or tarps on top to protect the winter greens ( Spinacia oleracea , simoleons , mesclun admixture , cole , broccoli , Petroselinum crispum … ) from the low temperature and winds . you may see one of my winter veggie beds here .
How to Build Raised Bed Screens
Materials & Tools
For each enkindle bed , I make two frames that , together , will cover the intact control surface .
It ’s helpful to also sum up handles to make them easier to pick up and move .
2×2 Natalie Wood
Hardware cloth – preferably 1/8″ storage-battery grid – look for a sizing to mate your screen breadth ( 36 or 48 - inch ) . Calculate amount needed based on final size of your screen .
( 24 ) 2 1/2 ” deck screwsfor attaching the wood skeleton pieces ( one per corner).#8 screws require a 7/64″ practice session bit for the pilot pickle and a 3/8″ counterbore morsel .
( 48 ) 1/4″wood screwsandwashersfor book the computer hardware cloth in blank space or a good stapling machine with great responsibility raw material .
Wood glueto reinforce conjoin .
Hinges(optional - if you want to attach the projection screen to the raised bed ) .
Electric drillwith bits or galvanic screwdriver .
Exterior primer / paint or wood stain ( optional )
Assembly Tips
snub the clicking strait the squirrels will make when they pull in they ca n’t get under the screens and get the picture up your young garden . They ’ll get over it and raid the bird feeders rather .
Resources
Related
What we often call “ cabbage moth ” are in reality butterfly ( Pieris rapae)—they are the white , fluttery ace you ’ll see scoping out your Brassica . There are also ( brown - ish ) moth species we call “ cabbage moths . ”This include the diamondback moth ( Plutella xylostella ) andthe cabbage inchworm ( Trichoplusia ni ) which you ’ll also see around cruciferous veggie .
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Growing VegetablesA Weekly Indoor & Outdoor Seed Sowing Plan for beginner
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