Home Made Fence Building Decisions

I can't decide how I want to finish constructing this home made fence. At first, I was certain that I would be building a temporary fence that i would tear down at the end of summer. Looking at the diameter of the posts I used, I may be able to get much more out of it than I was originally expecting. I just can't make a decision.

Maybe my problem can be your solution, or maybe you have a solution for me? I'll go over my current options and if you have an idea, please comment below. 


Option 1

A temporary fence build out of the current posts and re-purposed decking to create a horizontal wood fence. The lumber I would be using, lets just say it's not high quality.

The benefits would obviously be expense. The posts were free, lumber from the property. And the salvaged lumber I got for free on craigslist. So I would only have to potentially spend money on nails or screws. pretty simple and cheap.



Option 2

One suggestion a family member had was to use greenhouse plastic as a "fence" because it holds in warmth. Here in the Pafic Northwest that is vitally important as our summers average around 70 - 75 degree with rare heatwaves into the 90's. So it stays pretty cool here, even in summer. 


The downside is that plastic sheets are obviously not very durable and more difficult to attach. My approach would probably be to put horizontal beams from post to post on the head and foot with spaced rips in between. The posts are currently spaced about 8 feet apart from each other, so rib posts spaced at 12 inch intervals should work well.

This is where I find this option could become somewhat expensive.

20 posts X 2 beams per post = 40 (2x4x96 inch) @ about $2.50 per

Total = $120 for 2x4 beams alone

This doesn't even include the rib posts which would roughly double this figure!

Total Cost = $240

Lucky for me I already have greenhouse plastic material? Considering the price would probably increase to about $350 at least. Now that's getting a little out of hand, but then again, over the coarse of maybe 3-5 years this option would probably pay off.



Option 3

Go for the standard wire fence that slightly expensive to purchase but easy to install and very reliable at keeping pests out. This option would costs somewhere in the range of $50 - $170 depending on quality and height. I could go for a low fence since i'm only try to keep the pooches from digging up my hard work.


These are my current options that I've been think over again and again. What do you think would work best? Do you have a similar problem? 


Leave a response below with your questions or suggestions

Fighting Nature the Easy Way

Sometimes nature can be a pain. When nature makes life difficult, make it difficult back. I'm not talking about chemicals. When growing an organic garden, chemicals should never be used.

I would love to tell you that the seeds are planted. But that's not the case quite yet. The rain has moved in and put a damper on things. Until it stops raining, I can't really get anything done. So let's go over some of the dynamics of this organic garden and why grass is a pain in the ass.

The Garden

I'm not planning a large garden. The garden is oddly shaped so almost impossible to say how large it is but I would estimate about 1000 square feet. With this space I hope to find what will grow best. So this year is essentially a test season.

I decided to go with larger rows to enable more space in between for tilling purposes. Also, with a thicker base on the row, i'm going to try and stagger seeds in a zig-zag pattern over the top of the row to increase overall yield.

Building a Fence

We have the posts for the fence in the ground already. Spent a good couple hours packing dirt into the post hole to make sure it has a tight fit. Instead of using wire fencing, I have decided to use only logs from the property as my material, just making it up as I go.

This is something i am still figuring out, hopefully i'll have a post on this soon.

Battle with Nature

Grass in the region grows thick and vigorous. Breaking up the ground becomes almost impossible without putting in some hard work hours. I believe I've solved this problem using the method you see in the picture below.

By taking some very large cardboard boxes and laying them out of the ground, you cut off the light supply and choke the plants of oxygen and ventilation. The plants slowly become weaker and weaker before they eventually would die and simply break down into the soil. 

Using this method requires very little labor and is especially effective at weakening root systems. I left these cardboard boxes out for about 4 weeks before taking it off and tilling the ground. The difference was unbelievable.

Growing an organic can sure be fun but it is also a lot of work. As you can see nature is a real pain and you will always be fighting it. So fight nature with intelligent action and your project will become much easier. Hopefully the rain will let up and I can get back to work. 

Until then, enjoy these articles:

How healthy is an Avocado?
Hamburger & Sandwich Reinvented