Hardware cloth - it works. The only thing that gets through it is moths and snails. The mesh has opening sizes ranging from 1/4" and up, more than enough sunlight and rain gets through. The galvanized sort lasts for decades. And it's cheap. Most hardware stores have rolls and they can cut it to length. It bends well (you can use a door to make a sharp crease) and you can cut the wires with a pair of wire cutters.
Once you have a tent over the bed, and have cut out some squares to cover the ends, bend the wire ends over to secure the pieces to each other, and keep them from scratching kidlets. I'd also hang something like little bells on the tent to sound the alarm when something tries to breach the defenses.
One thing, never ever take a torch to anything galvanized. The zinc fumes are not good to breathe.
I'd been contemplating that - the hardware cloth, specifically, but my beds are 4 feet x 4 feet, and having just one opening, I wouldn't be able to reach across. I'd have to have it able to open on all sides, and given how tall my tomatoes can get, it'd have to go up kind of high too. Ugh. I guess if I planted posts in the ground at the corners and staple-gunned down one edge on each side and then just hooked/latched somehow on the other edge, that would work ... but then I have to deal with the posts, and ... ugh.
I was trying to figure out something better, but hadn't come up with anything yet. :/
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Some Nutria tried to Nom on our garden last year, but was scared off when our cat walked out there, probably also to nom on the garden.
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Once you have a tent over the bed, and have cut out some squares to cover the ends, bend the wire ends over to secure the pieces to each other, and keep them from scratching kidlets. I'd also hang something like little bells on the tent to sound the alarm when something tries to breach the defenses.
One thing, never ever take a torch to anything galvanized. The zinc fumes are not good to breathe.
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I was trying to figure out something better, but hadn't come up with anything yet. :/
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