How to Put Chicken Wire Around Garden | Dig-Proof Install

Install chicken wire around a garden by setting posts 6–8 feet apart, unrolling the mesh taut, and burying the bottom edge 6–10 inches deep.

For the full breakdown, see our best Raised Garden Bed Chicken Wire guide.

Rabbits, groundhogs, and stray pets turn a thriving vegetable bed into an all-you-can-eat buffet overnight. Chicken wire stops most of them, but only when the installation is done right. The key steps for how to put chicken wire around a garden come down to four moves: mark the perimeter, set the posts, stretch the mesh, and bury the bottom edge. Skip the burying step and diggers will waltz right under the fence.

Plan the Perimeter and Measure the Run

Walk the garden’s boundary and decide where the gate or opening goes. Mark the corners with stakes, then run a layout line between them so the fence line stays straight. Measure the full run before buying or cutting wire —

That makes a small garden fence a $30 to $50 project. Standard rolls come in 24-inch and 36-inch heights; taller is better if deer are a concern, though chicken wire alone won’t stop them on its own.

Set Posts Before Unrolling the Wire

Post spacing drives how taut the finished fence stays. Set wooden or bamboo posts 6 to 8 feet apart for garden fencing; T-posts can go slightly farther. Dig holes 12 to 24 inches deep — below the frost line if you’re in a freeze zone — and set roughly one-third of the post’s length into the ground. Concrete anchors the corner posts best; use a spirit level to keep each one vertical before the mix sets.

Posts spaced too far apart are the most common mistake in chicken-wire installs. The mesh sags between supports, animals push under the loose lower edge, and the whole fence looks sloppy. Closer spacing costs a little more but pays off in stability, especially on corners and gate posts.

Unroll, Stretch, and Fasten the Mesh

Start at a corner post and unroll the chicken wire along the fence line, keeping the roll upright. Pull the mesh taut as you go — sagging wire defeats the purpose — then fasten it to the posts. Wooden posts take staples or poultry staples every 6 inches; metal T-posts and bamboo take zip ties or cable ties every 12 to 18 inches.

Work in sections rather than unrolling the entire roll first. Attach the top edge along one post, pull the wire tight, and fasten the bottom edge to the next post, then continue down the run. This keeps tension even and prevents the sagging that happens when you fasten one whole edge at a time. When the roll runs out, overlap the next section by at least 6 inches and fasten both layers to the same posts.

Don’t overstretch the mesh. Chicken wire is light-gauge and deforms under heavy tension, so pull it snug — not drum-tight. If the fence runs uphill or downhill, the straight-run method needs adapting: step the posts down the slope or run the wire in short horizontal sections that follow the grade.

Bury the Bottom Edge to Block Diggers

A fence that stops at ground level only stops animals that jump or climb. Rabbits and groundhogs dig underneath, so the bottom edge has to go underground. Dig a trench 6 to 10 inches deep along the fence line and set the wire’s bottom edge into it, then backfill and tamp the soil. The alternative that works well on rocky ground: fold the bottom 4 to 6 inches of mesh outward in an L-shape and pin it flat with landscape staples. Animals trying to dig meet wire immediately and give up.

Either depth works; the key is that no gap remains between the bottom of the wire and the soil. Gate areas and corners need extra attention since they’re where diggers test first.

Reinforce the Corners and Finish the Ends

Corners hold the whole fence together. Fasten both wire sections to the corner post with extra staples or ties — one on the top edge, one in the middle, one at the bottom — so the mesh can’t pull loose and open a gap. Trim excess wire after the full run is fastened. Fold cut ends over into a smooth loop so no sharp points stick out; chicken wire’s cut edges are genuinely vicious and will snag clothing and skin.

Wear heavy work gloves through every step of the installation. The wire’s mesh edges and cut ends are sharp enough to slice skin without much pressure.

Chicken wire is light-exclusion fencing, not a security barrier. It keeps rabbits, chickens, and small dogs out of a vegetable bed, but raccoons and determined deer will push through or over it. For those, you’d need welded wire or a taller combined fence. And for the beds themselves, many gardeners pair their perimeter fence with a wire-covered raised bed frame for full protection —

Work through the install in order — perimeter, posts, wire, buried edge, corners — and the fence goes up in an afternoon. The difference between a fence that works and one that doesn’t is rarely the wire itself; it’s whether the bottom edge meets the soil and whether the posts hold the mesh taut. Get those two things right and your garden stays yours.