How to rat-proof a garden bed?

[ennoh]

I have a raised garden bed for my veggies, but recently there has been an interloper that decimated the chard.    Last night I put 3 rat traps out and caught one well fed rat.   He could be a lone ranger - or he could have a close knit family and others will follow.    I want to protect my veggies and am considering building a cage around the existing bed that would be sealed at both ends but have access at each side.   If I did that - what's the best way to build it.    Maybe that's overkill and I should just persevere with the traps.  What do you think?

[bergs]

Hi @ennoh ,

I would suggest building a frame over your bed, but make sure you use solid mesh and small diameter.

Rats can get through anywhere their heads can fit through.

They can burrow as well.

You could make your frame so that it can be lifted off when not needed or with hinged sides for access. 

Also some rat bait laid where pets and birds can't get to it.

I have rat bait hidden all year round and can tell when they are active.

There is nothing worse than vermin getting to your produce before you can harvest.

Good luck,

Cheers @bergs

[JacobZ]

Hi @ennoh,

Thank you for your question on rat proofing a garden bed.

It's great to see you've already received some advice from @bergs. I was thinking along the same lines that you should install a mesh cage around the perimeter of the garden bed.

You could use some sturdy stakes such as these Growies 38 x 38 x 1200mm Hardwood Garden Stakes driven into the earth in the 4 corners and at the halfway point. You could then attach RapidMesh 900 x 1200mm 12.5 x 12.5mm Silver Wire Mesh Panels to the stakes around the perimeter using Jack Mesh Panel Fix Clips to fix the mesh in.

You could create some removable sections by drilling through the stakes and attaching the wire mesh with U Bolts and wing nuts. This would allow for easy removal and replacement, while still being sturdy enough to stand up to the weather and pests.

Let me know what you think and if there's anything else I can assist with.

Jacob

[cocoboy]

 

Hi

I have had major rodent and pest problems with my garden. After unsuccessful attempts at using cloth mesh which they just ate through I went with a more solid approach building garden cages using merbau battens and rodent proof mesh from Bunnings. I went overboard and lap jointed the wood, hinged doors and on one of them I used gas struts to easily open and close the door. See attached images for inspiration.

 

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @cocoboy,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you join us.

Your cages look like an extremely robust solution to protect your plants from rodents and pests. I imagine you wouldn't have any issues with rodents anymore.

The hinges and gas struts would also make them extremely functional and easy to use.

Thank you for sharing.

Jacob

[cocoboy]

Thanks Jacob

i have always found these discussions useful and thought it good that I could add some input. For the record all tools and materials except the struts were sourced from Bunnings. If anyone wants some advice on how I built them and avoid some mistakes I made then reach out, happy to assist.