raised garden versus gophers

[joe3180]

I was wondering if anyone had any tips or any comments on wither or not my idea will work.

What I want to do is use this 5x8' area of land I have and build a raised garden. The reason why I want to do this is because of the relentless gophers I have. There has been no way I can get rid of them for longer than a couple days. I figured if I laid out boards and attached them together, on top of chicken wire and build a 1 or 2 foot wall around. Then filled it in with soil, mulch, and what not. That I could have plants that would not get eaten within the week.

I was thinking I would have to put the chicken wire around the wall as well to keep the buggers from climbing in. I am new to gardening and have not dealt with problems like this before so any advice would be great. When I started this little garden I had 2 years of gopher free days and then they came and wont go away.

I was also thinking about drainage and leaving....1/2in or 1/4in gaps between the boards?

The main product I will be growing is thai chili so I think the foot or 2 depth should be enough room for the roots. Is there anything else I should think about?

Thank you for any help.

[jal_ut]

I think you will need 1/2 inch mesh to keep the lil critters out. No reason you can't put screen on the bottom, but no other barrier so the roots can go deep. Yes, the roots of garden plants do go deep.

Take a look at this.

You may be right about needing screen sides too. I am sure they can climb.

I have had problems with gophers too. I find that a little wind driven wind mill with the blade slightly out of balance mounted on a steel fence post, puts enough vibration into the soil to drive the gophers away.

[joe3180]

So do you think the wood bottom is a bad choice then and just put down mesh?

I tried everything besides bring in a gopher snake or poison to get rid of them. They just come back no matter how much I bother them. I don't think anyone else around me has anything but flowers in their gardens...if they even have them. But what the hell....ill put the windmill up again with the mesh...cant hurt

[jal_ut]

Did you look at the link about plant root development?

When I see how deep they like to go, I would hate to limit them to a few inches of soil. Yes, plants can be grown in pots even, but I have to imagine we really put limits on them when we don't provide the room they like.

[prettygurl]

You could also consider table or elevated garden.

Here are two links for examples:

https://www.addicted2decorating.com/how- ... arden.html

https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/ ... rdens.html

[estorms]

I am building raised beds this year. I am using 8 foot long landscaping timbers stacked three high. I will cut three in half for the ends giving me an 8X4 foot bed. I am going to put wire mesh across the bottom and up the sides. I am also putting in one inch PVC pipe at regular intervals along the long sides. Then if I need something over the top, I can put half inch PVC pipe in those holes as a framework. One bed will be for my strawberries. That one will be four tiers high. The extra head room should accomodate my strawberries even with a screen over them. No critter is getting my berries this year. I have to get screen that is big enough for bees and too small for rodents. If anyone has suggestions, please be free with them. There are a lot of things I don't know that seem to be common knowledge, like the cold frame that didn't come out right because two by fours aren't two by four inches.

[Bushman]

traps. bullets. Poison!