Rabbit-Proofing a Vegetable Garden with a 24-Inch Hardware Cloth Wall and 12-Inch L-Footer

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Fence the garden with 36-inch-wide, 1/2-inch 19-gauge welded hardware cloth bent into a 24-inch wall and a 12-inch footer turned outward and pinned flat on the soil. Hang it on the outside of steel T-posts every 6 to 8 feet, tie it at 3 heights, and set a threshold board under the gate so no gap exceeds 1/2 inch. Where jackrabbits are the problem or snow drifts against the fence, use a 48-inch roll for a 36-inch wall.

Confirm It Is Rabbits

Rabbit damage is close to the ground: seedlings, lettuce, beans, and pea shoots clipped clean at a 45-degree angle, with round pea-sized droppings nearby. Plants pulled down into holes in the soil are gophers or voles, and those need a mesh floor under the bed, not a fence.

Why 1/2-Inch Hardware Cloth Instead of Chicken Wire

MU Extension's cottontail damage guide specifies an 18- to 24-inch fence of 1-inch wire mesh, with the bottom edge staked down or buried to stop burrowing. 1-inch is the largest opening that keeps young cottontails out, and 1/2-inch hardware cloth clears it with margin.

UC IPM's rabbit pest note states that cottontails and brush rabbits will not jump a 2-foot fence, that bending the fence bottom outward deters digging, and that gates need tight fits with sills. It also notes jackrabbits may clear 2 feet when chased, so it recommends 3 feet above grade for them.

Material Opening and wire Young cottontails Sag between posts Verdict
2 × 4 welded field fence 2 × 4 inch Walk through Low Fails on its own
Chicken wire (poultry netting) 1-inch hex, thin wire Stopped when intact Sags; rusts and tears Works short term
Plastic garden fence Varies Chewed through High Skip
1/2-inch hardware cloth 1/2 inch, 19 gauge Stopped Stays rigid Default

Spec: Mesh, Height, Footer, Posts, Ties

Spec Target Why
Mesh 1/2-inch welded hardware cloth, 19 gauge, galvanized Young rabbits cannot fit through; stiff enough not to sag
Wall height 24 inches above grade; 36 inches for jackrabbits or drifting snow Cottontails do not jump a 2-foot fence
Footer 12 inches, bent outward at 90° and pinned flat Rabbits dig at the base and hit mesh instead of an edge
One-roll layout 36-inch roll = 24-inch wall + 12-inch footer No separate footer strip and no seam at the base
Posts Steel T-posts, about 4 feet long, every 6 to 8 feet, driven about 18 inches Holds the mesh tight
Mid-span stakes One short stake between posts on runs over 6 feet Stops the bottom from bowing out
Ties T-post clips or wire ties at 3 heights on every post Keeps the wall tight and level
Footer pins Landscape staples every 12 inches No edge to lift
Laps 6-inch overlap at seams, tied every 6 inches No gap at the seam
Gate gap Nothing wider than 1/2 inch under or beside the gate Young rabbits find every gap

Why the footer lies flat instead of going straight down

A rabbit digs right at the base of the fence. Mesh buried straight down only moves the bottom edge lower, and the rabbit digs along it until it comes up underneath.

With the footer bent outward and flat, the rabbit hits mesh the moment it starts digging, no matter how deep it goes. Grass grows through the footer within a few weeks and locks it down.

Materials and Tools

One 100-foot roll makes both the wall and the footer for a typical backyard vegetable garden.

  • VEVOR 1/2-inch hardware cloth, 36 in × 100 ft, 19-gauge hot-dipped galvanized, the roll this one-piece wall-and-footer layout is sized for
  • Steel T-posts, about 4 feet long: one per corner, one every 6 to 8 feet, two at the gate
  • T-post clips or galvanized wire ties, 3 per post
  • 6-inch landscape staples, about one per foot of perimeter plus extras for corners and seams
  • Short stakes for mid-span support
  • A straight 2×4 for bending the footer and a rot-resistant board for the gate threshold
  • T-post driver, aviation snips, linesman pliers, string line, gloves

The 36-inch width is what makes the one-piece layout work: 24 inches of wall and 12 inches of footer with no seam at the soil line. The 19-gauge hot-dipped galvanized wire stays upright between posts where poultry netting sags.

Install Sequence (New Fence)

  1. Check that no rabbit is inside. Walk the garden and look under plants, in tall weeds, and around compost piles for a shallow fur-lined nest. If you find young, wait until they leave, because a rabbit fenced in may not be able to get out.
  2. Mark and clear the line. Set the fence line about 12 inches outside the beds. Clear an 18-inch strip along the outside of the line so the footer lies flat on bare soil, and rake out rocks and fill low spots.
  3. Set the posts. Drive T-posts at every corner and every 6 to 8 feet, about 18 inches deep, studs facing out, leaving a gap for the gate. Clip and tie spacing for this step is covered in attaching hardware cloth to metal T-posts.
  4. Bend the footer. Unroll the mesh on a flat surface, lay a straight 2×4 along it 12 inches in from one edge, stand on the board, and lift the strip to a 90° bend. Work a few feet at a time so the bend stays straight.
  5. Hang the mesh outside the posts. Stand the wall against the outside face of the posts with the footer pointing away from the garden. Start at a corner or gate post, pull the mesh tight, and tie it at the top, middle, and bottom of every post.
  6. Turn the corners. Cut the footer up to the bend, wrap the wall around the corner post, and overlap the cut footer pieces 6 inches. Tie the overlap every 6 inches.
  7. Pin the footer. Drive landscape staples every 12 inches, plus one at every corner and seam. Cover with a little soil or mulch, or let grass grow through.
  8. Add mid-span stakes. On runs longer than 6 feet, drive a short stake halfway between posts and tie the bottom of the wall to it.
  9. Build the gate or skip it. A 24-inch fence is low enough to step over, so many gardens skip the gate. If you build one, frame it with the same mesh, set a threshold board in the ground so the bottom gap never exceeds 1/2 inch, and pin a mesh footer flat in front of it.

Install Sequence (Retrofitting an Existing Fence)

  1. Cut a strip of the 36-inch mesh to the length of the fence.
  2. Bend a 12-inch footer outward, as in the new-fence sequence.
  3. Set the strip against the bottom of the fence on the outside, footer flat on the ground and facing out.
  4. Tie it to the existing fence every 6 inches along the top edge and at every post.
  5. Pin the footer every 12 inches.
  6. Close the gate gap with a threshold board, same as a new fence.

How Much Mesh for a Rabbit Fence

Garden size Perimeter Mesh needed (36-inch roll)
8 × 8 ft bed 32 ft ~35 ft with corners and laps
10 × 20 ft garden 60 ft ~65 ft
20 × 20 ft garden 80 ft ~85 ft
20 × 30 ft garden 100 ft ~110 ft (one roll plus a short piece)

A 36-inch × 100-foot roll fences a garden up to about 20 × 25 feet in one piece, wall and footer included. Bigger gardens need a second roll and one tied seam.

Common Rabbit Fence Mistakes

  • Using 2 × 4 welded wire that young rabbits walk through
  • Stopping the fence at the soil line with no footer
  • Burying the mesh straight down instead of bending a flat footer outward
  • Bending the footer inward, into the garden
  • Letting the bottom edge sag or rise between posts
  • Leaving a gap under the gate
  • Closing the fence with a rabbit or a nest still inside
  • Skipping pins at corners and seams

FAQ

Will this keep out groundhogs or deer?

No. Groundhogs climb and dig deeper, and deer jump far higher. This spec is for rabbits only.

Will it keep squirrels and chipmunks out?

No, they climb right over. For bulb beds, pin a hardware cloth screen flat on the soil over the planting instead.

Can rabbits chew through hardware cloth?

Not 19-gauge welded mesh. They will chew plastic fencing and netting, which is why plastic is on the skip list.

Quick Rabbit Fence Checklist

  • Garden checked for rabbits and nests before closing
  • 1/2-inch 19-gauge welded mesh, no 2 × 4 wire, no plastic
  • 24 inches above grade; 36 inches for jackrabbits or drifting snow
  • 12-inch footer bent outward and pinned every 12 inches
  • T-posts every 6 to 8 feet, mesh tied at 3 heights
  • Mid-span stakes on runs over 6 feet
  • Corners and seams lapped 6 inches and tied every 6 inches
  • Gate threshold with no gap over 1/2 inch
  • Existing fences fitted with a 36-inch strip and footer at the bottom

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