Protected Garden Enclosure 2.0

Last year, I built a Protected Garden enclosure. For details, see:

Protected Garden Enclosure : 8 Steps (with Pictures) - Instructables

Living in a wooded area, it’s been impossible to have a garden without the local wildlife eating the flowers and crops. I needed something to keep the birds and animals out while letting sun, air and water in. The Protected Garden Enclosure worked perfectly. It worked so well, I decided to expand on it and make some improvements.

This is an approximate list of supplies I used from Lowes:

Pressure Treated Lumber

(2) 4”x4”x8’

(6) 2”x4”x8’

(1) 2”x4”x12’

(2) 2”x8”x8’

(1) 2”x8”x12’

(14) 2”x2”x8’

Tenax Net Folded 100-ft x 7-ft Black Polypropylene No Dig Containment Extruded Mesh Rolled Fencing

Item #53046Model #400066

GARDEN CRAFT 50-ft x 2-ft Gray Steel Chicken Wire Garden Poultry Netting Rolled Fencing Item #492400Model #182450S

Power Pro One #10 x 3-1/2-in Bronze Epoxy Flat Exterior Multi-Material Screws (1-lb)

Staples (1250-Count) Item #91431Model #50824SP

Simpson Strong-Tie 2-in x 1.38-in x 2.05-in 18-Gauge Steel Angle Item #96871Model #A21Z

QUIKRETE QUIKRETE 80-lb High Strength Concrete Mix

From Amazon:

Sunnyside Pure Raw Linseed Oil

Amazon.com: Sunnyside Corporation 873G1 Pure Raw Linseed Oil, Gallon : Health & Household

I decided to expand the garden by about 50%, extending it 8 feet forward. I dug out existing rocks and lawn and graded the soil to match the adjacent area. I set the base planks in place.

Using a level, and a carpenter’s square,

I got each plank to stand level and perpendicular to the adjacent planks and existing structure. It was necessary to dig away at the high spots and fill in low spots with stones and dirt to get everything level.

Once I had all the boards level and square, I screwed them together to form the rectangular base.

Following the same architecture as the existing structure, I added (2) 4x4 posts for the front corners, and 2x4's for the rest of the vertical members. For stability, I buried the corner posts about 12 inches deep and set them in poured concrete. Since I was adding on to the existing structure, I added anchor points cut from scrap 2x4s to facilitate mounting the tops. I mounted the 8 foot 2x4s across the tops to form the side walls, then attached vertical 2x4s spaced evenly in between the corner posts. With the two side walls in place, I connected the walls with a 2x4 across the top to form the new front wall, adding two more vertical members spaced evenly apart.

In my original structure, I used 1”x2” strips to construct the roof. While these were strong enough, I found that 1”x2” pressure treated lumber has a strong tendency to warp, which some did. To improve on this, I used 2”x2” strips for the new section. Also, to make the structure more rigid I switched from metal corner braces to corner braces cut from scrap 2”x4”s. I rip cut the top and bottom pieces at a 20 degree angle to match the pitch of the roof. I made a simple jig out of scrap 2x4's to facilitate assembling the sections.

With the A frame assembled, I stapled the fencing in place and lifted the assemblies on top of the enclosure, attaching them to the top with wood screws.

As with the existing structure, I covered the entire enclosure with Deer fencing. I recommend Deer Fencing over Deer "Netting". Netting is cheaper, but Fencing is a heavier gauge. The openings are 0.75" which allows most bees and pollinators to get in and out easily. I cut a few strategic holes slightly larger to allow bigger pollinators to get in. I reinforced the bottom two feet with 2 inch chicken wire to add extra protection against rodents with sharp teeth. With the new section complete, I cut the center section of the original front wall to allow access. I left the rest of the fencing in place to allow a place for my cucumbers to climb.

To protect the wood, I used Sunnyside Pure Raw Linseed oil as it is garden safe. (Don’t use boiled Linseed oil.) There are other alternative coatings just make sure the one you choose is safe to use around gardens.

We had a whole lot of fun expanding the enclosure. The extra space made all the difference in the world. We’re having a great yield of crops this season.

Feel free to build on this and make improvements on the design.