Protect Your Carrots With A Vinyl Fence -- Not A Chain Link, Iron Or Wood One

9 December 2015
 Categories: , Articles


As the growing season draws to a close, now is the time to think about how you will improve your garden next spring. If you don't make improvements to your garden over the winter, you won't have time to come spring. If you don't already have a fence around your garden to protect your carrots and other plants from rabbits, you should consider installing a vinyl fence -- not a chain link, iron or wood one -- this winter. Here's why a vinyl fence is better suited for protecting a garden than other types of fences.

Prettier Than Chain Link Fences

A chain link fence is perfectly functional and will effectively protect your garden from rabbits, but it's not very pretty to look at. A chain link fence is fine for a ball field, but it's not nice enough for a garden. After all, you don't want the fence detracting from the beauty of your flowers.

A vinyl fence will be just as effective at keeping rabbits out of your garden as a chain link fence, and it won't be an eyesore. It'll create a good-looking border around your garden that also serves a practical purpose.

Won't Rust Like Iron Fences

An iron fence is another attractive option -- at least when it's installed. Eventually, though, iron fencing will rust and lose its initial appeal. An unprotected iron fence will quickly corrode in the rain. As Fred Sense explains, the iron (Fe) and water (H2O) react to make iron III hydroxide (Fe(OH)3). When iron III hydroxide dries, it forms iron III oxide (Fe2O3), or rust.

Cold galvanization prevents iron fences from rusting by coating them with a layer of zinc that acts as a protective barrier between the iron and water. The zinc layer is painted on, usually as a spray paint.

Cold galvanization doesn't provide complete protection against rust, though. It's difficult to apply the zinc-laden paint at joints, and it's virtually impossible to spray inside hollow iron pieces. Water can get at the iron in these places. Thus, iron fences are still susceptible to rust at the edges and from the inside-out, even if they're cold galvanized.

Vinyl fences, in contrast to iron ones, don't need to be cold galvanized. Even after many years, they won't rust, because they don't have any iron in them.

Don't Require Painting or Staining Like Wood Fences

Wood fences, of course, also don't have any iron in them, and they look nice. Wood fences, however, require staining and painting. Staining or painting a fence is an easy job that you can do yourself, but there's a slight risk that some stain or paint may be spilled in your garden. If any drips off your brush, or if the can of stain or paint spills, it could spill onto plants or contaminate your soil.

If you're only growing flowers, you might not mind whether stain or paint spills onto the dirt you plant in. If you're growing vegetables to eat, though, you might not want to risk spilling stain or paint on the soil. Vinyl fences never need to be stained or painted, so this isn't a concern if you opt for a vinyl fence instead of a wood one.

If you don't have a fence around your garden, keep rabbits out of it next spring by installing a vinyl fence around it this winter. A vinyl fence will look nice, not rust and not require painting. You can even install one yourself. Once you have a vinyl fence installed, you'll be able to enjoy many years of rabbit-free gardening without taking any other measures.


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