Hello!!
I wanted to build something on my own to keep deer out of my garden.
I want to avoid having to dig posts into the ground and cementing them in.
My idea is the following (please let me know if this is possible/feedback/tips):
My idea is to essentially build something like the attached photo. To build an established base out of wood and building it up like it’s shown in the photo.
Once that’s done I would then attach the posts to the inner corners of the box output having to put them into the ground.
I want to get into building things and homestead but I will admit I’m weak and not very strong so digging and cementing just isn’t possible for me.
It wouldn’t need to be a big enclosure at all. Pricing isn’t an issue either.
Just more so curious if this could be stable/possible?
by needleloome
15 Comments
Yeah it would be stable. Especially if it’s attached to the beds filled with soil 👍
I would be wary about growing anything up the trellises on the outside, just as you then turn them into sails in the wind if they’re not attached into the ground.
But just as a fence to keep out critters they would be absolutely fine go for it 😊👍 (as long as they’re securely attached to the planters)
If you’re building it to be one large piece like what is pictured then it would be fine/stable, but you’ll need to put a pond liner between the soil and the wood to keep it from rotting away quickly (nutrient rich soil and fertilizers are hell on exposed wood).
Should be totally possible. From what I can see, none of the examples you have pictured have posts fastened into the ground. Make sure the bottoms of all posts and bottom boards are treated for ground contact. The first one looks the most solidly built though maybe not as “Pretty”.
If you are able to look at the stakes used to set Mail boxes. They take a 4 x 4 post, and you just pound them into the ground. There are different size lengths for how long of a 4 x 4 you can attach. I know these are sold at a big box hardware store, but here is an example off of Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/MTB-Anchor-Ground-Powder-Coated/dp/B01MZITKC0/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=2ESA15MVAPFVN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.1Pq4neBCDlvH11z2g7y0OlJ40kou1O4IT9ZV0s4jHC1JwxG7zuLD2McNrVVsRR7lnK6p-QuGMLYr3ooLLboxHcrSqlp9Tv0cVWn7md2YUiSEuPIh09ocKwd8-zOod6Dl40d21LSc1kwg4TNdYdOiI8mX42q7P5G-NV51-3MrqeeumCRe5tnDqJr2I5KW0KGUNkauYQT6fMgsc5-tReSJmQ.xqjAdJIBjhr47bt_I_Pj8vQb3wzpu5IVc3AF-2Cgu1s&dib_tag=se&keywords=mailbox%2Bpost%2Bspike&qid=1710344672&sprefix=mail%2Bbox%2Bpost%2B%2Caps%2C113&sr=8-3&th=1&psc=1
These may help stabilize the corner posts.
I don’t think posts in the ground would be necessary. This simply looks like a raised bed with some walls. Raised beds tend to stay in place i.e. not blow away or fall over because the soil anchors it in place. The soil amount as pictured would weigh thousands and thousands of pounds, wet or dry. Assuming everything is framed correctly (important), I think it’ll be fine. I live in tornado alley and our raised beds — short and tall — are fine just sitting on top of the ground.
I will say that if you’re spending money on all this lumber, you might consider making the ground contact boards be pressure treated, or a rot resistant wood like cedar. I wouldn’t want to build a structure like this and then have foundational boards rotting out in ~5 years
I hired someone to build something similar; what they did to make it sturdy:
* lag bolts thru the posts into the end grain of the 2″x12″s
* blind dado in the post for each 2″x12″
That looks gorgeous! Make sure to update us with your results when you build one.
I’d say no need to bury the posts but I’d use a redwood 2×4 bottom plate to keep sides from spreading. If you’re using 2×12 or other 2x, as suggest by others, shouldn’t be needed.
Ya just make the posts the corners and make sure to gusset the top so that it won’t break as it settles
I’d question the lack of strength to dig a hole but the strength to build and fill one of these.
It’s definitely possible, but take into account that increased height is like a longer lever to torque on. Same with length as the dirt will push on that. You’ll probably want help to build it in place so it’s squared up.
My simple design is similar to the first with the 4×4 posts on the inside as the main building points. I do brace across in the middle of the bed. Instead of lag bolts, I used GRK stainless structural screws. They’re fantastic to build with. I haven’t had them long enough to recommend, but with what they’re used for, I don’t expect issues.
Oh absolutely, I have to “cage” all my raised beds to keep the deer out and I never set posts. When you set a post in the ground you’re using the mass of the earth around the post to provide stability. When force is applied to the post it doesn’t move because in order to move it you would need to apply enough force to overcome the mass of both the post itself and the material it’s set in (or enough force to disconnect it from the material it’s set in). With a raised bed your posts are anchored by the mass of the soil in the bed (as well as your other framing materials).
The fact that your posts won’t be anchored on all sides (as a post in the ground would be) means that it’s easier for your post to become disconnected from its anchoring mass. This is why you wouldn’t use this type of framework for an actual building, but as long as you have a good deep soil level (as pictured in your examples) and the connections between the posts and the rest of the frame are sturdy it will work perfectly well for keeping out critters and trellising plants.
If you want your bed to last a long time keep in mind that untreated wood exposed directly to wet soil is going to rot and lose structural integrity in a few years. How long exactly depends on the thickness of the wood you use, my first two raised beds were built at the same time and both fell apart at the end of their second season. Putting a pond liner between the wood and soil will give you more time. Another option is to buy or build a metal raised bed and build your wooden frame around it.
https://preview.redd.it/cuheu7p1o4oc1.png?width=2657&format=png&auto=webp&s=446b6dec99e3ed6a596ca7580ea3fca17cd7c4ef
This is my enclosed raised bed. We don’t have posts in the ground, just attached to the beds. We live in the mountains with 50+ mph winds and it hasn’t budged. I say go for it!
Yes, I made a 6x6x6 cage for my tomatoes last year with my husband. As long as you have the tools to make it (saw, drill, staple gun, etc.), it’s very doable on a small scale and sturdy. I would advise that it protects from above only, unless you put it on a concrete or wooden or metal pad first. Our problem is with squirrels, so we used metal hardware cloth instead of chicken wire, and put the entire thing on concrete so there’s no chance of digging from below. If you’re only concerned about deer, you can definitely get away with using chicken wire, which is much cheaper.
Start to finish, I think it took us 3 weekends, and it was just the two of us. It cost maybe $300 in lumber and $150 in hardware cloth (but that was mostly recycled from an earlier attempt to cage the tomatoes).
I’m using stucco wire rounds secured in the ground with tent pegs to hold up stucco wire fences. They’re 2-3 feet in diameter and hold their shape. Filled with soil, they’re sturdy. They hold up the fence to keep the chickens out of an ornamental bed.
Raised beds bow over time without strong supports. Do it once right.