Garden Enclosure

Difficulty

Intermediate

Easy DIY Garden enclosure plans by ANA-WHITE.com - minimal cutting and easy assembly!

Photo by Furniture Dreamer with increased raised bed height.

Build your own garden enclosure and keep your plants safe and contained!

Garden Enclosure Features

Minimal board cutting and less waste
Beginner friendly - you'll only need a drill and a saw to complete
Finish in a weekend
Built in raised beds for planting
Keeps animals and pests out of the garden
Keeps garden area enclosed

What type of wood to use?

The ideal wood choice is cedar. If you don't have cedar or cedar is too expensive, you can use regular framing lumber. We recommend douglas fir if possible, treated with a non toxic exterior stain or oil (ask at your local hardware store stain for raised beds).

Dimensions

Dimensions shown above

Preparation

Shopping List

4 – 4x4 @ 72”
3 – 2x4 @ 144” (cut the 72” long 2x4s from these)
13 – 2x4 @ 96” long
14 – 2x6 @ 96” long
1 – 1x2 @ 6 feet long (Recommend exterior grade lumber)
About 200 - 3” self tapping exterior decking screws (I like these ones)
32 feet of 48” width chicken wire or mesh
Staples for attaching chicken wire

Cut List

FRAME

4 – 4x4 @ 72”
6 – 2x4 @ 72”
7 – 2x4 @ 96”
7 – 2x6 @ 96”
2 – 2x6 @ 30-1/2”
2 – 2x4 @ 30-1/2”
8 – 2x4 @ 31” – Long point to long point measurement, both ends cut at 45 degrees off square, NOT parallel

RAISED BED

4 – 2x6 @ 96”
4 – 2x6 @ 38”

DOOR - suggest cutting door to fit the final opening

2 – 2x4 @ 46”
2 – 1x2 @ 33-1/2”
1 – 2x4 @ 53”
1 – 2x4 @ 33-1/2”
1 – 2x6 @ 33-1/2”

Tools

Instructions

Step 1

On a flat, level surface, lay the 4x4 posts out and attach the 2x4 and 2x6 to the top and bottom with 3” wood screws and exterior glue. Attach to the center a 2x4 @ 72” long on edge. Adjust for square by taking diagonal measurements and making sure the two measurements match. Build two side walls.

Step 2

Use 3” wood screws and exterior wood glue to attach 2x4s to top and 2x6 to bottom to create the front and back wall framing. Adjust for square by taking diagonal measurements. At this point the enclosure should be placed in final position.

Step 3

Attach remaining 2x4 @ 72” long on edge to front and back walls, 24” fron the 4x4 corner posts. Use the 3” exterior screws and exterior wood glue.

Step 4

Wrap the bottom exposed 4 feet of the enclosure in chicken wire or mesh, securing with staples. Leave opening for door between 2x4 @ 72”long.

Step 5

Add additional rows of wood to cover the ends of the chicken wire with screws.

Step 6

Ensure the enclosure is square. Then attach cross supports to insides of project with 2-1/2” exterior wood screws and exterior glue.

Step 7

Attach 2x6 boards to inside to create raised beds. 2x12 boards can also be used. Use 2-1/2” exterior screws.

Step 8

Attach 1x2s to top and bottom of 2x4 boards to create door frame. Use 2-1/2” exterior wood screws. Check and adjust door frame for square.

Step 9

Lay cross support board over door frame. Mark with a pencil. Cut off ends with a circular saw or jigsaw.

Step 10

Staple mesh or chicken wire to the door frame.

Step 11

Attach 2x4 and 2x6 door trim to the door frame with 2-1/2” screws. Also attach cross support.

Step 12

Attach door to enclosure with gate hinges.

Finishing Instructions

Preparation Instructions

Fill all holes with wood filler and let dry. Apply additional coats of wood filler as needed. When wood filler is completely dry, sand the project in the direction of the wood grain with 120 grit sandpaper. Vacuum sanded project to remove sanding residue. Remove all sanding residue on work surfaces as well. Wipe project clean with damp cloth.

It is always recommended to apply a test coat on a hidden area or scrap piece to ensure color evenness and adhesion. Use primer or wood conditioner as needed.

Help Improve This Plan

We apologize if there was an error in this plan. Please help us out and report any errors here.

Project Type

Outdoor Projects

Room

Outdoor

Style

Green or Eco-Friendly Style Furniture

Comments

dblalack

Sat, 06/13/2015 - 10:14

for lisa

balloongal247

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 09:57

Bears

Would this garden enclosure be sufficient to deter bears? My area apparently has some kind of bear problem, but I'd still like to be able to have a vegetable garden.

balloongal247

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 09:58

Bears

Would this garden enclosure be sufficient to deter bears? My area apparently has some kind of bear problem, but I'd still like to be able to have a vegetable garden.

Yukon-Joel

Fri, 04/08/2016 - 17:16