How to Gopher-Proof a Raised Vegetable Garden

Raised vegetable beds lined with hardware cloth on the bottom are the most reliable way to protect your vegetable garden from gopher damage. Gophers enter raised beds from below by tunneling up through the native soil — a properly lined bed stops this entry completely. This is a one-time installation that protects the bed for the life of the structure.

Materials You Need

The only material that works reliably is galvanized 1/2-inch hardware cloth — welded wire mesh with 1/2-inch openings and galvanized coating for corrosion resistance. Plan to use enough to cover the interior bottom of the bed plus 3-4 inches up each side. Hardware cloth is typically sold in rolls at hardware stores and home centers.

You will also need heavy-duty staples (3/8-inch or 1/2-inch) and a staple gun, or roofing nails and a hammer, to secure the mesh to the frame. Wire cutters or aviation snips to cut the mesh to size. Gloves — hardware cloth edges are sharp.

Installation on a New Bed

For a new raised bed being built from scratch, installation is straightforward. Before filling the bed with soil, lay the hardware cloth across the bottom of the assembled frame. Cut it to fit with 3-4 inches of overlap running up each interior side wall. Staple or nail the mesh to the frame bottom at regular intervals — approximately every 4 inches around the perimeter and across any seams. The side overlap is important: without it, a gopher pushing upward at the frame edge will find an unprotected gap between the mesh and the frame wall.

If your bed is large enough that a single piece of hardware cloth does not span the full width, overlap sections by at least 4 inches and staple both layers together at the overlap. A gap between mesh pieces is an entry point.

Retrofitting an Existing Bed

Retrofitting an existing bed requires removing the soil, which is labor-intensive but straightforward. Remove plants, set them aside in containers or on a tarp. Remove the soil to a temporary pile — a wheelbarrow works for smaller beds. Install hardware cloth on the now-empty frame bottom as described above. Replace the soil and replant. The disruption is a one-time investment that protects the bed permanently.

Depth Considerations

The hardware cloth bottom is most important for beds that sit directly on native soil. Beds elevated on legs or platforms with significant air gap underneath are less vulnerable because gophers cannot bridge the gap between native soil and the elevated bed bottom. For beds sitting directly on the ground or with minimal clearance, hardware cloth lining is essential.

Limitations

Hardware cloth lining prevents gopher entry from below. It does not remove gophers already active on your property — those animals will continue to tunnel in your yard and may damage other plantings. Lining your raised bed addresses one specific vulnerability; active professional treatment addresses the gopher population on your property as a whole.

Frequently Asked Questions

What size hardware cloth openings should I use?

1/2-inch openings. Larger openings allow juvenile gophers to squeeze through. Smaller openings (1/4-inch) also work but are more expensive and restrict drainage slightly.

Does the mesh need to go all the way to the bottom of the bed?

The mesh should line the bottom of the frame — it does not need to extend to the bottom of the soil depth. The gopher cannot access the bed interior once the frame bottom is sealed.

Will the hardware cloth rust and contaminate my vegetables?

Galvanized hardware cloth is safe for vegetable garden use and will not contaminate soil. Ungalvanized wire rusts rapidly — use galvanized only.

Call 909-599-4711 for professional gopher control throughout Southern California — safe for vegetable gardens, pets, and wildlife.