AS we say goodbye to our nice crisp dry autumn we welcome a rather wet winter if this week is anything to go by, the frequent heavy showers can make it difficult to do anything in the garden.

This is when we should be looking for those jobs around the garden that we have been putting off until plant and grass growth has stopped.

Now is the time to tackle the jobs such as repairing that fence, replacing fence panels or perhaps. There are several types of fences on the market that can be erected without too much in the way of skill.

There are several factors to consider before erecting a new fence. One of the main things to consider is the type of fence for the type of site you have in your garden, if you have a particularly wide open windy garden then perhaps a post and rail or ranch type fence would be more appropriate.

The only issues with post and rail or ranch type fencing is you do not have the privacy or security that full panel fences provide.

If you have pets or young children then security will be a factor and once again this is not afforded by the post and rail or ranch type fencing. Panel fencing can be decorative as well as functional in the garden in providing privacy if required but it is subject to wind damage if the garden site is open to windy conditions.

Panel fencing is pre fabricated and only requires you to fix the posts in site and fix the panels to the posts. There are many different types of fence available such as chestnut pale fencing or deer fencing that can often be spotted around agricultural land, cheap and easy to erect but these are not particularly attractive in the garden.

After you have chosen your type of fence suitable to your site then it is time to decide what height of fence is required for your garden. Is it perhaps just as a windbreak then a lower waist height fence might be sufficient but if it is for security and privacy then perhaps a 1.8m fence would be more suitable.

If you spend time measuring the length of the area you intend to fence and take in to account if your fence is going to be nailed to the posts or in the type of larchlap panel fencing these can be nailed or screwed between the posts.

When digging your posts in to the ground this will be one of the most important actions you will carry out in erecting your fence.

Whatever type of fence you have opted for you will require to drop your post in to the ground at least 400mm, this ensures the posts are secure before fixing your type of fence; always make sure to allow for this submerged length when ordering your posts.

Your post can be sunk in to the ground if your soil is firm enough to support and there is no movement. It is best though to concrete the posts in to the ground and allow one bag of postcrete per post. Once posts are firmly in place you can fix your fence type to the posts.