I’m looking for some help. I’ve been asked to come up with several plans for our community garden’s "living fence". A fence has been constructed around the gardens, and now we’re planting various vines and brambles to grow up/around the fence. Grapes are already being put in along some sections, so that’s a non-issue. There’s a strong interest in raspberries and currants, and I’m looking into hardy kiwis.

I already have a good idea of what to do with raspberries (i.e. planting, and control of canes inside and outside the fence). What I’m looking for are:

1. Pro’s and Con’s of planting currants and kiwis, and how much space to give them, and

2. Other ideas of edible, perennial vines/short bushes that we could plant.

Things to keep in mind:
-there’s hundreds of feet of fence, so we have room for several things
-this is zone 5a Madison, Wisconsin.
-maintenance must be easy, not much more than an annual pruning and a shot of fertilizer once or twice a year.
-the fence is only around 5 feet tall, with "rabbit fencing" on the bottom 2 feet, and just a couple of wires between posts on the top few feet.

Your help is much appreciated!

-Matt

Mary Ellen