I like orange, red and yellow peppers and wonder whether green peppers are considered to be ripe. Is chicken wire or hardware cloth preferred? For vulnerable vegetables like peas and beans, I’ve used lengths of 60-cm high chicken wire that I had on hand. For a flower bed in the front lawn I chose the heavier, more rigid hardware cloth because the circular flower bed is a large one. The hardware cloth and chicken wire fit snug against the ground, but I took another chance and did not bury its base.