Advice for a DIY fruit cage?

Be prepared for the netting to be eaten by rats/squirrels to gain access at  at ground level, which isn't much of a problem until the birds find the hole. We had to resort to reinforcing both cages around the bottom 12" with chicken wire.

I'm thinking chicken wire rather than netting for this reason. Did you have to sink the chicken wire in the ground or just around the surface (if that makes sense!)?