Deer

[Bayard]

Got my big new vege garden in, and everything is starting to come up. Unfortunately, it seems to be a major deer thoroughfare. They jump the board fence, run thru, and jump the fence on the other sides leaving. I can't imagine what they'll do once everything is really growing, and lines are up for running peas and beans on.

What has worked for you? I can't leave the dog out all night.

[marble falls]

1. 30-06.

[Bayard]

2. Ummm.....let me think about that a minute.

No.

[NutmegYankee]

4. ...

[marble falls]

6. Thanks, cause it was a joke.

[NutmegYankee]

7. I figured. I got a good chuckle from it.

Unfortunately the sense of humor varies from person to person.

[marble falls]

8. Ain't it the truth. This nasty primary has certainly sucked a lot of humor out of DU.

[hermetic]

3. Chicken wire?

Either around the edges to make it higher or across the top? Make some scarecrow kind of things? I believe you can buy bear whiz spray.

Good luck.

[NutmegYankee]

5. Tall chicken or square wire fence around the garden.

Add some coyote pee around the fence as well.

[MissB]

9. I use deer netting

My yard is a pass through for the small local deer population. They usually graze on a few specific plants but of course I fence the veggie garden with hard wire and wood posts. It isn't terribly high either but they don't jump in. It's chock full of raised beds so maybe it's tough for them to figure out how to maneuver. Or they are lazy.

However, I developed another spot in my yard that is perfect for growing sun loving plants like tomatoes and peppers. It's hard for us to fence this particular section so last year I purchased the 7' tall deer fence material - from Amazon in a 100 foot roll for less than $20. I use either bamboo poles or metal fence posts (the kind you pound in.) and only fence the beds rather than the whole area.

The nice thing about the deer netting is the deer really can't see it so it seems to discourage them from those areas. For example, they used to walk through this area and clip down the occasional columbine plant. Now that I've encircled the blueberry patch in the deer netting, the columbine plants closest to the blueberries are being left alone. Unprotected roses are snipped to three feet high but where I've put a small stand of deer netting nearby they leave the roses alone.

For things like my asparagus beds- which in theory they will leave alone but in reality they will trample thru - I put in bamboo poles about three feet high above the bed and spaced about every six inches. It keeps them from crossing the bed. I have a lot of thin bamboo in my yard so it's just what I've used. I've used branches from the woods to block the inner part of an A-frame trellis, growing pole beans up the center of the trellis and lemon cucumbers up each side. The branches are along the cucumber side of the trellis to keep the deer from reaching between the trellis to get to the beans. Once the cucumbers and beans were done, I yanked out the cuc vines and branches. The next day the old bean plants were stripped.

For me, it's about figuring out how to deter them from parts of the yard but not all of it.

[Bayard]

10. Thanks for the suggestions

We have five foot board fence lined with wire on the front side, and 5'-6' wire mesh on sides. Right now they're just stepping on stuff, but I'm sure nibbling with start soon now that everything is up.

We are planning on running wire mesh along the bean and pea rows for them to run up, maybe the squash and tomatoes. I'm thinking they will see that and realize they can't get a bounce in between the hurdles. They will have to go to the ends to go around them. Of course, if they do manage to navigate all that, I'm sure they'll wipe out the corn and such before jumping the boundary fence out.