Time to Fence the Veggie Garden

[Qapla]

My problem is with those large grasshoppers that come in and wipe out all the green things in a single morning or afternoon - and I haven't found a fence that will keep them out

 

[Ford850]

How are you guys fencing the garden, and still getting in to till/plow/cultivate? I lost all the strawberries the past 2 years. Finally solved that by adding hoops bent from 1/2" thinwall conduit and some plastic mesh over the raised beds. We had fantastic berries for the first time in years this year. The rest of that garden is not fenced. I usually add chicken wire tunnels over rows of beans, cukes, etc, until the plants are growing fast. Then the covers are removed. It's a pain in the rear to do that though. I planted 34 sweet potato plants a couple weeks ago. I've saved seed potatoes from this variety for decades, starting my own slips which takes 2 - 3 months. They were just starting to grow, and rabbits ate every one off, clean to the ground. I had hopes they would still grow, but 2 days later the rabbits dug up every root ball and left them to die in the sun. I had visions of the Caddy Shack movie when I found that.
I have electric fence around my larger garden to protect the corn, squash, and pumpkins. It works great for coons, chucks, and deer, but rabbits hop over and under it like it's not there.

 

[Stimw]

How are you guys fencing the garden, and still getting in to till/plow/cultivate? I lost all the strawberries the past 2 years. Finally solved that by adding hoops bent from 1/2" thinwall conduit and some plastic mesh over the raised beds. We had fantastic berries for the first time in years this year. The rest of that garden is not fenced. I usually add chicken wire tunnels over rows of beans, cukes, etc, until the plants are growing fast. Then the covers are removed. It's a pain in the rear to do that though. I planted 34 sweet potato plants a couple weeks ago. I've saved seed potatoes from this variety for decades, starting my own slips which takes 2 - 3 months. They were just starting to grow, and rabbits ate every one off, clean to the ground. I had hopes they would still grow, but 2 days later the rabbits dug up every root ball and left them to die in the sun. I had visions of the Caddy Shack movie when I found that.
I have electric fence around my larger garden to protect the corn, squash, and pumpkins. It works great for coons, chucks, and deer, but rabbits hop over and under it like it's not there.

I had some old chainlink gates that I use for an entrance. It makes it harder to get in with my tractor and tiller but it saves my crops.
I also put chicken wire around the bottom of my field fence to try to keep the bunnies out.

 

[Gunny]

I use electric fence around my garden, but I installed it so that I can unhook both strands at each end. That allows me to till all the way through, turn outside the end of the garden, then till all the way through back the other way.
My garden is 60' wide, one corner of each end is attached to a fiberglass garden fence post, with enough wire hanging off the end to wrap around and complete the circuit. I just unhook a corner, swing my 60' "gate" back and do my thing. A bit of work, but it gives me complete easy access to the entire garden.

My biggest problem with the electric fence is that while the deer know it's there, they just jump over it. I noticed last night that a deer had munched the tops from about 10 feet of green beans

I might have to set up a 2nd fence outside the present one, I've heard that works sometimes.

 

[fordmantpw]

I use electric fence around my garden, but I installed it so that I can unhook both strands at each end. That allows me to till all the way through, turn outside the end of the garden, then till all the way through back the other way.
My garden is 60' wide, one corner of each end is attached to a fiberglass garden fence post, with enough wire hanging off the end to wrap around and complete the circuit. I just unhook a corner, swing my 60' "gate" back and do my thing. A bit of work, but it gives me complete easy access to the entire garden.

My biggest problem with the electric fence is that while the deer know it's there, they just jump over it. I noticed last night that a deer had munched the tops from about 10 feet of green beans

I might have to set up a 2nd fence outside the present one, I've heard that works sometimes.

We put a 2nd fence made of the plastic chicken wire about 2-3' inside the electric fence, and so far (knock on wood), we haven't had any deer damage. Deer have poor depth perception, and can't tell how far the 2nd fence is inside the outer one, and won't jump the outer one. Some folks also put strips of aluminum foiled coated in peanut butter on their electric fence. This entices the deer to lick it, and find out the hard way that it hurts! We haven't done that yet since we haven't had the need.

 

[Tig]

Other than this year's geese taking a liking to swiss chard, we don't have much trouble.
This lady is surprisingly gentle on plants and considerate as she tippy toes over top of seedlings while looking for a place to nest. She comes by most years. Never breaks a stem, but someone needs to tell her that some of the bare patches have seeds planted.

 

[Ford850]

Other than this year's geese taking a liking to swiss chard, we don't have much trouble.
This lady is surprisingly gentle on plants and considerate as she tippy toes over top of seedlings while looking for a place to nest. She comes by most years. Never breaks a stem, but someone needs to tell her that some of the bare patches have seeds planted.
View attachment 473931

She's probably looking for your Snap Peas or Snap Beans.

 

[MossRoad]

Other than this year's geese taking a liking to swiss chard, we don't have much trouble.
This lady is surprisingly gentle on plants and considerate as she tippy toes over top of seedlings while looking for a place to nest. She comes by most years. Never breaks a stem, but someone needs to tell her that some of the bare patches have seeds planted.
View attachment 473931

That's too cool! :thumbsup:

 

[DrRod]

I recall an old edition of Mother Earth News where they built a fence on the slant -- i.e. it leans outward at a bit less than 45 degrees. The deer can't jump it because they would have to go both up and out at the same time, which is a leap too far [so to speak].

 

[TheSpoon]

I'll try to find the link, but the Michigan State University extension office has a document on deer deterrents and their effectiveness. I'll try to find the link.

 

[jfh28]

have had deer all around for years....but this is the first year they started to do damage so I had to act........researched a bunch of different methods most of which were to expensive for the area in question.......came upon this simple solution that has worked in keeping them out.........I run a single strand of fishing line around the perimeter of the area I want them out of.........I used 100lb clear test and tied it around trees at the approximate height of a deers nose.......I used our wolfhounds nose height of around 32" to guesstimate the right height....the theory is the deer don't see the line and bump into it which scares them.......they had a well traveled deer path right through the area I cordoned off and just yesterday I saw them walking clear around the area to avoid the line.......so it does work.......you can also put a sting of metal cans up so it jangles when they bump into it but I haven't had to do that yet.........obviously it won't stop a charging deer but if they break a section then I'll just replace it.........so for a total of $10 I seem to have solved my problem.......Jack

 

[dan ny escarpment]

Been using a tip from a co worker and master gardener, which seems to work. Use a 6 ft (big box junk) welded wire fence, but inside I place a few 6ft stakes all around the deer landing zones. This in an area of massive over population where all other plants they like are destroyed, and stuff they dont gets eaten in the winter. Hard to believe for me because they are not bright animals, but after 10 years of this setup, I have no other explanation. (Until tonight of course...)

 

[dan ny escarpment]

Been using a tip from a co worker and master gardener, which seems to work. Use a 6 ft (big box junk) welded wire fence, but inside I place a few 6ft stakes around the deer "landing zones" and they do not jump in. A 10 x 20 small garden, but in an area of massive over population of white tails, where they destroy anything they prefer and other stuff they dont like as much in the winter, literally right outside this fenced garden. I do have a hard time believing they see them and avoid it (they are not bright animals), but you never know. About 10 years with this setup.

 

[MossRoad]

A friend of mine has an electric fence. From it, he hung strips of aluminum foil coated with peanut butter. He says that worked to keep the deer away. They taste it, they get zapped, they get offended, and they stay away. :licking:

 

[teg]

...I run a single strand of fishing line around the perimeter of the area I want them out of.........I used 100lb clear test and tied it around trees at the approximate height of a deers nose...

I like this and will be doing it next year for sure...

 

[Gunny]

I did the peanut butter thing yesterday. From the tracks inside the fence, they were only coming into the garden from two places, so I concentrated on the end and one side fence.

I'm really hoping it works. Last year I had no garden because of the weather, it stayed wet for so long that the plants were stunted, but weeds weren't even slowed down, so muddy I couldn't even get in there to do anything with it, so I'm really looking forward to a good garden this year. I do a lot of canning, freezing and I also keep several other people and the local senior center supplied with in season veggies.

If it doesn't work, I'll try the fishing line next. It wouldn't take long to put it up, tho it would complicate matters some when mowing.

If those two ideas don't do it, guess I'll "adopt" a stray dog next year and set him up next to the garden.

 

[Ford850]

The PB on foil worked on my deer a few years ago. I didn't use it at first, and the deer were walking through the wire. I added 2"x3" foil 'flags' (2"x6" strips folded in half over the wire), with PB smeared on the inside of the fold to glue it in place, and the outside to lure them. At first it was too dry and they pulled and chewed them off the wire. After a rain they worked great and seemed to train the deer to look out for the wire. I haven't used the foil and PB since that first year, and the bare electric fence wire works well for deer.

 

[MossRoad]

Make yourself a death zone under and around your electric fence by tilling the soil up 3-4" deep and several feet wide outside the perimeter of the electric fence. The nice, loose, fluffy soil promotes great ground contact for deer hooves, as well as tough critters like groundhogs.