keeping Deer out of my garden

[polo1665]

This year I installed a 3 wire electric fence, with a large solar fence charger. To train the deer, I baited each side. The fence is running ~5,000 volts (according to the tester), no deer yet (have evidence that they are checking out the baits). Complete, I paid $750; fence is approximately 350' long.

This fence was installed 1 month ago, no problems yet. Note that my top wire is only 6' tall, my bottom wire is close to the ground to address rabbits/groundhogs. From what I've learned, training the deer with scent traps is critical.

Good luck.

pf

I've got a ton of deer around, and this is the first year for my garden here. I kind of wanted to go without a fence if I could. I decided to try a product called "Liquid Fence". I used it at my previous place (a lot less deer) with decent success. While the jury is still out, it seems to have worked so far. I've really only had a couple of sunflower plants on the edge of the garden nibbled off. The stuff smells terrible though and it won't take long to add up to the cost of a fence. I'll have to keep the electric fence idea in the back of my mind in case the spray doesn't pan out.

By the way, nice looking soil ya got there.

Mark

 

[Chuck52]

Liquid Fence does a decent job, though I wouldn't want to depend on it to protect my whole garden. I've got a 32oz jug of the concentrate I'm about to finish off after about three years. I mainly use it on the things I can't or don't fence, like a long line of hazelnuts I've got along the road. When I keep them sprayed in the spring they do well. Seems like the deer lose interest in lots of things after they get woody, but will eat them to the ground when they have new growth in the spring. I'm using LF now on my new beans and field peas. I have my deer fence up, but the rabbits can walk right in. LF has kept them off the new stuff all spring, like the cucumbers, squash, cabbage, spinach, and now the beans and field peas. Once the stuff gets past the sprout stage, I can stop spraying and the plants are usually OK. Last year I had an entire 60' row of beans cropped off to the ground by rabbits. This year, even though I've seen three rabbits at a time playing in the yard, no major damage to the veggies, all probably due to the occasional misting with LF.

Chuck

 

[N80]

Seems like the deer lose interest in lots of things after they get woody, but will eat them to the ground when they have new growth in the spring.Chuck

I think that is true and that may be why my scarecrow seemed to work. In other words, it kept the deer out long enough for the corn stalks to get some height and start to get tough and fibery which they don't like.

Unfortunately, I think it was too little too late. The corn is doing fine now but they are at all different heights now. Some of it is quite tall, very robust and starting to tassle. The stuff that was grazed heavily is coming back nicely but look to be several weeks behind the taller plants and then there are a good many patches that did not recover from the grazing at all. I think this is going to lead to widely varying pollenation and the ears that I get are probably going to be patchy.

Live and learn.

Next year, electric fence, and plant more corn. And the scarecrow.