Electric fence

[Laminarman]

I'm planning on building a raised bed garden for our new home (which isn't done yet). It will not be real huge, but big enough. I need to keep deer out, as the home is in the country. What are thoughts about stringing electric fence? Can it run off of solar power? I imagine a strand several inches off the board (12" deep bed) and one two or three feet up. Would that deter small critters and deer? I wouldn't mind unhooking it and laying it out to work in the garden. Do not have any experience with electric fences other than grabbing one once while crossing during a grouse hunt on a nearby farm. Won't do that again.

 

[Wesdor]

Deer are really difficult to keep out. I have a similar problem, this year, with a small patch of sweet corn. Here is the website of a place that "claims" to have a product that will keep them out. I have my doubts, but may try them.
Deer Proof Electric Fence

From my research (note - not experience), it seems that you need something visible to the deer. As I understand it, their vision is monochromatic, so the white would probably do as well as anything else.

Another possible solution that I've read about, is to put two lines of fence about 3 feet apart. The first should be about 5' high and the second a bit lower. Deer can jump some pretty high fences, but they just go up and come back down. When they see both fences that far apart, the theory is they won't jump in.

BTW - you don't mention racoons, but they are a big problem around us. One way that I have seen is to put a 2' chicken wire around the garden. Use electric fence posts and secure the top of only every other post. The loose wire at the top keeps racoons from climbing over it.

GOOD LUCK.

 

[Dickey]

I had the same problem, I use to play a boom box at night to keep the deer out and I thought it worked great until I bought this place an the deer here just lisen to the music as they eat. A friend told me the trick was to run a hot wire seventeen inches above the ground but only use one wire and so for it has worked great. The theory being the deer will not see the single wire an walk into it an once they do they won't do it again. My hot wire has been broken twice so it must be working. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Tim_in_IA]

I have also seen some scent caps that you can install on the electric fence that are supposed to attract the deer to the electric fence. The theory being that they touch their nose to it and get a suprise /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

I have a neighbor that planted some grape vines on a hillside. He started with a 3-4ft electric fence and then a month or so later doubled the height with some wierd add on top posts. Now the whole setup looks bizzare and about every other time you drive by it it is down anway. They just jump right through it.

Also, I use electric fence to keep my livestock in, and I'll recommend right now that you keep away from the cheap plastic posts. Deer snap them off clean when they get spooked running into them. Get some decent steel posts and space them around 30' apart so the fence will flex instead of breaking.

Might be cheaper if you can have dogs off leash to get a family pet to keep the deer away. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Don't know what your animal ordinances are there.

 

[LAXPatrick]

Weimaraners. Two 70 pound Weimaraners.

Best deer repellent going - I've got a modest 30x20 garden in rural Wisconsin (Deerville, USA) and they haven't touched any of my plants yet. The weims are in their run, 60 feet from the garden.

LAXPatrick

 

[Laminarman]

Thanks LAXPatrick. I have two chocolate labs, 80 lbs and 100 lbs, loud and very obnoxious. They sleep inside however. It's the only cuddlin' I get!

 

[RalphVa]

I'm going into my 5th year with electric fence keeping all varmits out of my garden 100' below the house. I've 2 strands. One is at about 6" for the rabbits and groundhogs and raccoons. The second is about 4'. The deer tend to go between them. They've stretched the top wire a couple times and broke it once. Used to bait it about once/month with tinfoil and peanut butter, but I think you really only need to do this initially to get them used to knowing it's there.

Only time I ever had a deer in there was when I forgot to put the jumper wire in place that goes from my knife switch to the hot wire. A rabbit got in there last year while I was having trouble with the chargers. He was living in there underneath a squash vine and eating all my bean plants. Finally got my chargers back and rousted him.

Most problem I've had is with the chargers, 6-12v Zareba ones run off 12v batteries that last about a month. Had to send both in last year for the first time. This year, I've sent both in again. The second one at least lasted until I got the first one back. Have told them that this one is on their buck because it wasn't used after being fixed last year until about 2 weeks this year. Otherwise, it's about $46 to repair and about $9 postage each time. Think they're about $70 new.

They do have solar powered ones. When one of my batteries quits, what I plan to do is buy one of those "mule" solar panels from TSC. They have them for running the remote gate openers. They're 12v.

I use those plastic posts available from TSC that just push into the ground on little steel spikes on the end. The posts are about 10' apart. At the corners, I've 4x4 posts with insulators on them. Only put those in this year to put the fence on them at 2 ends of the garden in off season so I can get the tractor in and out of the rows. I've 4 of those fence gate things at the ends of the wires to unclip them and wind them back onto the one fence line parallel to the rows. The other fence line will just stay. I used to wind the wires around 5 gallon plastic containers attached to a 4x4 pole. I keep the battery inside the 5 gallon container. Got another container attached to another 4x4 pole to hold odds and ends.

Ralph

 

[Cactus]

I am a firm believer in electric fence...I have it around my garden...I also use it to keep the neighbors over grazed cattle from destroying the line fence I built by myself. I use elctric fence to keep the coons/foxes out of the chicken pen. Electric fence is a good thing.

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> They do have solar powered ones. When one of my batteries quits, what I plan to do is buy one of those "mule" solar panels from TSC. They have them for running the remote gate openers. They're 12v. </font>
I've used nothing but Parmak solar chargers. Our first one was a 6v model that worked fine for 12 years on the original battery. I just replaced it this year with the 12v model. The 6v model was still working fine, it just seemed like the right thing to do. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Plus, the clear plastic cover over the meter had become hard to see through due to degradation from the sun.

 

[Dachshund]

Get "Coyote Urine" , we put some around new fruit trees we planted - keeps deer, coons, rabbits and other critters away. Cheaper way is to take a leak in selected spots. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[SailorBob]

I have found that white plastic bags (like the Wally World type) tied to the fence posts works wonders. We have a major deer infestion where I live they eat all of the blackberries and huckleberries growing wild within 20' of the garden and they never touch it.

 

[BillCroasmun]

The scare tactics like the bag idea really vary from location to location. My wifes Grandparents live next to a large park system in an urban area. The dear feel so secure out there none of the scare tactics work. You literally have to chase them away at times! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif He's tried noice makers , spraying scents and spraying some bitter tasting stuff around the more popular eating areas... I think electric might be his final choice. Where I live most will stay 50 yards away from that wind rattling bag. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Laminarman]

I'm planning a rather small raised garden with two beds, each about 4' x 24'. I have one now where I live, butted up against the house that's 8' deep. So consequently I can't reach into the backside, but need to walk in the garden or on a plank, a real pain, and I really screwed that design up (what WAS I thinking?). I may run fence at 6" and again at 4', maybe another strand in between, but in any event I plan to do heavy metal posts instead of plastic ones and bait them to educate them. I imagine I'll use solar panels and those quick disconnect clips so I can get to it.