Deer fencing ?

I'm so excited to get started and am still in the planning stages here. We live in the foothills east of Sonora,Ca at about 3500 ft elevation. The growing season might be a little short this year, as we have had a late winter/spring (heck, it just snowed again a couple days ago !) Anyway, we have deer wandering through our property, and I know they would love to sample my future garden. Any advice on whether to just put up deer fence around the whole SFG bed area or put up deer netting on each individual bed? We plan to make the beds raised off the ground, to avoid the puddling on clay soil, moles, and invading tree roots in the location. There's lots of possibilites, but I was wondering how anybody in a similar area has dealt with this.

usgenes

Glad to have you join us. I too have had my share of deer grazing thru the garden buffet that they believe I plant just for them.

Deer netting is fairly inexpensive and I bought a 7 ft by 100 ft roll for about $25.00. It is a light weight product, but the deer will not try to go thru it. I had a 7 ft wide by 27 foot long area with 20 ft PVC pipe hoops that I wrapped with deer netting, attached the netting with plastic zip ties, made a gate at each end and there I used velcro plant strips to hold the gate closed. The deer did not get in or cause any damage (except for the days I forgot to close the netting gate )

Fence posts will hold the deer netting around the whole garden area also. Don't forget to make enough gates so you can get to everything.

Another option is to create hoops over your beds, but because the deer netting is so lightwieght, the least breeze will blow it around while you are working in the bed, and each little one inch square of the netting will go looking for buttons, wrist watches, rings and anything else they can clamp on to. It is then a battle to get loose.

Welcome, Have Fun! and keep us posted on your progress.

@furbals - That is a sweet set-up you have there! Very professional looking. I may have to do the same - my neighbors actually have a deer FEEDER! When we moved in last April it was cute to see the entire flock (rofl what do you call a group of deer?) of deer lounging in the back yard like they owned the place, but when they started trampling and sampling I lost my patience quickly, lol.

Mike, that was last year's set up. That area will hold all of my (28) tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets as well as the artichokes that are perrenials here. This year I have added Table Tops, lots easier for me to handle. I currently have tulle (fine nylon netting) over my table tops to keep out the deer and insects.

Furbals- Thank you for the fast reply and picture ! That set-up would be a lot easier to maneuver around under than a PVC tent over each bed, like you mentioned. You say this year you have a different set-up with table top beds? How high are they off the ground and how high is the deer netting over those? Would you have a picture of that too? You're giving me lots of ideas here, and I thank you.

Hieron-Lol a group of deer would be called a herd ! We have a herd of 7-8 that calls our property their home most of the year (although they were here first !) We don't feed them, but they mangage to nibble on everything so I do hope to outsmart and frustrate them by making my SFG deerproof. I may find out the hard way the wrath of an angry deer though !

Rofl...I knew that. Sometimes my mind blanks on the most basic words!

Yah we have the same thing - 7-8 deer that come across our yard (although sometimes they do take a break in ours, laying down and everything) to the deer feeder. I'm crossing my fingers that the 6-foot fence my neighbors on the other side are putting up will help deter them this time around...we'll see.

Lol yah don't underestimate a deer...last year I saw one eating one of my plants, and by that time I was so frustrated over it that I ran outside, yelling and charging it, expecting it to run away. Noooope...it just dug in and started grunting at me; lucky for me it was a doe and I wasn't stupid enough to do that w/ a buck! O.o

Here's how I used to fasten the plastic deer fencing to the hoops over our early raised beds:

You just slip these clips over the PVC pipes, catching the fencing between the clips and PVC, in order to secure the fencing to the pipes. These are fancier than the ones we bought 5-7 years ago. They are available from lots of garden supply places and are quite inexpensive. BTW, they work well for floating row covers and pvc hoops also.

I like the Garden Commander:

Not only has it kept critters (I don't have deer but my dogs have done damage) out, but I've put mesh over it to keep moths from laying eggs and for shade for my lettuce.



http://gardencommander.com/

Kim

Kewl! Did you buy it online? Or at a garden center? I like the idea of being able to drape row covers over it to make a season extender arrangement.

Tulle is great for deer and insect protection, but it does keep the pollinators out too. Something to consider if you have fruiting plants that need bees to pollinate. Deer netting would allow most pollinators to enter, but keep the deer out. Deer netting may not keep out insect pests including cabbage butterflies, which leave eggs that grow into cabbage worms on your plants. They are a BIG problem here.

This is a photo of my Table Top Garden, the top of the box is about 30 inches high. Used PVC pipes to create a dome, placed tulle over the top and secured by gathering the loose tulle on the bottom using velcro straps

Thank you all-more ideas coming in to help me decide !

Nonna-those clips look like a good idea to secure netting or tulle or plastic to the PVC frame, will have to try to find some of those
Kim-The Garden Commander looks pretty strong-that would deter the deer or dogs or just about anything but insects !
Furbals-This is kind of what I had in mind doing with my 4x4 box-that tulle really does keep out the deer ? that's just bridal veil from a fabric store isn't it?

I spent all afternoon moving the woodpile and raking up the area, and then figured out my plot plan. Will get the materials this weekend and hopefully get it built. I'll get a picture up here after I get it together !

Yeh, usgenes. Just add netting for insect control (like you see further down in the picture on the shorter Garden Commanders).