Garden fencing and deer/racoons/animals--how much fencing do we need?

[Harriet Vane]

My ds passionately loves gardening. He is constantly out in the yard, working on the garden. I don't have to tell him to do yard work. He just does it.

 

Ds has always loved having a vegetable and herb garden. He gets excited about eating the fruits of his labor (and excited because I buy the fruits of his labor :laugh: ).

 

We have a wooded acre. We see wildlife here all the time. To us city slickers, the sight of deer or racoon in the back yard seems a miracle! We love it!

 

We are going to fence in ds' garden with chicken wire attached to green metal posts. Do we need to also roof the garden with chicken wire (like a cage) to keep out racoons or other critters? Or is a tall fence sufficient?

 

Thanks for any advice!

[hornblower]

racoons will go over fences. They're excellent climbers (they nest in trees).  They can also walk along the tops of fences.

That said, I find racoons don't bug my veggies. Fruit & berries, yes. And my fish pond. They love to muck up the pond trying to catch my fish.

Deer are even harder. If it's something they want, they'll stomp through all sorts of things.

If you do go all enclosed, make sure you check it frequently. Sometimes small animals or birds get caught inside & have to be helped out.

[merry gardens]

Deer usually leave herbs alone, as the strong smells of herb leaves prevents the deer from smelling predators. I've planted various herbs throughout my landscape to help deter deer. If you want to fence out deer, you need a very tall fence because deer jump high.

[fairfarmhand]

Buy an electric fence wire. Run it across the top of the fencing.

[Harriet Vane]

Buy an electric fence wire. Run it across the top of the fencing.

 

Very intriguing. If we do this, we don't need to put chicken wire over the top? Or should we also roof it over?

[Ottakee]

Check out www.premier1supplies.com . I buy all of my horse fencing from them. They have great options and tell you what is best for various situations. Their catalog is like a course on fencing 101 as it is full of information. Great product and service.

[Harriet Vane]

Deer usually leave herbs alone, as the strong smells of herb leaves prevents the deer from smelling predators. I've planted various herbs throughout my landscape to help deter deer. If you want to fence out deer, you need a very tall fence because deer jump high.

 

I'm SOOOO intrigued by this! Our neighbors told us to spray stuff on our hostas to keep the deer away. What herbs to you plant?

 

Our front garden gets lots of sun, as does the vegetable garden spot.

 

However, most of the back yard is shaded. We have woods all the way at the back, and half the yard is dotted with mature trees. Grass does not grow easily, so we are planning to slowly convert the shady spots to shade ground cover plants like ivy or ferns. If there are herbs that like shade, I find that option very appealing. Any advice?

 

Thanks!

[fairfarmhand]

Very intriguing. If we do this, we don't need to put chicken wire over the top? Or should we also roof it over?

 

As long as the wire is hot, it will deter raccoons etc. that want to climb over it. However, if there are overhanging trees, they will drop down from the trees into the garden. You have to have a REALLY TALL fence to keep deer from jumping over it.

[Harriet Vane]

As long as the wire is hot, it will deter raccoons etc. that want to climb over it. However, if there are overhanging trees, they will drop down from the trees into the garden. You have to have a REALLY TALL fence to keep deer from jumping over it.

 

Dh was thinking 6 or 6 1/2 feet? He was thinking that if we had to run chicken wire over the top, it should be tall enough to walk inside. Is that tall enough?

 

[fairfarmhand]

deer are really awful to keep out. They can leap SO high.

 

Here's an article with some ideas.

 

http://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/articles/deerfences.html

[BlsdMama]

A little tmi but I've heard dog urine and people hair deter deer. Is that true?

[Susan in TN]

My mom has successfully kept deer out of her garden by "fencing" it with fishing line. Apparently deer will not jump over what they can't see.

 

My dad also bought some kind of spray from Home Depot that has kept the rabbits out quite well.

[Wheres Toto]

We have a ton of deer - a whole herd lives in our yard and beds down there every night. We fenced in our garden with wire fencing about 5 feet high and then another 5 feet going in at about a 45 degree angle.   There's only a square in the very middle that is completely open.  We haven't had any problem with the deer getting in. We did have a pileated woodpecker get stuck in there once.

 

 

[Laurie4b]

Two ideas that keep deer out:

 

Run an electric wire around your garden. It doesn't have to be high. Fold strips of aluminum foil over it and put peanut butter on them. Deer love peanut butter. A zap in the mouth is meaningful and they will stay away. My dad lives in a deer-rich area and this works well for him.

 

Another way to keep deer out is to build a double fence. The outside fence should be about 6 ft. high and then you build another fence inside that. (If you look at it from the top, the two fences would form the outside edge and inside edge of a picture frame and the garden would be a picture.) Our neighbors have done this and both fences are just wrapped with chicken wire. They will use the space between the fences (about 3 -4 feet) for a chicken run. The chickens will eat bugs in the run, which cuts down bugs in the garden, too.)  Deer don't like the double fence, even though they could clear a 6 foot fence, they don't want to jump into a compressed space and have to jump again. To build high enough to keep deer out by height alone, you'd be talking 8 feet or more.

 

For hosta protection, I've put out original Irish spring soap. You're supposed to grate it, but I'm too lazy, so I just put out the bars of soap. That is not 100% protection but it helps. Hosta are like deer candy, so if you have a lot of hosta, this might not be enough.

[Mergath]

Dh was thinking 6 or 6 1/2 feet? He was thinking that if we had to run chicken wire over the top, it should be tall enough to walk inside. Is that tall enough?

 

 

You would be amazed at how high deer can jump.  My mom and stepdad have a large garden.  They put up a fence that was, I think, eight feet high and the deer still got in.

[JoJosMom]

Deer are good jumpers, so you need a high barrier.  HOWEVER, you don't need to run the fencing that high.  We have standard four foot field fencing around the garden, but every other t-post is 8 feet tall.  Near the top of the t-posts, we have one strand of wire (not hot.)  The deer don't jump it (The theory is that they won't jump if they aren't certain about the clear; that's why the dual fences or fencing angled outward tend to work.) Now, moose, that's different.  I'm convinced they'll walk through a concrete barrier if they feel like it. :glare:

[MotherGoose]

Check out www.premier1supplies.com . I buy all of my horse fencing from them. They have great options and tell you what is best for various situations. Their catalog is like a course on fencing 101 as it is full of information. Great product and service.

I agree. They have an electric fence specifically for raccoons. You plug it into a charger and step in the posts into the ground. If you don't do electric you'll need a roof because raccoons will climb. How big is the garden? I would also not use anything like plastic bird netting--I've had numerous snakes become entangled in it, some have died and some I've had to release...ick!!

[MotherGoose]

You would be amazed at how high deer can jump. My mom and stepdad have a large garden. They put up a fence that was, I think, eight feet high and the deer still got in.

It also depends on your "deer pressure." IE if you live in the middle of surburbia with lots of deer and not lots of food they'll jump in, if not, they won't. I live on 5 acres surrounded by woods with a garden with a 6 foot high fence. They've not (hoping they don't read this and get in, because they can read!) gotten in. If you have lots of deer pressure you may need to put a double fence around it, 3-4 feet apart, because they won't jump something if they have to land between jumps.