Creative or cheap deer fencing?

[Emeoba69]

So I'm at a loss of how much my tomatoes have been wiped out by deer. They had first been just pruning them back heavily. Since the fruits started to set they've been stripping those as well all my hard beautiful work is being ruined on a near nightly basis now.

Ive tried the rotten egg/garlic/hot pepper sauce (using dried bhut dust), coyote pee, my dog and my pee. All to no effect. I've resigned myself to the fact if I want to see even a single tomato I'm going to have to fence.

I am wondering about cheap thrifty ideas people have come up with. Ive thought about maybe some sort of chicken wire structure or hanging netting from the top of my stakes.


Any suggestions would be great.

[kath]

Sorry, I don't have any really cheap ideas but if you don't keep the leaves far enough away from the leaves, the deer will push it with their noses and pull leaves through the netting...don't ask me how I know.

I do think there was a similar thread here not long ago.

[Emeoba69]

Originally Posted by kath

Sorry, I don't have any really cheap ideas but if you don't keep the leaves far enough away from the leaves, the deer will push it with their noses and pull leaves through the netting...don't ask me how I know.

I do think there was a similar thread here not long ago.

Honestly an odd leaf eating through some fencing wouldn't be the end of the world. Seeing every single tomato plucked with impunity has me really disheartened from all my long hours of hard work.....

[kath]

I see- well, a lot of different options have been discussed most recently in these threads- not sure if you've seen them:

http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=28664

http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=28491

http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=14235

http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=24187

http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=24514

http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=26834

http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=23211

http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=10949

Hope this helps-

kath

[nnjjohn]

If you want to be sure critters don't pluck and eat your hard work.. you need to invest in wire fencing ( do not go cheap) I tried in the beginning and ground hogs chew right through cheap plastic if they really want to. A fifty foot roll of coated wire 4ft or higher is a good start.. use 2x2x10 ft. long pine lwood (probably 3 dollars a lenght) use sign stakes or buy 6 ft fencing stakes for the corners and brace them using the 2x2 wood tighten with 12 gauge wire.. tools required are cutting pliers a few 3 inch deck screws ( for securing the 2x2 lengths together) here is a cheap simple proven deer proof going on two seasons.. the 2x2 wood brace the corner stakes and roll wire fencing for a typical rectangular bed

[nnjjohn]

Easy and efficient 20130630_093406.jpg my galaxy note 2 is broken already.. either I need a free app. to turn photos right side up or find a troubleshooting link.. it really is no easy fix .. settings doesn't show any way to fix it..guess from now on..i'll hold the camera phone upside down before taking photos

[saltmarsh]

Let's revisit the garlic/pepper spray. I say that because it is working for me. I know I have deer because I see their tracks in the garden, but they don't eat or nibble on anything unless it's the grass which I don't spray.

This Spring was the first time I've planted corn and I was hesitant to plant any because I was afraid it would be a deer and raccoon magnet. Several of the neighbors stopped by to tell me I wouldn't get an ear of corn for myself. The deer and raccoons ate theirs every year. They haven't touched a singe stalk or ear of corn in my garden. I also have purple hull peas, lima beans, bush beans, okra, buckwheat, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, squash, watermelons, cantelopes, and tomatoes and they haven't bothered any of those either.

For what it's worth, here's what I use and how I use it. I buy the large bottles of spices from a restaurant supply store because they are cheaper that way. They are $2 - $3 a bottle and have 9 to 14 oz of spice in them.

To make 6 gallons of spray:

In a large stockpot or canner add 3 1/4 gallons of hot water
Add 1/2 cup garlic powder, 1/2 cup ground red pepper, and 1/2 cup ground sage.
Stir occasionally until it comes to a rolling boil, reduce heat and allow to boil for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to sit covered overnight.
When tea has cooled enough to work with safely, use a nylon stocking to strain and pour into 2 liter drink bottles.

To use pour into a garden sprayer and add 2 liters of water to each 2 liters of garlic/pepper/sage tea. Add 1/2 tablespoon of Palmolive Orange dish washing liquid to each 4 liters of spray. Shake well.

I spray to the point of run off when I transplant.

I also spray the ground after planting seeds. This masks the odor of the seeds and keeps birds and raccoons from digging them up. I spray again when the seeds emerge.

The first time I spray, I spray to the point of run off followed by another run off spray a week to 10 days later.

After the first 2 sprayings, I spray the entire plant lightly and new growth to the run off point.

I try to spray every week to 10 days depending on the weather. (If rain is in the forecast when I'm due to spray, I wait until the rain is over to spray.)

If this sounds like a lot of trouble and a pain in the A** trust me, it is. Claud

[JerryL]

This is the netting I use. Works well for me.

http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Gardener-6050-DeerBlock-100-Foot/dp/B00004RA0N

And the posts

http://www.lowes.com/pd_92070-46379-30052602_0__?productId=4758566&Ntt=t-post&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dt-post&facetInfo=

$40 will do a good size garden.

[Lee]

Deer will jump a fence, depending on how it's built.
Here's a much easier, and more efficient way, as it can easily move
as you rotate your crop.

http://www.amazon.com/Contech-CRO101...ater+sprinkler

This works really well.... even saw it chase the over sized, white tailed rats away one morning!

Just don't forget to turn it on..... the one day you forget will be the one day the deer stop by..... don't ask how I know this.....

Lee

[nnjjohn]

Don't overlook those woodchucks/groundhogs they will chew them tomatoes too.. still ike my wire fencing.

[friedgreen51]

I have successfully used fishing line as an interim deer deterrent until my husband and I could install an electric fence. We used for one season and it worked very well. We did do a fence within a fence because deer have no depth perception.
The link explains the basics. I used catfish line which is pretty heavy.
http://groweat.blogspot.com/2010/07/...#axzz2XqW6XLfM

[JerryL]

I agree a deer will jump fences. But what I have read/found is they won’t jump a fence that requires them to land in plantings. Deer can’t jump high and any distance at the same time. So if the fence is close to the plants they won’t jump the fence. This is the setup I have and it seems to work.

Read the 4th paragraph under Fencing in the following article.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/travis/docs/gardening_in_deer_country.pdf

[nnjjohn]

Get the coated wire or cheaper uncoated galvanized ..I have dozens of deer and they won't dare jump the fence. They however will reach in if and when the plants get so large to push against the fencing but by than it is harvest time..jerry is right..deer do not jump into a small fenced in bed.

[dpurdy]

One of my neighbors who has some high tunnels had deer feeding off of his vegetables. I told him about an article that I read on how to keep deer from eating and browsing on your vegetables. I wasn't sure if it would work or not, but it seems to be doing the job for the last couple of weeks. He found an older transistor radio and tuned in a talk radio program. He hooked it up to a timer so that it would come on in the late evening and stay on until morning. The constant talk and commercials must be fooling and confusing the deer. I'm wondering if after a while that the deer may overcome their fear, and start eating again? We'll see, only time will tell. He grows vegetables for a living and is very happy that something this simple is still working.
dpurdy

[ScottinAtlanta]

Originally Posted by Lee

Deer will jump a fence, depending on how it's built.
Here's a much easier, and more efficient way, as it can easily move
as you rotate your crop.

http://www.amazon.com/Contech-CRO101...ater+sprinkler

This works really well.... even saw it chase the over sized, white tailed rats away one morning!

Just don't forget to turn it on..... the one day you forget will be the one day the deer stop by..... don't ask how I know this.....

Lee

Yep - that is the only scheme that works here in Georgia. You have to move it every few days - the deer get used to it and ignore if you don't.