Keeping wildlife out of garden
headerphoto


Keeping wildlife out of garden

by Cathy
(Howell, MI)

What type of fencing options do you have to keep deer and other wildlife out of garden? Are there plants or other deterents to use on the outside of fencing to keep them away?

Thanks!

Doug says here's the article on deer repellents Some work better than others.

As for fencing - if you're talking deer -then you want deer fencing (the really tall plastic stuff) if you're talking rabbits, you want a shorter fine mesh fence they can't chew through and buried into the ground so they can't dig.

Will plants keep animals away - frankly no. There are some plants that animals prefer not to eat but generally, there are no plants they will avoid.

Comments for
Keeping wildlife out of garden

Click here to add your own comments

Thanks!
by: Cathy

Thanks everyone for all of your wonderful advice! I'll probably go ahead with the tall deer fencing so hopefully that will keep "everything" out. We do have a lot of wildlife (lots of deer) and this will be my first garden here, so wish me luck.

Here's to getting our hands dirty!
Cathy
Unknown critter
by: Anonymous

Just made a brand new raised vegetable garden bed. Planted about 5 plants (squash, eggplant & peppers) and a bunch of seeds for other plants (tomatoes, corn, beans etc.) and covered it with bird netting. The following morning found out something dug it to shreds. Have to start all over again!
fencing
by: diane

The deer usually leave my garden alone - bunnies, chipmunks, and groundhogs are my nemises. The 2nd year I put up "rabbit fence" and the rabbits went right through the fence! I finally put chicken wire against the rabbit fence (the fence is imbedded in the dirt so they can't dig under) and so far, so good. Plus, we saw a coyote in our suburban common ground and we haven seen many rabbits. Go, Coyote! If I see any evidence of the groundhog this year, I'm sorry, but he has to go. When we lived in the woods, I sprayed the whole yard and the buildings with deer repellent after every rain and they never bothered my garden at all and we had tons of deer. I think part of the trick is to get it on very early in the season.
Critters
by: Sylvia

I'm in Arizona. My garden is inside a wall but something gets in, I think from the tree. I'm guessing it's a pack rat. Sometimes it just chews off a branch. I've tried Liquid Fence with limited effect. It's very frustrating.
Keeping critters out of the garden.
by: Anonymous

I use an old trick that my Grandma taught me many years ago. We put up a little 3 foot plastic mesh fence around the garden, tacking it up to poles to keep it vertical. Then I rub the entire fence down with a plain old bar of Ivory soap. I have never had a critter in the garden, not once. The application is good for an entire growing season. It's simple, it works, and it's Earth friendly.
deer fencing
by: L Mydland

I use a two strand electric fence suitable for small animals repelling ability. At the beginning of the growing season, I put little dabs of peanut butter on the wire at several locations so any animal that wishes to taste get a shock and avoid my fencing from then on for the season. It works for deer as they could step over my fence if they wanted as it is only three foot high at most. I live in the country so my garden was a buffet for raccoons, opossums, squirrels, and deer.
repelling the
by: Anonymous

of all the deer repellants we've tried,plastic net hung on long bamboo poles works but you have to put it completely around things and at least 5 ft. high.
never had a lot of luck with blood meal,irish spring soap or even comercial bought items'Those little deer are persitant.

Click here to add your own comments









Doug's Facebook Page