I really don't mean to start another "how to keep the deer from eating your garden" thread, but I'm running an experiment I thought might be of interest to others.
We are plagued with deer. The Missouri Department of Conservation has been incredibly effective in re-introducing deer as a common wildlife, so much so that they have and probably will continue to liberalize hunting. My problem is that I live in an area that is not conducive to firearm hunting, due to too many houses on ten acre plots, but is rich in great deer habitat. I routinely see seven or more deer on my small property. They eat pretty much anything not fenced. In other threads on the topic, both here and at TBN, I think the consensus of opinion has been that the only way to really exclude deer is a ten foot fence topped with razor wire and patrolled by big dogs. However, it has often also been pointed out that there is a major difference between what a deer can do and whet it will do under "normal" circumstances.
Last year, I was very successful excluding deer from my 50x50 garden with a fence composed of 52" by 16' cattle panels. Clearly deer can easily jump such a fence, so I used 2' pvc pipe sections wired to the t-posts and ran nylon cord along those with plastic grocery sacks tied to it. This mess kept the deer out, I suppose because they could see the plastic sacks and couldn't be sure just what they might be jumping through. I think I may upgrade this year to construction warning tape, if it's cheap enough.
Here's my situation: I till my garden with a 5' KingKutter tiller on my tractor. The only other tiller I have is one of those little weed-eater sized jobs that is pretty much only good for weeding. I just put in my early crops; potatoes, peas, radishes, beets, onions, lettuce, and such, and the only trouble the deer can cause this stuff right now is if they tromp along the rows. I could go ahead and assemble my fence, but most of the garden space is still awaiting the warm weather crops, and I'd like to be able to till that area right before planting. Since I don't want to have to take down my fence to till, I thought I'd see just what a deer will do. I have a collection of welded wire tomato cages about 18-24" in diameter. I have my cattle panels lying on the tomato cages all around the garden. The outside ends are about 2' off the ground and they extend four feet toward the garden. Since the whole area is tilled, I'll be able to see if the enemy jump this "barrier". Of course at present there is nothing much inside to tempt them, but they do usually wander through that area at will when the fence isn't there. So, we shall see.
At any rate, I needed to get my cattle panels and tomato cages up to the garden soon. I'm not into wasted motion when I can avoid it. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]
Year before last, I didn't fence my garden. We had a really poor growing season, with a long hot dry spell, and I was watering just my tomatoes. I really wanted some home grown tomatoes. I had a few just getting ready to pick. Came out one morning and they were all gone, and there was a nice set of deer prints down the line of plants. One of the folks at work was convinced her neighbor's kids were stealing her tomatoes off the plants on her patio until she saw a deer getting at them. They may only go for them during hot dry spells, but since we have those darn near every summer, the deer around here like the nice red wet things.
They don't seem to bother the plants. I guess there really aren't many things that do eat tomato or potato greens, except those insects which have evolved to dine on them. The hornworms really get my tomatoes if I don't watch for them. Last year I planted my tomatoes too close together and had trouble spotting the darn worms. I wish they were red instead of green.
Well, the propped up fence seems to be keeping the deer out, but they may just not want to get their little hooves muddy. One corner of my garden was under water for a couple of days after we got three inches of rain in a couple hours preceeded by and followed by just plain drizzle. I suspect the potatoes under that area may have to be re-planted.
We had a week of unseasonably warm weather, and then the rain. If we get a freeze now there will be lots of damage to the fruit trees.
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