Wild Grit: Deerproof Your Garden

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The half-inch wide “hot tape” temporary electric fencing we use around our larger vegetable and flower plantings is white with a black stripe up the middle to catch Bambi’s eye. The tape bounces like a white tail in  the wind, warning deer to be wary. It also hums in a breeze and howls in a gale.

Our plantings are also small enough that deer can see all sides of the fence. Deer are smart enough to recognize it as an enclosure and sense that if they get in they might not be able to get out, say the deer experts at Premier Fence.

The fence stands only 4 feet high, so it’s not a physical barrier, but a psychological barrier. With up to 9,000 volts pulsing through it, the hot tape packs enough punch to hurt but not incapacitate the animal.

Vary the tactics

Deer are also creatures of habit. They don’t like changes or surprises. Deer use the same trails day after day. So, if you notice a footpath becoming well-worn by pointy hooves, block it. Leave a wheelbarrow here, the riding mower there. Rotate the size and location of the obstacles. Keep the garden raiders off balance.

Dampen deer’s appetite with a surprise cold shower. The Scarecrow is a battery-operated motion sensor that attaches to a garden hose. When an animal gets too close, the Scarecrow will spray an area 35 feet deep and 45 feet wide for $89, plus $15 for mounting bracket. (Visit www.Contech-Inc.com/products for more information.)

Eight-foot-tall black plastic netting similar to that used to keep birds out of berry bushes and fruit trees can be used as perimeter fence to keep deer out of the garden. Benner’s Gardens’ “virtually invisible deer fencing” is a leading brand (www.BennersGardens.com).

Just stringing multiple strands of monofilament fishing line around your garden befuddles deer. Walking into the unseen line is unpleasant, confusing and even scary, like getting tangled in thick cobwebs in your attic or basement.

Chicken wire makes a great deer deterrent, too. Instead of standing it upright on posts, though, lay it flat on the ground, hidden in the grass. When deer feel their hooves getting tangled in the wire, they’ll look for easier pickings elsewhere.

Modify the menu

Last, but not least, change the menu to help deerproof the patch. Deer don’t particularly care for many plants, and others actually help repel deer. Instead of setting out a free salad bar, at least ring it with plants said to repel the midnight marauders (www.PreferredConsumer.com).

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