Keeping deer out of the garden (grass, veggies, yard, corn)

[RogMar]

O.K., Luvarkansas asked me if I could get a picture up with deer prevention measures ilustrated, so I'm gonna try.

We live surrounded by woods, with the closest houses 3/4 miles away, and I have a corn feeder about 100 feet from the garden and* the yard is planted with feed grasses, si to say we're deer rich is an understatement.

I talked with lots of people about their deer prevention measures, and I got full explanations of what *doesn't* work.

Finally someboy told me about this.

The basic theory is, deer will not breach an area they think they'll get caught up in. They don't want to get entangled.

If you have a fence around the garden, this is what you do.

One gets 4 or 6 10' pieces of PVC. One for each corner and possibly two for the sides if your garden is rectangular.

The PVC is set in at an angle facing *out and away* from the garden. The closer to 45 degrees you can get, the better.

String is strung at at least two points on the poles, secureing it to the pole, I just wrap it tight and put stick some duct tape across each attachment point.

I have used hay bailing cord, you can get a kajillion foot roll of it at farm supply for about $27, then ya got a lot left for craft projects.

I last used "surveyors string"...don't use that. It's pretty, but as you can see in the photo, the winter snow and ice stretched it beyond usefullness.

We are letting the garden set this year, the only thing we planted is leftover fish parts after cleaning them.

So when you look at the picture, imagine those strings are pulled taught.

Now, if you don't have a fence, I have talked with several farmers that use the quick 'n' dirty approach.

They pound pipe in at angles around the perimeter of the garden after planting, then wrap cord, or as one ol' boy let me in on his "secret", yellow caution tape, around the pipes, and just push one row of string down and the top one up, and step into the garden.

Everyone I've talked with that has used these methods have never had their gardens breached by deer.

Armadillos are another story, and they get "lead poisining" round these parts.

When we plant, we plant watermelon and canteloupe along with the veggies, and that is deer candy. If there's any way they can get to them, you won't get a single melon.

Last year, a friend of mine who doesn't pull my leg, told me he was using either Huggies or Pampers fabric softner sheets, can't remember which, tied along his fence, and he had no deer tracks within 20 feet of his garden, but I haven't tried that, so I don't know.

Any questions, you can DM me, or come find me on the Arkansas state group.

Hope that helps.

[RogMar]

BTW, I forgot to mention, those poles are secured at the bottom by digging a little 6 inch hole, and then putting a big ol' rock on the bottom of the pole to anchor it.

Hillbilly engineering.

[Luvvarkansas]

Thanks, Rog!

[no kudzu]

thanks for the pix. Interestinfg. I might try a variation by painting the poles green or something which won't be so obvious.

[Luvvarkansas]

Originally Posted by no kudzu

thanks for the pix. Interestinfg. I might try a variation by painting the poles green or something which won't be so obvious.

Yes, that's an idea I had suggested to you on the other thread.....or, use bamboo poles. I don't know about where you are, but around here it's easy to find a wild stand of bamboo, and we can cut all we want. (I would cut them now and let them dry all winter, though, before I stuck them in the ground....not sure if they would root or not, but with that stuff, I wouldn't take any chances!)