Garden Notes

Three strand lectric fence in front of Milly and Jim's home to keep out deer

My sister Milly and her husband Jim live in a forested area on the shores of Lake Superior close to Ashland, Wisconsin. They are surrounded by a lot of trees and of course deer. Since I have a deer problem in my yard, I asked what she does to discourage the deer from raiding her garden because she deals with herds of deer instead of just one or two. Her answer is listed below in quotes.

For Really Big Deer Problems!

“Well, here is what I know. Many years ago when we moved into this wooded area, I realized that if I didn’t do something drastic, I would have NO garden! So we went to the farm and feed store and bought a fencer. It is 6 volts, just like the one that our dad had on the farm, but instead of hooking it up to a battery, we just plug it into the electrical socket.

I put in metal fence posts and bought the wire and insulators and all the rest of the paraphernalia that goes with a fence. I realized that I did not need to run the fence along the lake because deer do not come up the cliff, but I did run it around the rest of the property up to the lake. I chose not to use barbed wire and instead used wire that is plastic infused with metal so it is easily tied and manipulated. The current follows the metal in the plastic wire, but is easy to patch. We have 3 strands. It works for deer, but it doesn’t keep out rabbits, raccoons, etc. We also have bears, but they are not really a problem. Bears do get tangled in the wire sometimes, but they can get themselves out. However, after they leave in an angry huff, we usually have to repair the fence.

Our fence is not turned on during the winter because snow would short it out. Also if the wires touch anything wet like green grass or plants, electric power will drain off or short out. So, one of the things we must do is keep the area under the fence clean of vegetation. We now spray with an herbicide every two or three years.

By the time spring comes, the deer have taken to ignoring our fence. So, when the garden starts growing again, I put aluminum foil filled with peanut butter here and there on the fence in places that I think deer are entering our yard. Then I turn the power on. When the deer lick the peanut butter, they get a nasty shock! We call this deer education 101. The system works great! Occasionally I have to teach the deer education 102, but we never need deer education 103.

Good luck to anyone who needs to use this info. Fence maintenance is a constant factor, but it beats having the deer treat your garden like a salad bar.

Note: Many garden centers have lists of plants that supposedly deer will not eat — however if there are enough deer in your area, THEY WILL EAT ANYTHING.”