Keeping them out

I've mentioned how my summer's crop of edibles was ruined by the deer finally deciding that my garden fence was worth jumping over. Too busy of a summer meant that I didn't have a good defence planned (I used the Canadian spelling because it's so appropriate), so I abandoned my crop.

With almost no gardening chores left, I now had the ability to think it through and react. There's still time to ensure that next year's food is eaten by humans and not ungulates.

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My ultimate plan is to replace the fence with something both more attractive and sturdier, but the fact that my veggie garden is located over a sewer easement makes me worry. No point in putting up a sturdy, semi-permanent fence if it will need to be moved because of unforeseen digging.

In any case I'm starting with "Plan B" today: something to train the deer that this is an off-limits area.

Not that there's much to eat here right now, just some beets and kale that are overwintering:

Still, I'm going to put up some perimeter lines using plastic-coated clothesline. I've got plenty of electrical conduit around, so I placed them at the corners of the fence and drilled some holes:

My first thought was to run the clothesline through the holes, but that would require a lot of extra work, so I added bamboo pegs...

...which will keep the line from sliding down the poles:

Then it was just a matter of looping the cord around each pole and moving on.

This stuff is not meant to keep a jumping deer out...

...it's not nearly strong enough for that. It's only meant to provide a visual deterrent, hopefully telling them that it's not worth jumping this high -- which they can do. (At least the country deer can. I'm not sure about the lazier urban deer.)

I'll keep an eye out for any new deer prints in the veggie beds, but I think this will do the trick.

Now I have a few months to decide on the design of the new fence...

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