DIY Garden Deer Fence: Deer Proof Garden Fence Ideas

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For any vegetable garden owner, dealing with hungry deer can be incredibly frustrating. After years of watching deer damage destroy my garden beds every evening, I’ve learned that building an effective garden deer fence is the only truly reliable way to keep them out.

Through many hard won life lessons, I’ve discovered that deer will eat almost anything. Even plants that are supposedly “deer resistant” have failed to withstand the hungry deer in my backyard.

One year, I optimistically planted onions outside my old fence, convinced deer wouldn’t touch them. I was wrong. They devoured my freshly planted onions with wild abandon.

I have found that the only food crops that are safe from East Fork deer appetites are raspberries and rhubarb.

Garden Fence Alternatives

Different types of fence offer varying levels of protection. While temporary fences like poly deer fencing or deer netting might work for small areas with minimal deer pressure, larger areas with healthy deer populations typically need more permanent solutions.

Comparing Garden Deer Fence Designs

For first time fence builders, it’s important to understand your options:

• Poly deer fence and polypropylene mesh: Great choice for small areas with minimal deer damage
• Chain link fences: Very durable but quite expensive
• Metal fences with wire fence panels: Excellent durability and sturdy construction
• Electric fencing: Effective for deer, but requires maintenance
• Deer fence kits: Easy DIY installation for garden beds, but can be more expensive and less durable than buying materials yourself

Planning Your Heavy Duty Garden Deer Fence

Before starting your garden deer fence, careful planning is essential. Your fence will become a permanent structure in your landscape, so placement and size need to be carefully considered.

Remember, you need your garden to be close to available water, located in an area with full-sun, and preferably not in a frost pocket. It’s also nice if the space isn’t too fare from your house. The more time you spend in your garden, the better your growing success will be.

Start by measuring total linear feet along your planned fence line. Most wire fence materials come in set lengths, so knowing the garden perimeter distance will inform how much fencing and posts you need to buy.

Required Materials for Sturdy Garden Deer Fence Construction

For our DIY garden deer fence project, we used:

• 10 foot pressure treated posts
• Concrete
• Heavy gauge wire for bracing corners
• Rebar for bracing corners
• Galvanized woven wire wire fencing rolls
• Garden Gate
• Ground stakes and nylon rope for marking fence lines and corners
• Fencing staples
• Fencing hammer
• Fencing pliers
• Post hole digger (we used a hand held post hole digger, but a tractor mounted one would certainly speed things up – and save your back!)
• Level
• Measuring tape
• A good pair of work gloves

Initial Site Preparation

Start by establishing the fence line using stakes and string, marking post positions every 10 feet. This spacing provides excellent fence support while making the most efficient use of fencing materials.

For easy access to your fence line during installation, clear a path about 2 feet wide. Remove any obstacles that could interfere with your posts or ground stakes.

Post Installation Process

The key to a sturdy long-lasting fence is proper post installation. If your posts are solid, your fence will be solid.

Post stability can be dependent on the type of soil in your area. The soil in our area is heavy to clay, so it was imperative that we add concrete to each fence post hole to add stability. When our soils get wet, they will not hold a post in place.

Ground sleeves for concrete can provide extra stability to posts, but we couldn’t justify the added expense of ground sleeves, so we did not use them.

Each post hole should be 3 feet deep and 10-12 inches in diameter. You can back-fill post holes with native soil, gravel, or concrete.

Carefully consider your soil stability and your garden size when choosing what the back-fill your post holes with. Concrete will always be the most stable option.

Also consider water drainage around your garden deer fence posts. If your garden area does not have good soil drainage and becomes water-logged, it may be a good idea to install some french drains or other drainage structures to divert water away from your posts. Wet soil can lead to rotting fence posts, which will require you to dig up and replace rotten posts in the future.

Post Installation steps:

1. Using your string line, designate post locations every 10 feet along the perimeter of the fence.
2. Use a post hole digger to dig holes in all the post locations 3 feet deep and 10-12 inches in diameter.
3. Pour a small layer of concrete in the bottom of the hole.
4. Place pressure treated post in the hole and back-fill with concrete, gravel, or native soil.
5. Make sure you keep the post level while you are back-filling the hole. This usually requires one person holding the post level and checking for level while another person is filling in the hole.
6. Allow concrete to cure fully cure before attaching woven wire fence or corner braces. If back-filling with gravel or native soil, tamp and pack each layer of material as you add it to the hole. This will increase the stability of your posts.
7. After posts are established, brace fence corners with an H-brace by attaching bracing between each corner post and the next closest posts in each direction. Look here for details on how to install an H-brace.

Install Weed Barrier in the Fence Line

After installing the posts, but before installing the wire fencing, it’s a great idea to put down some landscape fabric along the fence line as a weed barrier. Adding a weed barrier under your fence will save you time in the future pulling weeds that are growing up under your fence. Make sure you use a thick, durable landscape fabric that will last for many years.

Installing Fencing Materials

For large gardens in areas with large deer populations, heavy duty wire fence will provide better protection than poly deer fencing or basic deer netting. When choosing what type of wire fencing to use, consider the opening size of your fence mesh.

Smaller opening sizes will not only deter deer, but will also protect against smaller animals like rabbits and raccoons. The wire fencing we used has larger opening on the top and smaller openings on the bottom. This is perfect for vegetable garden protection.

Wire Fencing Installation steps:

1. Starting at a corner post, secure the end of the wire fencing roll to the post using fencing staples and a fencing hammer.
2. Unroll the wire fence toward the next post. Make sure your fence is stretched as tight as possible before attaching the fence to the next post. We used our tractor to pull the fence while we attached it to each post.
3. Keep working your way around the perimeter attaching the fencing to each post with fencing staples.
4. When you reach the end of your fencing roll, attach the ends of the old and new roll together with your fencing pliers. This process involved twisting each wire around the other fence to create a strong seam.
5. When you finally make it all the way around your garden perimeter, you can attach the fencing to the last post and then trim off any excess fencing using your fencing pliers. You will want to leave one 10 foot section open so you can install your garden gate.

Fencing tip: Black PVC coated wire can provide added durability while blending into the landscape better than plain metal fences, but PVC coated wire fencing can add additional cost.

Creating Access Points

Your garden deer fence needs well-planned entry points. For our large garden, we installed an off the shelf 10 foot wide gate that we can open for bringing wheel barrows and other equipment into the garden. This gate included a smaller gate for easy access. It’s the perfect solution for our garden.

If you are building a DIY gate for your garden, consider these construction tips:

• Use sturdy construction methods
• Install heavy duty hinges
• Add cross-bracing for stability
• Secure with quality latches
• Consider automatic closing mechanisms

Ground-Level Protection Ideas

Even the tallest fence needs proper ground-level security. Many small animals and large snakes can exploit gaps at the base of your fence.

Here are some ideas for install physical barriers at the ground level:

• Extend wire mesh underground to deter voles and moles.
• Use ground stakes every few feet to deter voles and moles.
• Add ground sleeves around posts to prevent rotting and animal damage.
• Consider electric fencing at base level to further deter smaller animals.

Seasonal Maintenance for Effective Garden Deer Fences

Regular maintenance ensures your garden fence remains a great solution for years. If you build your garden fence properly, it will require very little maintenance. It is always good to develop a routine inspection schedule focusing on both fence line stability and deer damage prevention.

Monthly tasks:

• Check tension cable tightness.
• Clear vegetation from the fence line.
• Monitor for signs of smaller animals.
• Check electric fencing if installed.

Yearly Tasks:

• Repair any frost heave damage.
• Replace any damaged posts.
• Check gates for proper operation.
• Plan for additional support if needed.

Cost Considerations for Different Fence Types

While poly deer fence or basic deer netting might seem cheaper initially, investing in sturdy construction often proves more economical over time. The decision will depend on your garden size, your physical abilities, and the deer population in your area.

For small areas, garden deer fence kits can provide an economical solution with easy DIY installation, but they may not last as long as the sturdy fence we built.

Important Safety Considerations

When dealing with any type of fence, especially those using electric fencing, safety should be your first priority:

• Maintain clear signs for electric fence areas.
• Cap all exposed t posts.
• Secure all fence ties properly.
• Keep gates functioning smoothly.

Effective Long-Term Protection

A properly constructed garden deer fence provides multiple benefits:

• Year-round deer proof protection.
• Security from smaller animals.
• Flexibility to grow any plant without worrying if the deer will eat it.

A sturdy deer proof fence also helps protect cover crops during off-season periods, ensuring soil improvement continues uninterrupted.

Building an effective garden deer fence requires careful planning and hard work, but the results are worth the effort. Whether you choose metal fences, chain link fences, or deer fence kits, proper installation is key to long-term success.

A well-maintained garden deer fence can provide years of protection for your vegetable garden.

Take time to plan each step carefully, from measuring linear feet to selecting the right fencing. The effort you invest in building a quality deer proof fence will reward you with years of successful gardening.

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