Use Raised Garden Beds to Battle Deer and Dirt

The How Do Gardener ^ | March 10, 2012 | Rick Bickling

[orsonwb]

One of the best ways to combat the deer, the dirt, and freezing temperatures, while optimizing your available garden space, is with the use of raised garden beds...

[Arrowhead1952]

I’ve seen deer jump a five foot fence with no problem. I’ve heard that if a deer cannot see what is on the other side of a fence, they won’t jump.

[Arrowhead1952]

I may be able to find some mimosa seed pods. There may still be a few in the yard.

[bgill]

A deer in the freezer won’t eat your garden.

[MrB]

I bought some on ebay from a mexico supplier and they wouldn’t sprout, they just molded in the starter soil.

I don’t blame the supplier so much - I waited too long to try to sprout them.

I appreciate your willingness to help out.
When you know for sure that you can do it, we’ll work it out via FReepmail.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

We have mimosas all over the place. They are not native to Missouri but have taken off since being imported.
I cut down a large mimosa that had died for unknown reasons and was amazed at the wood. It is very dense, almost like walnut.
When do the seeds drop ?

[MrB]

Good to hear that. I’m in the NE Ks area. The folks at Powell Gardens (mid mo) were skeptical that these trees would survive our winters.
The Ozarks aren’t that much milder, to be sure.

[MrB]

Great advice - anyone confirm that this works?
Might be a great barrier around a chicken coop as well, eh?

[trisham]

We have a six foot, chain link fence that encloses about a quarter acre. We have never had deer inside the fence, but we have had wild turkeys. Generally, nothing comes into our yard, probably because we have four hounds. Unfortunately, locating the garden there is impractical, because the hounds like to eat plants.

We do grow lots of chives, sage, rosemary, parsley, basil and hot peppers in flower "boxes" on the deck. The "boxes" hang over the outside of the railing, about ten feet off the ground, are somewhat difficult for the dogs to reach, and completely safe from deer.

[proud American in Canada]

bttt for later reading—this is quite intriging.

So you don`t have to construct something out of wood, you can just put down cardboard, newspapers, soil and compost? Wow. That is amazing.

I’ve got seeds but was not looking forward to backbreaking work. I’m getting too old for that! :)

I’ll check back here when I have more time.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The Lake of the Ozarks has about the same wx as Wichita. Hot, humid but without the KS wind that seems to blow all the time.
Be careful with mimosas; they do spread like weeds.

[afraidfortherepublic]

I used several layers of cardboard under my raised beds and also under the paths between. The cardboard was from shipping boxes left at our plant by a customer that has gone out of business. The boxes were too large to be used for anything else.

The garden is in its third year and doing fine. Weeds have not been a problem in my beds, although I get them in the paths a little bit. I have mats made out of recycled tires rolled out to cover the paths between the beds. What weeds do come up are easily pulled.

I have a 6 foot wire fence around the garden. The deer broke in the first winter -- not over the fence, right through the gate. (The latch had rusted). They damaged the fence trying to get out. My husband straightened it up, and I tied flourescent streamers around the top. We've had no more trouble with those varmints. Woodchucks have not bothered the garden, although we have them here. I do have a layer of rabbit fencing around the bottom.

This is a picture taken last year at the height of the growing season.

You can see the crimps in the fence used to straighten the wire where the deer bent the fence trying to get out. In the first picture, you can see the gate "latch" I constructed to keep the gate closed after the deer broke the latch on the arbor gate. Actually the latch rusted through and broke right off allowing the deer access. They did the damage to the fence trying to get out.

[N. Theknow]

I triede everything to keep deer out of my garden.

Irish Spring soap in a bag.

Coyote urine (Yes, it is sold in bulk)

Fencing

"Deer-proof" flowers (They just bit off the flowers and spit them out)

Scarecrow

BUT....The ONLY thing that worked 100% was human hair!

Every time I got a haircut I would replenish it.

Worked like a charm!

[afraidfortherepublic]

So you don`t have to construct something out of wood, you can just put down cardboard, newspapers, soil and compost?

That's called "lasagna gardening". Look it up on the web. You'll find lots of information.

[CynicalBear]

Yea I can confirm it works. I always plant cucumbers around my patch of sweet corn. I have never had loss due to raccoons but my neighbors have. The idea comes from the Indians. It’s called the “three sisters”. They planted corn with beans and cucumbers. The corn needs nitrogen, the beans put nitrogen into the ground and surrounded by the spreading cucumbers kept the raccoons out of the corn. I have always had an overabundance of cucumbers but the local grocery stores purchase some and food banks are appreciative.

[SailormanCGA72]

I’ve heard the secret of keeping deer out is to play upon their natural fears of being enclosed.

MrB,

I’ve had a 5’ fence around my 40x60 garden for several years and have never had any deer jump into the garden even though we see 6-10 deer at the nearby feeder every evening. Many times my wife and I will be working in the garden while the deer are at the feeder 50’ away.

[MrB]

Great, thanks.

A couple more things about the “3 sisters” -

the corn provides a climbing stalk for the pole beans,
and the broad leaves on the squash provide weed denying ground cover.

[WestwardHo]

I built a fence around my raised garden with pallets, drove rebar inside them to keep them in place. I’ve stapled cheap plastic garden fence to the insides to keep out ground squirrels, and provide trellis.
I have a disgarded tube frame from a portable canapy over the top with camoflage netting to provide a bit of shade and let the wind through.
Spinach survived frost, snow and cold all winter. Salad greens would have survived, but the birds ate them.

[OB1kNOb]

I use an electric fence, works great.

An elderly man shared a tip with me regarding using an electric fence to keep agressive deer out of the garden. He said to smear peanut butter in several locations on the electric fence (be sure to turn it off first :-)). Since deer are attracted to peanut butter, when they stick their nose or tongue to the wire, they get the shock of their life and won't ever come back.

My brother watched a doe do this last fall when he employed the trick. He said when the doe stuck her nose to smell the peanut butter, he saw the blue zap hit her in the nose, and said she did a double back flip and flew past him at blazing speed. He still laughs when he talks about it.

[Arlis]

4 row electric fence around our 75’ x 75’ garden is worthless against our deer. But then we live in the woods and often have 9 or 10 grazing below our deck first thing in the morning.....

[dubyagee]

.