I have to tell you, as I approach 70 and look around at our 56 acres, I wonder how much longer I can maintain it all. Each year my wife does less outside, which mean I do more.
I like that idea… and will be implementing the first time they try to jump the wires. So far, like last night, they look at it and move on. Once I make the end rows “deer resistant“ then we will see. For now they are just hammering the end rows.I have seen people erect a five foot fence then add three-foot extensions that angle outward with two single wires. I think the theory is that deer standing at the fence look up and sees the wires overhead. Seems to work.
My wife claims it’s keeping me out of trouble.@GSMChris - from the photos, you have a lot of work happening there
I think using the electric “tape” for the extension wires would work even better.I like that idea… and will be implementing the first time they try to jump the wires. So far, like last night, they look at it and move on. Once I make the end rows “deer resistant“ then we will see. For now they are just hammering the end rows.
On Sunday, we installed 7 foot plastic deer fencing.
On the south side, where the plants are on the “outside” of the support stakes, we installed cross arms at the 4 and 6 foot marks and then ran 14 gauge wire. The cross arms got the wire clear of the tubing - and then we pulled the bottom out about two feet, stapling it to the ground every five-six feet.
On the north side, the plants are inside the support stakes, so we simply installed the two wires directly to the T-posts and end posts. Then the fencing was zip tied to all of the various wires and posts. Went through two 100 zip tie bags in all so I suspect we were a little enthusiastic.
Video thus far shows the deer nosing around the fencing but not making any attempts to break through. My attitude is we shall see. Next step will be to charge up the wires on the end posts and add a wire to the deer netting as an incentive to go elsewhere.
I hope the plastic holds up. We've had deer run thru electric tape and plastic fence before.Here is a photo of the lower end where we attached directly to the T posts and wire
View attachment 92099
@GSMChris
Thanks. I see you still need to install your trellis system as well. My garden fence is just a temporary five-foot poly fence. I take it down every winter and this is the first year in 4 that a deer has run through it. My deer have lots of options so they don’t want to work too hard for a meal. So far a few applications of liquid repellent since the tubes came off has worked for the vines. I’m still planning a permanent fence around the garden and vineyard for raccoons, turkeys and deer. Also for chicken protection as predators have wiped out my free range flock for the second year in a row .
Yep. You just need to make it marginally more difficult for the deer than your neighbors vineyard.Re the trellis - I simply did the irrigation wire and the fruiting wire this year. I'm planning on installing the cross arms and catch wires after I prune.
For now, I am simply trying to make it so the deer have to work harder to dine in the vineyard than they do to dine in my neighbors yard... Long term, hardly any of my neighbors- including the commercial neighbors have any deer fencing. Other neighborhoods are more deer intensive and there the fences have gone up. So I will have to see once the vines are older.
Thanks for the idea on the white plastic bags - I'll add that to the next steps!!! Although the real next step - if they get in - is electrifying the white wire on the end posts.
Ditto. Our struggle is keeping the weeds down in the vineyard. Some of my youngest vines are going to have to be "found" this fall. I sprayed herbicide but with all the rain we've had this year the weeds just keep on going. I only see bare dirt when we plow and till early in the year and I never see bare dirt in the vineyard.Very interesting climate you have there. It’s very strange to see vineyards with no ground cover… just dirt. We have so much rain here that bare dirt would quickly erode away. And keeping it bare would be a constant struggle. I can skip weeding the garden for a week and I will have pigweed that’s a foot tall!
Enter your email address to join: