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How Can I Keep Deer Out of My Veggie Garden #870788

Asked May 30, 2024, 2:41 PM EDT

I am trying to grow a garden in my yard, but I am fearful that the deer will eat the plants of my entire veggie garden.
I live in a heavily wooded area. There are large herds of deer that come  in to my fenced yard and eat up certain plants like hostas, hibiscus, and many others.
Please what can I do to protect my garden from deer, fox, groundhogs, racoons and other animals?
I have already dug up a 25 X 13ft space in the yard, but was thinking about putting some netting around the perimeters before putting my plants in the ground.

-Thanks

Prince George's County Maryland

Expert Response

A physical barrier like fencing is the best approach to keep deer out of a garden area. We have a couple videos about this topic on our YouTube channel; they're probably a bit out-of-date with regards to price-per-foot materials estimates, and the presentation format overall is a bit dated, but the ideas shared might be helpful: Foxes can eat fruits and other plant matter, but in general, they will help keep rabbits, moles, voles, and young groundhogs out of the area since they're prey for the foxes. Raccoons can climb well (we've seen them 3 to 4 stores high up in a tree, eating berries) so little will deter them reliably, but the electrified fence mentioned in the first video should work if they are forced to go up and over a fence instead of prying a midsection apart (that might not be electrified) and getting in that way. Groundhogs can also climb (they too can surprisingly get into the lower branches of a tree), but probably would be easier to deter with an electric wire as well.

One other tactic gardeners use to keep animals from either climbing up and over a fence or flying into the enclosure from above is to treat the area like an outdoor room, putting fencing/wire across the "ceiling" as well. (Photo example attached.) A door can be built into the structure, which will effectively keep most mammals out. If a mesh or wire barrier that forms the walls is open-weave enough, it will still allow bumble bees and other important pollinators into the room to pollinate the flowers necessary for squash, cucumbers, and other crops.

Miri

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