Garden Fence (Part 3): Keeping out Deer and other large animals

[@matthewrisley9070]

You hands down make the best gardening videos. Your animation and storytelling is phenomenal. Keep it up! It's always Christmas when you post a new video

[@lengraziani7533]

I found a deer remedy that sounded crazy but works great and super cheap and easy. Put 30lb fishing line around your garden at 3 ft high. I read that deer can’t see the line and it therefore frightens them. It actually works. I have a regular fence for other critters (5 ft tall square fencing) and the fishing line about 3 feet in front of that. The only deer that got through happened when a branch brought down a section of the fishing line.

[@MrChickadee]

I imagine some type of gate would be needed to access the garden especially with a cart. I'm interested in how you thought to construct a gate which would not negate the effects of both the L shaped hardware cloth on bottom and 8' of deer wire on top.

[@The990990990]

I moved to Finland a few years ago, originally from Winnipeg, skip ahead a few years and i am buying a house with a massive backyard with my wife. I’m really looking to binge watch most of your videos. You have some crazy animation going on here, very creative and inspiring. Awesome channel.

[@AloneinRemoteAlaska]

Good to see the update on the fence! Thanks for sharing.

[@user-cg7tl]

For foxes you just put a diagonal outer overhang and they can't hang on. Maybe that's what your next video is about. Edit: You haven't made part 4 yet. :( Let me know what you come up with. Edit 2: I found this: "The most effective fence to exclude raccoons is electric. Use a 2-wire electric fence, placing wires 6 and 12 inches above ground. Set the fence on a timer, running it only after dark." But if you put electric, it could harm other crtters so maybe you don't want that. Another option is "scaring them off with motion-detecting sprinklers or strobe lights. Radios and other noise-makers can also deter raccoons. Switch up your scare strategies to keep raccoons from becoming accustomed to one method." Edit 3: "some gardeners report success with deterring raccoon damage on corn if it’s surrounded by prickly squash or pumpkin vines. Others lace bird seed with cayenne (it doesn’t bother birds) to deter these masked bandits." Although I'd be interested to see if the overhang idea works. Maybe not, racoons aren't foxes, I wonder if anyone has tried it.

[@lrrerh8090]

What great animation and storytelling.

[@bellydancingdog]

Always so peaceful to watch, thank you for another relaxing video. Consumed it alone with my breakfast this morning 😊

[@lvs6775]

A channel I love watching is Perma Pasture Farm. To keep deer from destroying their trees, they apply a concoction called “bone sauce” directly on the tree but they’ve also applied it to fence posts. They and others have tested it and have said it works wonders. Supposedly this can deter deer for 25 YEARS. I look forward to each of your videos. Great content!

[@TheRainHarvester]

What's it made of?!

[@lvs6775]

@@TheRainHarvester bones of various animals. It’s a 14-some hour process, mostly inactive, but the bones are cooked down to a thick liquid, hence the name. I’d check out their channel if you want more details on the process and how it’s used. It’s a great channel.

[@TheRainHarvester]

@@lvs6775 Thanks! I frequent the channel and like it! I just couldn't find the recipe!

[@chantal-ck3ov]

I so appreciate your videos! They're high quality and straight forward. Anxiously awaiting Part 4!

[@cindydavis8237]

Have you thought of getting livestock guardian dogs. That is what we did. With underground wire system for the dogs they can go around the garden but not in it. We have had them for 3 years and no deer, raccoons or other large animals have made it in the garden. They have even help keep the mole population down.

[@carolynm3642]

A suggestion I would have is using J Clips to sew the fence sections together. It is so much easier. They crimp down on both wires of the fences in a permanent way. Check Amazon for the clips and the tool to clamp it.

[@irenesgardenandmore]

I’m new to your channel and promptly realized that you have a very soothing voice and perfect to tell a story or read a book ! I liked your video ! I’ll come back to see more !

[@Galluchh]

Never thought I'd see the day... You guys actually have fencing! Nice!

[@anbb5114]

You do make great videos. The style of your delivery, the logical, concise information is wonderful. It is a pleasure. Thanks!

[@BackToReality]

Thanks Meg, I'm so glad you enjoy them! :)

[@AJWGBFX]

Very interesting and amusing - my main problems here in UK are pigeons and slugs, so i think I'm luckier than you. Keep posting, please, you lighten our days in these trying times.

[@drewblack749]

Egg shells deter slugs as does food grade diatomaceous earth.

[@jeanniewahine5443]

Ah, this is exactly where I find myself! I am looking into solar electric fencing. Looking forward to your next installment!!

[@debo4706]

That is a very good idea.

[@jameskniskern2261]

I have the raccoons... They didn't appreciate the solar electric netting. And I got more corn out of the deal. I had to put up bird tape to scare off the blackbirds for about 3 weeks too. Luckily that is easy to put up and take down.

[@savegraysoncats]

So good to hear from you! Happy New Year!!

[@OscarTavera]

I am so happy to see this video, I miss you guys!

[@rosea830]

Have you thought about a large, smelly dog to walk around the perimeter? We had a lovely dog that we taught many tricks to and she would go to the bathroom on cue. We didn't realize how many predators she kept out of our chicken run until 6 months after she died (natural causes). Now everything that loves a chicken dinner has been trying to pay a visit. Electric fencing at 6 and 18 inches is probably what you need, though, with a solar energizer. Happy New Year!

[@frithar]

We started collecting a depositing our doggo poo around the perimeter of the yard and it kept out most animals.

[@ninja5672]

Since there is no part 4 up yet, I'll say I would go with electric fencing. Run an electric wire or two outside the posts, close enough together that racoons can't squeeze through, don't bother with chicken wire, and run something cheap up high enough for deer. Essentially what they did the first time with deer fencing, but with 1-2 electric wires about 1-2 feet off the ground to keep racoons out and off the fence. If you run 2 wires, I would put them 6 inches apart so a racoon cannot avoid one without touching the other.

[@laurieanne9712]

I always learn so much from your posts!

[@yanickguilbeault2771]

Great video! Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@AmelieHarms]

Beautiful fence! I'm so happy to see that fence grow. 😄

[@TashJansson]

woohoo! looking forward to see what happens next with this fence!

[@nomiss2593]

Hey, great job on the fence! The land your working on seems rather large, so why not turn the fence into a nice thick thorny hedgerow over the years? 😄 Wild roses and other thorny shrubs (in Europe we use Hawthorne and Sloe for example) make a great barrier against the bigger wildlife, although i don't know if it would stop rocoons. But hedges are beautiful, biodiverse structures that solve multiple purposes at once and benefit us and many other creatures as well. :) I know that in the UK they have hedge laying techniques, that make the hedgerows even harder for bigger animals to cross. Thanks for your videos and greetings from Germany. :)

[@michelleprull4105]

I did a chicken wire fence 3 years ago and I think it works great and looks ok. Only problem is a few weeks ago we had strong winds and one section ripped open. Should be easy to fix though once spring comes.

[@byronjohnson4268]

i've found the type of staples you and I use, break or come out of the wood after a few years. i'll be looking for heavy staples that work with my pneumatic staple gun. squirrels are great climbers, i bought a 2000 volt fence power supply 25.00 dollars, some insulators, aluminum wire and run two wires parallel about 1 inch apart at the top of the fence. this works. It kills 2 to 5 squirrels a year, but more always come back. my only problem now are birds eating the young plants, i use 1/2 inch (12 mm) hardware cloth to cover the plants until they grow to 4 inches/100 mm or so. now its just the bugs, i spray them with dish soap, water and sometimes Neem oil, for Japanese beetles. I had no idea, gardening was so hard.

[@lizduerholt4033]

Okay, thank you! This is brilliant in all the ways. I am about to build a deer fence and this is the best video I've seen by far. Hats off to you from a fellow gardener in Calgary. :)

[@MountainGardenGirl]

Hi, just watched this video and really loved your presentation and valuable tips. Here is a couple ideas for you to expand from. As eager to find free stuff dumpster divers we come home with many fragments of assorted fencing...usually we roll it up to bring home. We have learned inadvertently that wider rolls of old fencing around small gardens are great deer deterrents because they don't like getting their feet stuck..we don't either and have fallen victim to that many times. LOL We also use short arched fence hoops to border the garden...too hard to jump over for deer...but anything else can enter. One summer, we double the arches height wise and came up with excellent tomato grow fences that the deer did not understand how to approach...at least at first. But ideas springboard other ideas and nothing for nothing cheap laundry baskets from dollar tree turned upside down over plants was the greatest idea for smaller plants. I use laundry bags from same place over the basket for chipmunk barriers...because here, chipmunks are our hardest pest to deal with. The trick is not to create so much wind resistance that your structures get damaged but still provide protection. Thanks for spring boarding ideas for us to use as well. It is so appreciated to find people of like mind regarding nature and to find a way to weave within her network.

[@Not_So_Weird_in_Austin]

Thanks we are contemplating a remote garden in Central Texas on our kids ranch where rabbits, deer, raccoons, and wild hogs are an issue.

[@annetten4166]

Your experience and knowledge are so helpful thanks for this video, from Wy.

[@jeshurunfarm]

Thanks that was, like always, fun. Respect from Africa 🇿🇦

[@teresasuderman2199]

I know this would add a lot of effort with more fence posts, but I've seen others put up 2 shorter fences 5 or 6 feet apart to keep out deer. Apparently they have a hard time judging distances and if they cannot tell how far apart the fences are they will leave them alone. Then you only need like 5 foot fences but again 2 of them. You then have a moat around your whole garden. If you still have trouble with the deer maybe look into this. Great video as always.

[@anbb5114]

Yes, we are trying that this year...two simple fences about 5 feet apart.

[@saedsadeghi3928]

How about throwing some extra seeds of variety of vegetables outside your fenced garden maybe a bit away from your garden for our animal friends so they also enjoy the garden while leaving your portion of the fenced garden alone along with your fence. This way they have some delicious foods as well as you!!!

[@gloriagehring8676]

That's what I plan to do....edibles for all.

[@lightdark00]

With the land they have, doing it much further away would be better. Don't want to invite them only to test the defenses on the main stuff.

[@toesinsand1903]

I tried that. Got a mouse population EXPLOSION! All fat and sassy.

[@BeautifulUnschoolLife]

Another great video! I appreciate that you put so much care into the editing. Quality of quantity! I have used the plastic deer fencing successfully for a couple of years, but it doesn't deter the raccoons OR the stray neighbourhood cats. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do about those!

[@EdbbieRosado]

I was waiting with bated breath. Thank you for sharing. ^_^

[@Crina-LudmilaCristeaAuthor]

Loving the animations - so funny!🤗

[@wolfmooch]

Cattle panel and solar zap zap worked for me. Great video

[@helpinggoodgrow]

Good to see you again! Great video/series. Happy, Healthy, Abundant New Year!!

[@WaitWhat99]

Hi from Australia 👋🇦🇺 LOVE LOVE LOVE your video. Ive been binge watching them lol CANNOT WAIT for part 4

[@soundrew]

Excellent video. Perfect audio, great graphics and content with concise delivery. I will incorporate some of your tips on our fence project. Thanks!

[@savegraysoncats]

You might want to look up cat proof fencing for the top. It may keep out the raccoons

[@denisestone8491]

Living Traditions Homestead (KZbin channel) also had a deer fence installed. It's a double fence and he uses the inside as a chicken run, but he hasn't had any deer problems this year after installation. Most homesteaders use solar electric fencing to deter animals...this works also.

[@tomageorge]

Neat and efficient, great job!

[@nekoDan]

Informative and fun to watch! I love your animations.

[@cliffthegardener]

👍 Nice to see progress. Like your technique for stretching the chicken wire. Don't know if of use but as a student had to monitor amphibious wildlife in a pond. For that used a wide S shape so when animals so when animals climbed up they had a wide semi circle to navigate. This protruded sideways out from the fence. Worked for our small animals. Kept then out . No idea as to if it works for raccoons as not a British native. Wishing you and Paula all the best for 2022.

[@lightdark00]

Raccoons have cat software with better climbing hardware, but lacking jumping skills. I would have used two three foot sections of chicken wire and have a electric fence wire in the middle. I think that would be easier than adding something extra at the very top in this case. I'm saying this a raccoon lover.

[@GreenMachine1365]

A garden without a fence is called a food plot. To expect anything else is a guarantee of disappointment. Also, highly recommend a batten-style method of attaching your fencing instead of staples, as those staples rust or loosen very quickly. A thin board (pallet wood is great upcycle source) nailed or screwed over the fencing and into the posts is far better. I've heard the best deterrent for the racoons is .22 caliber lead supplementation. Great video!

[@LadyKyKy]

You should look into a side gig for audiobooks because your narration is amazing!!

[@BackToReality]

Thanks KyKy, I really appreciate that :)

[@janebrommet7942]

Just a tip. I have made all sorts of genres and i would advise you to put a strong iron wire at the top of your fense to stregthen it.. attach it to each pole and with that light iron wire connect it to the material so it stays up from.. Good luck

[@williamclark1081]

In East Texas - we use cattle panels on the bottom of the fence and then 7 ft deer netting from 10 ft high.lastly I put chicken wire around the base, to fight rabbits and ground animals.

[@BackToReality]

We've tried to buy cattle panels here in Canada, and they are SHOCKINGLY expensive. I see people in the US talking about buying them for $20 each. So far, the cheapest we can find here are closer to $100. So unfortunately, that puts them out of our budget for now.

[@TrehanCreekOutdoors]

After 16 years living on a 20 acre homestead that I manage FOR wildlife, I have come to appreciate the difficulty of keeping a HUGE variety of critters out of my organic garden. Deer are the largest and most destructive pests to keep out for sure! Fencing to keep deer out must be a minimum of 8 foot high. If deer can get a running start and have a clear spot to land inside the fence, some larger deer can easily clear even an 8 foot fence. High fencing for deer here in Mississippi is therefore considered to ideally be a 10 foot fence. Given that sometimes a deer will actually try the jump, fail to clear, and bash into the fence, it must be sturdy enough to withstand the force of a 200 pound deer hurtling into it. Chicken wire isn't nearly strong enough. Cattle panels are however. The problem however is deer are NOT the only hungry critters who will visit your veggie gardens. Everything has to eat and many enjoy fresh organic veggies plucked right off the vines. Critters can dig UNDER a fence, some can CLIMB a fence, others can CHEW or squeeze through a fence, etc. so there is NO ONE SINGLE FENCE that works for every type of creature. Even if you defend against land animals successfully, there are tons of different types of birds who will also attack your crops. Fencing won't keep any of those out. They will fly in and out with ease. If you REALLY want to keep critters out, you will need a high tunnel surrounded by protective fencing! It basically costs a ton of money to try to keep all pests out of a garden and eventually nearly always something gets in anyway. Probably the best answer I have found is to plant more than you will need and don't worry about some occasional loss. But do fence out the deer. They are just eating machines that can destroy an entire garden in one single night. Good luck!

[@gittawynant157]

Ahw it was over so soon. I wish you had more content. But i realise you got other stuff to do. Can't wait till part 4! Good luck!

[@craniumrex4614]

Wonderful video - very engaging to watch - great animation and hugely informative.

[@LBurnsy]

Love love love your videos! I get so excited when u post a new one. Highlight of my day! Keep up the amazing work! Good vibes your way 👩🏼‍🌾💕👨‍🌾

[@LGGGlove]

Very good u addressed all my concerns

[@fraforgt-350r2]

Great videos mate very informative, I do a fair bit of stock fencing here in the UK and I’ve got some advices for installing fenceposts. First of all, you never use concrete in a stock fence in the countryside - it’s just not necessary because it wastes time, rots the posts quicker and when you need to replace them eventually - it will be really quite a pain to remove them with their massive chunks of concrete on the bottom. Second of all, if your land is soft enough, always drive your posts in with either a hydraulic or even a Manual post driver. If it’s too hard you can use an augur first which is the perfect size for the post and then knock them in. Now for big gate posts I personally don’t have the equipment needed to drive them in, so I go in the same route you took in this video. Dig a hole with a few inches around the posts to fit your tamper bar in there, put your post in and refill the hole with dirt gradually - tamping it regularly. Sometimes if I want a really solid and rot-proof post i will fill the hole with rocks instead - these help to make the post basically as sturdy if it was concreted but it also allows for really good drainage which is important to stop posts rotting.

[@harveyhaines5383]

Happy New Year, guys! Excited to have more videos on your fencing.

[@deborahcochrane2432]

Great to hear from you guys! Happy New Year, all the best for 2022!

[@HomesteadHopeful]

I’ve been wondering how this was going. Thanks for the update and info. We went with an electric fence.

[@TheEmbrio]

Nicely edited videos. I would suggest diagonal between your posts for rigidity, resistance to wind, longevity.

[@gathercreatelivewithleslie8340]

We did the sewing thing also when covering our chicken coop. Then I found out about j hooks I think is what It is called, I will be doing this with the next chicken coop, we just expanded. Then using these with our deer fencing also.

[@worganyos]

Experiment idea: 2 small greenhouses (like 5x5), one with a large barrel of water in it, one without. Does the thermal mass make a difference? Record temperatures day and night, also grow seedlings in both and see how they do.

[@user-cg7tl]

Also of course it would cost money, but could be worth it since it's the most friendly to nature: Add a roof. It wouldn't take much to add wooden crossbeams across the top of the posts, and then cover the roof with chicken wire. Just make it strong enough, but a 2x4 should probably do it.

[@gardenboots7464]

ALWAYS wonderful content, very helpful and encouraging.

[@frithar]

Happy new year! Lovely to hear from you here!

[@BackToReality]

Happy New Year to you too!! :)

[@md.abutahersagor8180]

Very informative, good work guys

[@DidooDalwen]

As always a very nice video... and fence. I did the same sewing process 2 years ago for my ducks run and it was plain in the a%#@ since I did not skip a single hole in my hardware cloth. I ended up with the same tricks as you.

[@Carhug2012]

I've been waiting for this for 4 years!!!!!!!!! Woot Woot!

[@deborahgrantham7387]

We have found that solar electric fencing is the least expensive, least maintenance, most mobile option. Critters are a varied and resourceful opponent, so there will always be a new opportunity to thwart their efforts to eat my plants. It’s what makes life interesting.

[@jabi2090]

Couple strings of electric fence wire around the bottom to keep the raccoons from getting to the fence in the first place is about the only good option. Can't get on it to climb over and can't tear it apart. Good luck, almost nothing stops a determined full grown raccoon.

[@G-boi]

Maybe put barb wire on the top to keep the climbing animals out.!.

[@ManWander]

HAPPY New Year!!

[@chriswatson199]

I'd love to see Part 4 of this series, or at least a quick wrap up video with the highlights. Do you have any details to share regarding the climbing marauders?

[@marcellemay7721]

Part 4 must be still in production.

[@Quinteros777]

@2:32 What ever, i wasn't hungry anyway... LOL

[@patriciameek4645]

Love it your design on video is super good and I am sharing for the students!!! Thank you for sharing it boy! I bet video is hard work put things together and this is Awesome!!!

[@stitchhappens9096]

I'd like to see how you made the gate.

[@CarlosJimenez_93]

Great video!! And just like that the garden is fenced!! What a milestone. What if you add a top part that fans out and moves away from the fence for the climbing animals, maybe even some barbed wire.

[@claudettesteeves]

Your video is so well done!

[@tneves1641]

What if you choose a natural fence as a barrier such as a shrub with needles? It would take longer to "build" since you would need to wait for it to grow and act as a fence but it could be the next step when this garden fence is done.

[@lf4061]

I have found that as long as deer can see what is on other side of fence and whether they have a somewhat clear landing space, they will jump over a fence as high as 12 feet! THey do not jump over my six foot solid wood privacy fence so I am hoping if I continue it around yard, they will not jump over since they cannot see what jumping into. I have also heard that they will not jump over if there is double fencing only 4 ft apart, but I would be afraid they would still try and end up breaking a leg.

[@teaganroehl]

Yay you guys are posting again!

[@hopechannelcat5462]

happy new year

[@tomasbakker4059]

Yesssss the fence is back !!!!!

[@KatesDesignCottage]

I absolutely love your very informative videoes and I have been binge watching them. I would love a video on sowing and planting the plants, in particular direct sowing, since it seems so much easier. Which plants can you sow directly with Ruth Stout Method and which veggies should be covered with hay and which shouldn’t? Like your potatoes and strawberries are planted differently😄

[@nancyobrien7994]

Looking forward to Part 4. Also, how would you install a gate to get into your "fortress" without compromising the hardware cloth you put down as a deterrent for little critters?

[@pamfoster3923]

I love your attention to detail ex) brussel sprouts in the deer's mouth Lol. Still loving your videos :)

[@YoushaAhmad]

Nice to see another video from yourselves. I am impressed with the animations as well at the information. Good job! Hopefully this increase the productivity of the garden for years to come. Have you heard about hog ring ties? When I was looking into fencing, in addition to the sewing method I have seen hog ring ties and fencing clips as alternatives. That could speed things up for a lot of fencing. Not sure it would be as good as the sewing method for attaching to hardware cloth though. I think your method may be best for they as it distributes the stress/ tension across a wide area, which is geuss is useful with the thin gauge of hardware cloth.

[@PokyHoles]

Hey man I'm about to construct a fence with chicken wire the same way you did this winter. I'm wondering if yours worked or not. Hope you come out with a part 4. But if you could give us the gist responding to this comment it would really help me come up with a decision whether yo go with this or just invest on a fixed knot 8ft fence

[@marthasundquist5761]

Bravo! Now all you need is a duck patrol inside for insect/slug pest management. Kiddie pool on one end and food on the other so they must criss cross to eat and drink. Oh and some spare chicken wire or hardware cloth to arch over a bed of tender green stuff emerging that they might want for salad instead of bugs. Free fertilizing included!

[@Nick-vl7lk]

Fishing line trial failed abysmally for us. But a 4 ft fence with a top line at 5ft has stopped any deer issues for us. I've watched deer clear 10ft fences before when cornered, so no point for us to try go higher. I've found deer prefer to crawl under a fence and lift them rather than jump over it.

[@SD-zk2te]

New to your channel. Excellent explanations, you have given me some ideas for my garden. When will part 4 be posted?

[@feltingme]

Amazingly well made video. Any updates about the quackgrass?

[@miningbruno]

The links for fence's part 1, and for "Ruth Stout's Worst Enemy" are both broken.

[@MartinaSchoppe]

tried to watch Part 1 (following the link in the description) got a "Video is not available anymore"...

[@hansmaulwurf6805]

You have, as always, so cute animations. What software do you use to make these?

[@GurtGobain]

Ah yes the latest annual installment from The Garden Fence Channel

[@mehkzkhem]

You need to attach durable 2 feet width plastic halfway throughout the fence. We use those plastic around tree in my village to avoid mouse climbing rice straw storage´s tree

[@mehkzkhem]

Forget to say for racoons!!! 🤣😂

[@liamwinter4512]

Is it important to have it mesh fence and see through. We have considered planting a creeping ivy that's easily managed to essentially enclose our garden.