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02/19/12, 11:30 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 1
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Cheapest Way to Fence in Our Vegetable Garden?
We are renting on a farm and are gearing up for the garden this year. We will be growing intensively on 1/2 - 3/4 acre, to sell at market and also to feed ourselves. We don't have a lot of money to spend on fencing out animals from our garden and we also don't want to invest a ton into fencing we can't take with us when we leave. The farm has quite a bit of bamboo growing on it, actually. We live in Kentucky, by the way. Should we try to build a fence with bamboo and then string electrical wiring around it? To purchase enough wood to build a fence would be way too much of a financial cost to us. And in looking at "kits", those are very high for the amount of space we need to fence. Any help our ideas would be fantastic!
We have a lot of deer here, as well as all the common creatures like rabbit, skunks, squirrels and so on. Also neighboring farms' dogs that like to trespass.
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02/19/12, 12:01 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: central south dakota
Posts: 4,096
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http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/sawyer69.html
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...31&FORM=IDFRIR
free's about as cheap as it gets. I am collecting pallets for doing this as well. haven't decided on which one yet tho., I need to fence off an acre for my goats in a treeline, and for a raised garden area as well, to keep chickens out of my beds. plus the cats, those horrible creatures just love the soft soil in my garden for pooping. argh!
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02/19/12, 01:18 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Central Oregon
Posts: 6,175
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Check your local laws. Around here, anything a tenant attaches to the property must be left. So if you build a fence, you must leave it in place when you leave, unless you have the landlord's permission in writing.
I suggest that you purchase portable fencing if you expect to take it with you.
Electric fencing is cheap and you can use those step-in plastic posts for it. Except they won't be nearly tall enough to keep the deer out. You need a really tall fence for deer. Mine is 7 ft tall and keeps the deer out, but in some areas, the deer will go over a 7 ft fence.
I bought game wire and used the extra tall metal T-posts, with pressure treated posts for the corners and stretchers. Maybe the landlord would agree to let you install game fence and take it with you when you leave. Get it in writing.
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02/19/12, 07:06 PM
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: SW Missouri
Posts: 8,009
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I'd use electric on T posts w/insulators, or, you might try the bamboo. One wire 4' and another 6". Wipe the upper wire down with corn oil to get the deer's attention. You can put the posts 20' apart if you have good corners. A real "deer proof" fence is next to impossible unless you want to put up 9'.
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02/19/12, 07:14 PM
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: northcentral Montana
Posts: 2,541
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Deer damage is a big problem around here. Some people swear by: 1 electric strand at 2' from the ground, and another at 4'. Smear the top strand with molasses -- right from the beginning! The deer lick, get zapped, and stay away, not even jumping over. Evidently, they can't resist the molasses and learn to stay away. Must be repeated with every new fawn crop.
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02/19/12, 07:15 PM
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: No. Cent. AR
Posts: 1,731
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I LOVE using that wood slate snow fencing for my garden protection. RAbbits and larger varmits cannot get through it and the solid "look" seems to deter the deer. Just pound in a few 5' T- posts tie the fence on and your good to go. Gives good wind protection also and can act as support for viney veggies. Easy to roll up and take with you. I brought 4 rolls from SD to Arkansas when I moved. Tractor Supply carries it at $30 or so for a 50' roll, 4' tall.
http://tsc.tractorsupply.com/tractor/Snow-Fence
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02/19/12, 08:13 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 403
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Around here the deer just jump over the snow or construction fencing gardeners put up. It's kind of funny to see the deer eating in the garden after someone has put up all that fencing. I think the bamboo would be a great fence to keep out deer as it is very tall and strong. The only problem would be tying or wiring it all together. That's a lot of bamboo sticks!
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02/19/12, 08:57 PM
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 1,085
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You could use the bamboo to build a wattle fence. I would love to have bamboo to do that with! I have built several with the largest being around the chicken yard. Took me about a week, but didn't cost me a thing. Blessings, Kat
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02/19/12, 09:34 PM
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Very Dairy
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Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Dysfunction Junction
Posts: 14,603
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The folks who built a fence out of pallets by first dismantling them went to a lot of extra trouble IMO!
I just painted mine with some cheap white paint, drove a T-post on each end of the fence and wired them together. Been about 3 years now ... still standing!
__________________
"I love all of this mud," said no one, ever.
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02/20/12, 05:52 AM
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: No. Cent. AR
Posts: 1,731
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Wondering if deer don't jump my snow fencing because I have it up very loose? Was not able to pull it very tight and didn't have many posts either. It will move back and forth in the winds, so maybe that motion keeps them away.
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02/20/12, 09:34 AM
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Brenda Groth
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Michigan
Posts: 7,817
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deer net fencing is not overly expensive, but they will go over..or under..just about anything else..period
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02/20/12, 10:05 AM
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Moderator
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Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 9,511
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I like the pallet idea too, if you can get them, and if it works for you.
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02/20/12, 10:15 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: In the Sunshine.
Posts: 58
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Quote:
Originally Posted by willow_girl
The folks who built a fence out of pallets by first dismantling them went to a lot of extra trouble IMO!
I just painted mine with some cheap white paint, drove a T-post on each end of the fence and wired them together. Been about 3 years now ... still standing! |
We did the same thing! Picked up pallets that were free on Craigslist. We didn't need a fence as tall as the pallet, so we simply cut them in half. Then, stood them up on end, dog eared each wood piece, connected them to some leftover posts we had, and put them in the ground. Stained them, so they have a nice wood look. The end result looks really nice! Keeps the bunnies and the dogs away, which is all we were going for.
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FlaGuitarGrl
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02/20/12, 10:24 AM
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: N.E. OK
Posts: 2,292
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i wish we could get wood snow fencing here. i can only find the orange "danger fencing" they call it snow fencing.
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02/20/12, 10:39 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: north Alabama
Posts: 10,811
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Quote:
Originally Posted by victorianfarm
We are renting on a farm and are gearing up for the garden this year. We will be growing intensively on 1/2 - 3/4 acre, to sell at market and also to feed ourselves. We don't have a lot of money to spend on fencing out animals from our garden and we also don't want to invest a ton into fencing we can't take with us when we leave. The farm has quite a bit of bamboo growing on it, actually. We live in Kentucky, by the way. Should we try to build a fence with bamboo and then string electrical wiring around it? To purchase enough wood to build a fence would be way too much of a financial cost to us. And in looking at "kits", those are very high for the amount of space we need to fence. Any help our ideas would be fantastic!
We have a lot of deer here, as well as all the common creatures like rabbit, skunks, squirrels and so on. Also neighboring farms' dogs that like to trespass.
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I'll save you a lot of trouble - you will NOT save money by growing in a garden compared to buying in stores and farmers markets at PEAK season and then processing those vegetables as you would your own. Been there, done that, got the electric fence etc. to prove it.
If you don't believe me, keep a notebook where you write down everything garden related - cost of tools, seeds, water, etc.
There are some very good reasons to garden. Saving money is not one of them.
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George Washington did not run and hide.
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02/20/12, 10:49 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 577
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Anything lower that 8 ft high deer will jump.
We put up chicken wire 2 ft tall to keep out rabbits then attached some old pipe to the T posts to 8 ft. Strung electric fence wire to 8 ft and put on a solar fence charger. Wrapped a few pieces of alumium foil on the electric wires for visability.
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02/20/12, 11:47 AM
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: No. Cent. AR
Posts: 1,731
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okie mon, here is a list of Tractor Supply stores in OK. You can have them order the wood snow fencing for pickup at your nearest store.
OKLAHOMA
ADA, ARDMORE, BARTLESVILLE, BRISTOW, DUNCAN, DURANT, EDMOND, EL RENO, ELK CITY, GLENPOOL, GUYMON, IDABEL, LAWTON, MCALESTER, MIAMI, MOORE, MUSKOGEE, MUSTANG, PONCA CITY, PRYOR, PURCELL, SALLISAW, SAND SPRINGS, SHAWNEE, SKIATOOK, STILLWATER, TAHLEQUAH, WEATHERFORD
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02/20/12, 04:53 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: wandering feet
Posts: 276
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Ditto on snow fence. I really lucked out, bought mine at an auction where everybody was attending for the collectibles and nobody wanted anything farm/garden useful. Bought 4 large rolls for $1 each!!!
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02/20/12, 08:27 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 3,116
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An idea I've seen is using your old vhs movies. Must have wind to make it work. One just streches the tape tight between posts. I vibrates in the wind making a noise the animals can't stand. Noise is the number one thing the scares animals. I don't know if they get used to it.
My current fencing is stock wire with chicken wire attached to the bottom. Didn't work on moles or gophers. Will put dogs on gard duty this year. If there is an active one there will be a trench and a snack unless it is very fast.
I have used wood ashes in the field in their tunnels. Will be very interesting to see how that worked out this coming season. I just used a large screwdriver to poke a hole in the run. I also have used male urine. Sure would run me outta my house. They can plug a tunnel pretty fast.
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02/21/12, 07:16 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Lower Alabama
Posts: 2,230
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I did not price it but I saw the sand fencing at home depot the other day. I was thinking about getting it to use around my herb garden. I also have access to bamboo and was thinking of doing a wattle fence with it.
Last edited by Fae; 02/21/12 at 07:17 AM.
Reason: clarification: I guess the sand fencing would be the same as snow fencing. It is wood fencing they use on the beaches.
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