Planning for next year already....need fencing ideas

[Prairie Rose]

with the extreme heat here this week, no actual gardening is happening until it cools off a little. I am sitting here with garden plans for next year, and a list of issues and other thoughts i have had so far this year to implement next spring.

I grow my veg in raised beds, after a couple of frustrating years trying to grow directly in the ground. I have a limited spot that gets enough sun for good growth of heat loving veggies, but it also happens to be the filled in basement of a hundred year old farmhouse that was torn down in the late sixties/early 70s. The fill was just as much bricks and concrete slabs as it was dirt, and it holds water like you wouldn't believe.

I tried an experimental 4 x 16 foot raised bed this year with just a few tomatoes and peppers in it, and have had the best results yet since I started this gardening thing and got hooked. This fall I want to add three more, but I need to fence them in. Lots of bunny and deer pressure around here, I had to replant my veg three times this spring. I'm not looking for a permanent fence, there will be more beds made over the next few years as I have funds and find my happy spot between what I want to do in my garden and what I actually have time to take care of. This fence is going to have to move, and probably move often. There is a lot of concrete about six inches down from the basement so driving posts may not be an option.

I'm kind of stumped for a solution...I can fence out the rabbits fairly easily, but driving posts deep enough for a higher deer resistant fence is hit or miss. I keep seeing pictures of chicken wire or hardware cloth covers for raised beds, but how is that going to work once the plants get so tall?

Anyone have any solutions they use to good effect?

 

[Ridgerunner]

How would an electrical fence work? Deer can be a problem because they can jump, but there are configurations for them. I have used electric netting to protect chickens but never fencing for deer, my deer fence was 10' high. You can research online and probably should to start with, but before you commit one way or another call Premiere1, they sell the electrical systems. I've called them a couple of times and found them to be quite helpful.

 

[thistlebloom]

Welcome to the forum Prairie Rose, and I second what Ridge suggested. Hot wire works really well and if you get those 4' step in posts it's quick and super easy to move around. The biggest cost is a good charger. Solar or battery powered are substantially more expensive than electric, but also so much more convenient, that to me the cost is justified.
I use both, a solar one and also a small charger that runs off D cell but packs a good enough wallop that the deer stay clear after one good buzz.

 

[Prairie Rose]

I did not even think of using hot wire...I can probably get my hands on some extra equipment this winter without having to actually buy anything. Thank you!

 

[ducks4you]

Be aware that the shock is powerful. When I rented space for my horses the farmer there got tired of fixing his fences, not like MY horses were breaking them, so he put it hot wire. Every time I touched it accidentally I felt the electricity run through my body to ground. IF you have a heart problem, I don't think it's safe. Just some FYI to help you make your decision.

 

[thistlebloom]

They are not all equal in shocking intensity. Some just give a buzz, like the D cell powered portable I use. It's all to do with amps and volts and electrical type things I know nothing about.

I did a landscape installation for some folks who had trouble with elk getting into their horse pasture and into the hay intended for their horses. They had a New Zealand style electric fence put in. She warned me not to touch it because it could really pack a mean punch. It worked on the elk, they had no more issues with them.

 

[Prairie Rose]

Oh, I have had a few run ins with electric fence over the years. I know the no-touchy, lol. I am thinking a fence small enough to keep the rabbits out and deter the cats/local dogs. Probably just waist high netting for now, until I get the garden sized and arranged the way I want it, then maybe something more solid. With a hot wire a foot or two above, or one of those poly ropes they advertise for horses to be more visible from a distance. And then maybe another one a few inches above the ground to deter diggers/climbers, although I know it means I will have to be vigilant about keeping the grass cut short beneath it. Luckily I have an outdoor outlet about 15 feet from where the corner of the fence will be, so I don't have to worry about solar chargers.