So starting this garden, we know we have lots of wildlife critters about. Everything from chipmunks, rabbits, and raccoons to goodsize groups of deer (in fact, I saw a group of 4 in my yard this morning eating the new buds from the wild bushes). Now, since this is our first go and we're only looking to feed two or three people we're going to start small with maybe 20'x12' or maybe 20'x20' (depending on what the final vegetable count is that my wife decides she wants ) but we want to put up fencing to keep out most of the critters without breaking the bank. So we were thinking some simple chicken style wire fencing with posts. However, in HD we were beleagured by the number of options available in terms of height and aperture size. I've heard based on the small garden size deer won't jump a 3 or 4 foot fence? Is that true? And that chipmunks really aren't much of a problem in general? That didn't seem very likely - when I worked at a conservatory before, chipmunks were a plague upon our sunflowers. My current inclination is to just go with a 4 or 5 foot fence with 1" holes and then bury it 6 inches down and bend it out at the bottom to prevent burrowers, but honestly, at this point, I'm feeling kind of lost and any and all help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated Thanks! Dave
The deer we have jump over 6' fences if they like what's on the other side. They ate quite well and with variety at my neighbor's newly planted yard. He immediately put up an 8' fence, if you can believe that. It's pretty ugly, but he was mad. What I have done, if you're inclined, is share. I know this sounds stupid, but I have had lots of luck with it with various critters and large animals, like deer. I fence off what I want and make sure I don't interrupt their path. Then I plant some yummies along their path for them. They're very pleased and don't bother my stuff at all. Good luck!
