A container garden is so much planning and manual labor to set up and, requires constant maintenance. The last thing you want is to do all that work only to have the fruits of your labors munched on by deer.
While you can try to plant things that are supposed to repel deer, the best way to go about protecting your container garden is to fence it in.
The good news is, with a little bit of creativity, you can get this done in a weekend on a modest budget.
Supplies
You’ll need:
- A roll of plastic garden or safety fencing, chicken wire, or something similar
- 2×2s (I used 4 of them)
- Zip ties
- Binder clips
- Extras: Screws, driver or drill with driver bit
Design
This is your opportunity to get creative.
For example, if your garden is on your deck or patio, you may be able to use parts of the existing structure to hold up the fence. Or you may need a few extra supplies to build a frame for the fence.
I recommend having a solid plan in place before you buy supplies. That way you’ll know if you need to buy, borrow or rent a few extra tools.
Pro tip: If you need to make cuts to your 2x2s, most hardware stores will do a couple of cuts for you for free, so no need to worry about a saw.
No matter how you design it, your fence or cage needs to be tall enough to house all of your plants, including any vines or tendrils.
It also needs to be tall enough so that a deer can’t stretch its neck out or jump over your fence and continue munching.
We’re trying to outsmart the deer, here.
How I Did It
My container garden is out in the middle of the yard because that’s the area that gets the ideal amount of sunshine. So, my husband and I dug 4 holes around the garden, put a 2×2 in each hole, and then filled in the holes with dirt and water.
We wrapped the garden fencing around the outside of the 2x2s and used zip ties to attach the fencing to the 2×2 posts.
Since the garden fencing wasn’t tall enough to go all the way up the 2x2s, we did this twice, so that we had 2 tiers of garden fencing, one on top of the other. We used more zip ties to attach the 2 tiers together.
We also created an opening by leaving a couple of inches of overhang at the end so that it would overlap with the first panel of fencing. Instead of using zip ties, we decided to use binder clips to attach the last panel of fencing, so that we could still have easy access to the containers for watering, harvesting, etc.
Cost
The cost is going to depend on where you live, what you already have, and how big your fence or cage needs to be.
We already had zip ties and binder clips, so we spent about $25 on the 2x2s and about $40 on the fencing.
The deer in my area are fearless and have been known to jump over 6-foot fences, eat thorny rose bushes, and are not spooked by cars. So, that was money well-spent.
Conclusion
You are growing your garden for YOU, so don’t leave the protection of your flowers or food to deer-repelling plants, gadgets, or hacks. You need a fence.
With some creativity and a few supplies you may already have around the house, you can protect your hard work on a small budget and actually enjoy your garden.
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