Usually around this time of year I’m writing about all the things we were able to grow in our garden and how much canning and freezing we did; not this time. Major garden fail.
I’ve written previously about the large amount of land being snatched up out here in the boonies; some spots with trailers but many with just a camper or shed. The land across the road from me was sold off in lots over the last year and that’s what they did here; 2 have campers, one has a large travel trailer and one simply has an outhouse and nothing else. God bless ’em, it’s their property and they are free to do with it as they wish. However, all this activity apparently pushed the deer my way and they simply wiped out pretty much everything we had planted.
We had gone all out this year anticipating an increased need to supplement our food supplies over the coming days and years. We built more raised beds, brought in large amounts of good soil and fertilizer and expanded all of our existing gardens; we worked our tails off. Sadly, over the course of about 4 days it was all over. For all the work we did, all we had to show was a few tomatoes and peppers in buckets on the deck along with out blueberry and strawberry plants. Nearly a complete loss.
For some reason the deer have never messed with our garden, but this year that all changed. We now are faced with the decision whether to fence the garden areas or just give up. We really hate to add the fencing as it looks better without, but considering the state of the world and skyrocketing food prices I really don’t see anyway around it. I sincerely hope you had better luck with yours.
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
Prepper 365 
Wow, sorry to hear about the garden failure. Mine failed as well but that was more a matter of a particularly hot and dry summer combined with neglect as we struggled with COVID. I am trying to decide if I want to try a winter planting or not.
Take care and God bless.
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Yep. If you have deer around, they will go after your gardening. The hungrier they get, the bolder they get. We have fenced in our patio, and they still jump the fence to eat the wife’s succulents. Our raised gardens are fenced, and they stay out of there, although there it nothing there for them to eat these days.
I would urge you not to give up and work on your fence around your raised garden over the winter…maybe plan for an extra bed too…for tough times to come.
6 foot t-posts are $5 each at HD. If you ground is soft enough, you can pound them in with a post pounder..100 ft of 6 ft high welded fencing runs about $250…you will need fencing pliers and clips to attach the fence to the posts too.
If your ground is hard, then post hole diggers and quick concrete for each one, and likely taller fencing.
Winter is the time to get that up so you can start fresh in the spring…
Perhaps a local ranch store could give you a better package deal…
Note: I have watched deer jump over a 10 foot fence easily.
In my raised garden area, I have short sections of rolled up fencing strategically placed so the deer have nowhere to land if they jump over. It has worked well.
Best of luck!
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Good info, thanks brother!
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I have an open backyard to open space as well where deer usually roam into graze on rose and grapevines but can’t reach the high grapes. But this year while I was gone a bear, displaced from Tahoe wildfire, climbed my tree ripping down all my grapevines and breaking branches. She came back three nights until she couldn’t climb any higher without falling. She also went for everyone’s garbage cans on garbage night. I think I prefer the deer back. They sell deer repellent spray or netting to put over your garden. Hard to eat through netting. Also big dogs they are fearful of; small dogs, not so much. They jump high fences.
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I have a small raised garden. Deer destroyed my peppers this summer and pruned my tomatoes. I am more then annoyed. Fencing next yesr!!
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