Here is a link to my column in today's edition of The Spokesman-Review: Fencing, chimes keep deer at bay. As you can probably guess, it's about the deer fence we finally put up around our small orchard and backyard last year.
We live in a rural area and, like many of you, have had to deal with deer on a regular basis. It's frustrating how much damage they can do. We've found that a 7-foot-tall fence works really well. You can click on the photo above to see a larger version of it, which might help you better understand what our set-up is.
In case you're puzzling over the reference to "chimes" in the headline, that's referring to the wind chimes we've hung in the openings of our arbor gates. I knew they would be an easy spot for a deer to hop through and wasn't sure what to do about that. Fortunately, friend and now-retired Master Gardener Janice Thorson has learned to be creative about dealing with deer and has had luck by hanging wind chimes over her gates.
Deer can easily get spooked by unexpected things being in their way. Since the wind chimes move and make noise, they don't seem to want to jump past the chimes. Pretty slick, eh?
Since I know dealing with deer is a hot topic with many gardeners, just drop me a note if you have any questions. My email address is inthegarden@live.com.
Update: I received an email from a reader who called Wilbur-Ellis about the deer fencing. It turns out they don't sell it anymore. I'd recommend calling Northwest Seed & Pet or Big R to see if they sell it. There are also online businesses that sell it. Just Google "plastic deer fencing" and you'll be able to find some good resources for it. Some places even send a sample piece of it so you can examine it. I apologize for the confusion over where to buy it.
