Might try use fishing line for a garden fence next year.

[Kaleva]

Pounding in 8' steel posts or digging holes for 4x4 wooden posts and attaching 6' high wire mesh to that is getting to be too much for me now so I've been thinking of easier ways to put up a garden fence. One that I put up in the spring and can take down in the fall with relative ease and also one that I can mow or at least weed whack between posts when the fence is up. Of course the fence would also need to be capable of keeping the deer out which would be the primary purpose of the fence. Something easy to put up and take down but doesn't keep the 4 legged eating machines out would be of no use.

I first thought of using an electric fence attached to 4x4 wooden posts. It'd be a job to put the posts in but once in place, I'd leave them up permanent and just put up the wire in spring and take that down in the fall. However, the actual size of the garden is in flux and I want to have some flexibility to change the size as needed so that eliminates the 4x4 posts. So then it'd have to be steel posts but of a size I can handle and are also the right size that electric fence clips can attach to rather then the 8 footers I have now.

Looking at the Tractor Supply website, the cost for an electric fence setup that would be adequate for the roughly 1800 square foot vegetable garden would be kinda high so I started looking for other options. On YouTube, I found a video of a guy who uses steel fence posts but instead of wire, he uses 30lb. test fishing line. He says the deer cannot see it and when they bump up against it, it panics them. And unable to see it, they don't try and jump over it. He says he's been using this method for 8 years now with great success even though there are lots of deer in his area and a well used deer path is right next to his garden. Others have commented that the system has worked well for them too.

Here's the video:

[mr_lebowski]

1. As long as there's no chance of neighbor kids trying to run through it, sounds good

People can't see it all that well either, and a child running full-bore and hitting strung-up fishing line in the eye ... could be a bad, bad scene ... so to speak.

[Mr.Bill]

5. He could tie some streamers to it to make it visible. n/t

[Mr.Bill]

2. I don't know how long it would take for 30 lb test,

but exposed to the sun all day fishing line will get brittle and break. You will have to replace it sooner rather than later. Why not try chicken wire? you can get a fine mesh to keep out smaller critters, too. Watch the sales at the big home supply centers. It can be very inexpensive and can be used with the same steel stakes shown in the video.

[Kaleva]

3. Problems with chicken wire

Being what it is, I'd have to weed the tall grass that grows next to the wire by hand and that's something I want to get away from. Being somewhat flimsy, it doesn't roll up nice and neat like the heavier gauge mesh wire I have now. Deer can also see it and the chicken wire would have to be high enough to deter them from jumping and being of light gauge, it's not easy to get a 6' high chicken fence taut and to keep it that way.

I've tried chicken fence in the past and after a bit, it didn't look good, started to sag in places, so the wife said no more of that and I agreed. I put a lot of work into the garden and I do want it to look good.

[Mr.Bill]

4. I agree chicken wire doesn't look good. n/t

[2naSalit]

6. When I was

working as a bear vs humans capacity, we advocated for use of portable electric fences that are lightweight and run on a D cell battery. I have seen the sheep growers in my area use them to manage the sheep in isolated areas of their fields. We told hunters to use them for protecting themselves from bears while field dressing their kill.

And I know that you can place 18" long strands of fabric and that will act like a scarecrow and alert people that there is something there to not pass through, but you have to hang them every 18 - 20" apart... lasts longer than batteries. And if you already have your line up, just hang some reddish colored fabric on it,, that should work.

[natheo]

7. good but not the safest method

Since fishing is very thin, animals like deer won't see it and they will just run right through it.

[Kaleva]

8. Deer don't run unless spooked as they are cautious animals

The reason why fishing line works for some is the fact deer can't see it. They bump up against the line, can't see it, so they back away.