Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Deer Fence 2 . 0



So...
Version 2 of the deer fence is underway.
(see post "Deer Fence" in 2011 for the 1st version)

Easy Gardener Xtreme Deer Barrier
pretty robust
I have purchased a more expensive (and robust) fencing.
I only bought 100 feet because of the cost. It will fence the blueberry hill and the front section. This would get the most deer impact. It will be a trial. If it holds up I will get another roll for the rest of the garden.

the Xtreme compared to the net bought last year  - big difference
It is noticeably stronger than the net but not the strongest available.
This product is fencing, not the net advertized as fencing that I got last year.

I purchased it from Amazon. The price was good. It came in 2 days after placing the order! Wow - I was very happy. It comes folded in half on a roll and wrapped in thin plastic.

I have done a few things different this time.

1 - installed a top-wire
     I bought a roll of wire at the hardware store and installed it along the top of the posts by wrapping it around the eye -screws and pulling it straight but not too tight. Then fastened the fence to it with 4" zip ties.

2 - used #10 eye-screws instead of staples. Used 4 for each post. fastened the fence with the zip-ties.

3- I used a dry gravel method of setting the posts. Dug down, set gravel in bottom, filled around the post with gravel and large stones, leveling the posts and packing the gravel as i filled the hole. Might regret nor setting in cement later. though thought it best to use this method cause i might have to move the posts later?


Onto the installation...

planning out the posts
It was fairly easy. The fence had stiffness to it and didn't get caught on everything like the net did.
It is 8 feet tall and I kinda centered it so that I had between 6-10 inches on the bottom and on the top.
I want the extra on bottom to flare out on ground outward to deter nosing under by the deer. I wanted a bit at the top for extra height. You can fold it down or better flare it outward at the top. I may end up doing the later down the road but am not too concerned right now. It is stiff enough to stay up fairly well at this point and the deer are not too interested in jumping.
finally up

I installed eyescrews on the posts. Installed wire on the top. Fastened the fence to the eyescrews and topwire with 4" black zip ties. Right now the bottom flare is being held down with logs and big rocks.

I used the old net along the rock wall and herb garden side 1 - because i did not buy enough to do the whole area due to price and 2 - that is the side that gets less deer impact. they typically travel from the front side and along the forest side.

Now to plant the blueberries and the rest and see how it holds up.


1 comment:

  1. A friend of mine had a great suggestion regarding Zip ties. He suggested the use of the top wire in place of the zip ties for a stronger hold. Great Idea. You can just thread the end of the wire like you would the zip tie, twist it like a twist tie and cut the end and repeat. You already have the wire - no need to purchase extra stuff. It is a stronger hold and you can adjust the length as needed. Thanks for the great suggestion Kevin!

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