Installing a Deer Fence

One of the projects that kept me busy this spring was getting a deer fence installed around the garden.  Last year I lost most of my produce to the deer, so a fence was a priority for this year.

The fence is 61 ft x 76 ft, which gives me a 5 ft perimeter inside the garden.  The corner posts are wood:  4"x4" and 8 ft tall.  We set the corner posts in cement.  (I suggest you really pay attention and respect the time the cement says it takes to set.  We didn't and the posts definitely moved with the pressure of the fencing.)

The remaining posts are 8 ft metal T- posts that were spaced about 7 - 10 ft apart.  J attempted to use the bucket of the tractor to drive these into the ground, which worked if there were no rocks.  This is what happened if we hit a rock:

Also, I got to be the lucky one to try and hold the post straight underneath the tractor bucket.  All I could think about was getting crushed by the bucket, so I do not recommend this technique!  After we destroyed three posts, we switched to a ladder and the backside of a hatchet.  This was a lot more work, but not as scary.

After all the posts were in the ground we stretched the fencing out.  To keep costs down, I only used 4 ft fencing on the bottom and then three rows of wire cable on the top.  We used clips that came with the T-posts to attach the fencing and then hammered staples into the wooden posts.  We did the same thing for the three cables at the top.

Next was building a gate.  J built me a frame and I stapled chicken wire to it.  We then attached the hinges, handle and latch.  For hanging the gate it is helpful to put bricks on the ground to hold it to the correct height.  Finally we added two boards at the top to prevent the posts from moving and to keep the gate aligned.

Everything came from Tractor Supply or Lowe's and cost about $500.  Hopefully it will be worth it and allow me to get veggies from the garden instead of the deer!