More Deer Proof Ideas

I am always on the lookout for great garden ideas, and solutions to common problems. Our small vegetable garden has been ravaged by wildlife every summer for the past few years. Every tomato plant, lettuce green, and broccoli plant has succumbed. I chalk it up to the drought – what creature wouldn’t want those tender, non-native plants after a steady diet of tough, drought-resistant vegetation?

Temporary netting-and-pole barrier

A few years ago I reported on a clever deer-proof solution in Bend, Oregon. More recently, while at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, I learned a few of their deer proofing secrets. The cemetery is full of beautiful trees and plants, and one of their annual attractions is the tulip display in late March. Mass plantings of yellow and red tulips are breathtaking, and a favorite delicacy for most deer. The secret to protecting these plants is deer and bird netting, used on a grand scale.

Netting cages over the tulip beds

Of course I’ve seen rose bushes and hedges wrapped in netting, but had not considered using netting in a grander, almost architectural way. Surprisingly, the netting is fine enough that it blends with the background and is not intrusive. The architectural framework used to hold the netting can be temporary, and does not have to be substantial (compared to constructing a six to eight feet high fence). These are definitely good ideas to consider for protecting our flower and vegetable gardens in the Oakland Hills from marauding deer and birds.