'Organic' Deer Fencing

Caught on the Trail Cam eating an apple tree.

We are surrounded by kilometres of forest so inevitably we get roe deer in the garden. The only sure way to keep them out is to fully fence the garden, or at least fence the bits we want to keep them out of. 

Given that they've damaged apple trees at the very top of the garden, maple trees like this one along the drive, roses near the house and vegetable plants in the potager (below), fencing anything but the whole garden would be difficult and pretty pointless.

Deer eating leaf beet in the potager.

In previous years (read here) we've tried using an ugly mixture of electric fencing and classic wire mesh along the two most vulnerable boundaries - one is between us and the start of the woods, the other between us and the neighbours orchard. This latter is no longer managed because the house is empty, which is great for the local wildlife and I just have to accept that some of that wildlife comes in deer form and is a problem. 


I don't want to fully fence the place - I like having hedgehogs, badgers and foxes freely walking through the place - and to be honest we just can't afford to do a proper job. Ideally we want a boundary that not only excludes the deer, but makes a positive improvement to the garden in the way a classic metal fence never could.

But we have to do something, so we are trying to create boundaries that should prevent the deer getting in while still allowing the more welcome visitors passage. 

Fortunately the plants that seem to grow the fastest are brambles and wild roses, and trees like ash and hazel, both of which make lovely straight poles. We have been both cutting poles to wind through the bramble and roses as well as bending, cutting and laying the living trees. 

The hope is that we will end up with deep thick layers of both growing and dying wood as well as rambling roses, brambles and any other plants that take hold. This should make yet more wonderful habitat that also doubles as a barrier against the nuisance deer.

Badgers are welcome for now!