Small Garden Deer Solution

We started a very small garden area, mainly just to grow a few tomato plants because we love tomatoes! The first 3 years went very well. We used no fencing whatsoever and had very little damage from the animals. A little squirrel or raccoon damage at most. The next year the deer finally found us but again did very little damage. Then we had a drought. The deer almost totally cleaned us out. The last 2 years we had used chicken-wire fencing. It worked okay, but it did not hold up as well as we would have liked. It was hard for us to keep it up and stable. It would also need regular replacement.

This year we wanted a more permanent solution. We even considered moving it up next to the house. One day I was driving to town and I saw an old dog kennel in a yard. They were using it as a storage area, but it gave me an idea! How about using a dog kennel as deer fencing? I mentioned my idea to my husband and he was on board with me. We bought a dog kennel and put our plants inside it. So far it has worked like a charm. We have not had any rabbit issues either so far.

We bought a kennel that could be set up as a 10X10 X6 square or a 15X5X6, which is the option we used. Our space is a small one. I have 10 tomato plants in there. We will see how that number works and will have a better idea for next year on how many to grow. The cost was under $300. It is possible to find used kennels listed for sale also. We had to totally assemble ours and it took us about 2 hours. Stretching the fence fabric was the hardest part. If cost is not an issue, you can buy panels already assembled and you can build it to any size you want. This should last us for several years.

For us, this is the perfect solution to enjoying where we live and the wildlife and enjoying our homegrown produce.