A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum Vegetable Gardening Deer, birds and corn?

Hello again!

I thought I should post this as a separate question from the carrot question.

I am going to be growing corn on a small scale this year, just to see how it does. We have a TON or birds and very familiar deer here. I have been toldthat deer are only interested in corn when it is a sweet green little sprout coming up, and once it becomes a proper corn plant they lose interest. Is this true? If so, I just need to fence against deer when they're small, then I can switch to soft netting to baffle the birds.

Others, though, have said the deer will go after the corn cobs and I need to create a full-height wire fence. I don't want to go with a full-height chicken wire fence if I can get away with bird netting.

Any advice?
Thank so much!

Thistle

Try using fishing line and surround the perimeter of your garden. Using stakes, just take the line from one post to the next, keeping the line tight. Run the line at two or three different heighths of the stakes to keep deer out of the garden space. They will not like the feel of the line on them as they try to enter.

how's your garden growing?

Well, it is still too early to plant here. Everyone in town assures me not to put anything in the ground before the Victoria Day long weekend (end of May)...AND all the snow must be completely gone from Elephant Mountain. Once those two criteria are satisfied, you can plant apparently.

The bulbs I planted in the autumn have come up! None of the Irises have opened yet, but the grape hyacinth buds are pushing up and should open soon! The tulips, crocuses, and something I don't remember what it's called (LOL!! little sprays of blue bell-like flowers) have all opened!

Got my first deer damage! I think they were tulips - eaten down to the ground! ~sigh~ I dose everything with hot sauce tonight.

:)
Thistle