If deer are a problem you must live in the country where high cheap electric fences are legal.

Before you get excited about getting a GH check out the prices for the size you want. And don't forget to add the cost of some kind of cooling system. It could get very expensive.

April, I can't comment on your greenhouse question since mine is still on paper but I can make some suggestions about the deer. Perhaps you've already tried every other suggestion but we live in extremely rural Alabama and there are deer all over the property. I see them virtually any time of day in the yard, the woods, everywhere within a stones throw of the house.

Some folks swear by the sprays (I guess they're made of predator urine?) but I don't have the patience to reapply them to the plants after rains. Surprisingly with this abundance of deer I have not yet had any deer damage to my daylily field, hostas or my vegetable garden in the 6 years we've been here. My only conclusions are:

#1 the vegetable garden is in a raised bed and is fenced. Back half is 6'foot lattice and the front half is 3 foot wrought iron railing with a gate. Anyone will tell you a deer can easily jump this however all I can figure is that it probably is a "mental deterrent" in that the deer don't want to feel like they're closed in.

#2 my neighbor who shares our common gravel driveway plants special deer feed plots in a couple spots along the road that are always lush with green grass. Perhaps the deer prefer this easy pickins further away from the house rather than go for the daylilies or vegetables.

And if neither of these are factor I guess we just have had dumb luck so far but perhaps you can give them a shot. Some other options would be to get a dog (a big one) to roam your garden and hope he doesn't dig or there are also motion-activated sprinklers you can buy and position them at strategic points around your garden. If deer ever do get to be a problem I will probably give the sprinklers a try. Other than that, some people get desperate and put up 8'foot deer fencing around virtually their entire perimeter. Not always attractive but it works.

Any of these options will probably be cheaper to do than a greenhouse but heck, if you have the money it's certainly possible to garden exclusively inside of one though it would be alot more work and maintenance.

Good luck with your problem. Sincerely, Danielle

Thanks so much for the suggestions.

Greenhouser. I don't exactly live in the country. Guess you could say, I live in a suburban farm town. Lots of new homes and lots of farms as well and fences are allowed only if they are wrought iron and cost a fortune. That's definitely out! My closest farming neighbor has a huge family of deer living on his property. He feeds them corn and grows fruit trees especially for them. Unfortunately there are just a few deer that seem to prefer whatever is growing in my yard. They cross the road at night to eat my shrubs, my blueberries and anything growing in my garden. They've eaten something on every corner of my property so no space is sacred. They even come right up to the front door.

Danielle, do you occasionally shoot the deer for meat? I wonder if they've learned to fear you as the deer on my dad's property have. His garden is not fenced but the deer leave it alone. Guess they've learned not to come too close since they may very well become a roast! Thanks so much for the information and the encouragement.

Still wondering if the greenhouse would work.

Interesting that the subject should be deer today. We had snow early last evening and when I went out to the GH later, there were deer tracks all over the place. On the deck behind the house, the driveway and around the GH. I could see where they had come in from the back, through the pastures, around the barn and into the garden, then left via the driveway, heading for the house across our road.

One set was huge, so I believe it was a certain very large 12 pointer that had the nerve to try to charge me a few months ago and I'm starting to think about sitting up tonight, bundled up in a corner of the garden, and see if I might be able to put some nice, fat, corn fed venison in the freezer. Hey folks- it was OUR corn!

I think some of the suggestions about using some material _other_ than plastic for the GH are good. How about shade cloth? Something like a 20% would give some cooling without reducing the sunlight _too_ much. Otherwise, some of that plastic fencing for at least the first 4 feet.

Hi April. No, none of us shoot the deer on our property or the neighbor's. Though I've been very tempted lately since the price of beef has gone up!! I had venison years ago and remember it was pretty good. Hubby's vegetetarian and he can't even stand me fishing 'cause he doesn't want to hurt the fish so not alot of shooting animals around here. Trespassers...that's another story lol.

The idea of a screen house as Sheri suggested was a great idea for your situation. She partially converts hers in the summer and if you're starting to build from scratch it probably wouldn't be difficult for you to design one that is highly convertible. If it is made of plastic you could just design a system to roll up the sides in the summer and attach screen or mesh in its place. Or if it's a polycarb house, design it so all of the side panels and possibly some end-wall panels can be removed and attach framed screen or mesh panels instead in warm weather. Install screen doors inside of your regular ones too and just leave the regular doors open during growing season. Custom-made screen panels are cheap and not very difficult to make. This would give you a great hybrid house to use throughout the winter but virtually eliminate the ventilation requirements a summer greenhouse would require. The downsides are you'd need a good place to store those panels when not in use and it will be a chore for a day or so when it's time to convert it but then you're good to go for an entire growing season. You can make it as simple or elaborate as you want.

Danielle

We didn't shoot the deer in our yard either, although I could cheerfully have strangled them on occasion. They were viewed as pets by our neighbors, and it wasn't worth the uproar it would have caused! I also lost shrubs that were broken to bits by being used as antler rubs. Gardening with deer can be rough.

Storing removeable poly panels is sort of a bother, I agree. Our garage is a hot and dirty mess, so I think I'll just wrap mine in old sheets and store them under the bed for the summer (along with the dog hair and dust bunnies.) That way I can store them flat.

If there are such stringent rules regarding fences, I bet there are also rules regarding GHs and other yard structures. :(

My problem is raccoons (and also deer) That is the reason I did not grow anything last season.

They (the deer and the raccoons) went away, well I only had one raccoon family as residents.

This year I am going to grow stuff again and my homestead is going to be a ZERO tolerance to critters environment!!!!

Chlorox sprays, pepper sprays, radios, you name it!

Chemical warfare is the way to go!

(um non-lethal, non-polluting, eco-friendly, but the critters don't need to know that!

:)

Sorry it took me so long to respond. Your WONDERFUL replies sent me off in a mad rush to find my housing covenants. They don't exactly say no greenhouses. They do say that I have to get preapproval for any outbuildings and that color and design must coordinate with my house. The screenhouse suggestion is beginning to sound really good! I have plenty of storage in an unfinished basement but construction would be a problem. I had hoped to be able to purchase a unit and expand from there. Is anyone able to post pics of their set-up?

Thanks again to everyone for the many wonderful comments. I'm beginning to wonder if I really have a problem with raccoons, deer herds of 40-50 and deer coming up on the deck! My goodness.

Hi April
Instead of a greenhouse maybe you could protect each raised bed with a permanent mesh cover? You could fix shadecloth over that in the summer and poly in the winter?
Easily expandable by adding more beds at your leisure and I guess it would be easier to hide them (or get permission) than a large greenhouse :)

Naturally one would assume that everyone frequenting this forum would support the idea of using a greenhouse for animal protection. My first thoughts were that high tunnels would provide some degree of protection. However, the building code responses are probably well heeded.

chris eluded to the problem of other animals that can be problamatic once the deer threat is deminished. Raccoons, groundhogs, squirrels and chipmonks are just a few that are not deterred by the structure. Although I've never had deer in my structures, a neighbor had a doe enter an open door and procced to paw along the sides tearing the plastic beyond repair.

I have a permanent deer fence provided by our state game commission to keep deer out but You would alienate your neighbors and create all sorts or problems from your housing development by attempting to build a fence.

Likely the better recourse would be to use some of the repellent products on the market. They may not be totally effective but they offer a better option for subburb gardens.

"I have plenty of storage in an unfinished basement but construction would be a problem. I had hoped to be able to purchase a unit and expand from there. Is anyone able to post pics of their set-up?"

Unless you want an enclosed greenhouse to winter over plants or extend your growing season, I kind of worry about the expense of buying a greenhouse kit and modifying it to a screen structure. But if it helps, hereÂs a photo of one side of my Harbor Freight greenhouse. I took out four poly panels and replaced them with screens I made from shadecloth and those do-it-yourself window screen supplies from the big box stores. You buy the screen components and build them yourself, so you could use regular window screen in the frames, or perhaps even bird netting.
{{gwi:286730}}

I can get away with only a few screens because I have an exhaust fan to move out the hot air. Without fan(s) youÂd need to remove a lot more panels to avoid overheating. Each screen frame cost me $12 to build (just the frame) so the cost for framed screens to go all the way around would add up.

I guess you could buy a kit greenhouse and put the poly panels in the roof, and leave the walls openÂthen stretch some kind of lightweight plastic netting around the walls and secure it some way. In this pic, but I have the poly panels in the roof, as well as the two side walls. Both ends of the GH are still open.
{{gwi:286732}}

To me, it seems like a lot of work to erect this framework, and money to buy the panels you wonÂt use, just to keep the darned deer out. (Also, kits will limit your size...mine is only 10x12.) Maybe someone could build you a simple house-shaped wooden framework, and then stretch and staple some kind of very light weight deer fencing or bird netting over the roof and walls.

I donÂt know how much your HOA would let you get away with...if it had a house shape maybe theyÂd call it a "shade house" instead of a glorified fence. Maybe once the fencing or netting was in place, you could fancy it up with more wooden trim on top of the netting, painted to match your house, add a nice wooden screen door, etc. One advantage to using screen or netting on the roof is youÂd still benefit from rain, and you wouldnÂt have to worry about the wind resistance of a solid roofÂwhich requires more substantial anchoring, etc.

Mudhouse is correct, buying new screen frames while relatively cheap individually can add up if you need alot of them. Here's a tip: local salvage yards will offer used ones very cheap. Our local place which salvages primarily construction materials from buildings being torn down has a huge bin of used framed screens in all shapes and sizes still with screens attached for $1 apiece! Often times the screens are damaged but the frames are fine. They are the same basic white aluminum frames you'd buy brand new. Depending on the size of the panel you'd need to make you could try to find these already made window screen units in larger sizes and then cut them down to your specs. Might be worth a trip if you have a place like that within an hour or so of you.

Danielle

I would try a notion detector but instead of just turning on a light I would hook a horn or something that made a noise.
Maybe you could find something that sounded like a barking dog
Motion detector can be found for 20 bucks or less

Here is some options for you.

http://www.bestnest.com/bestnest/pc_w_deer.asp?src=googleaws&kw=electronic_deer_repellent

http://www.wirelessdeerfence.com/wdf/index.html

Mudhouse, what a beautiful structure. Looks as though it would disappear into the surroundings.

Hex 2006. Has the mesh actually worked for you? I guess that would be a much more affordable option. Also, because the structures are low to the ground, they are not considered outbuildings and I could build them without HOA approval. Gardens are allowed. I guess I just thought the mesh was not be deer proof/resistant. I'm not looking for perfection just a major deterrant to be used along with sprays as bmoser suggested. Squirrels and coons are less of a problem here for some reason (knock on wood).

Gardenwantabe my motion detector turns on a very bright light. The deer aren't the least bit bothered by it. I agree that noise will probably be much more effective.

Danielle great tip. I'm hoping to get some decent scraps of wood from my salvage yard. I need to build a few more raised bed and they are a great source!

ourhappyhome
Did you check out those site that i posted that has the electronic deer repellent
The wireless fence would defiantly make them stay away and it would not be a problem with the ordinance prohibiting a fence and it only cost $ 59.95

Sure did gardenerwantabe. Great sites. I particularly like the wireless deer fence. I've been looking for a few product reviews online to see what others think of the product. Have you any experience with it? Thanks

If the wireless deer fence really works, that looks like a nice solution. From people who have dealt with deer, though, I would expect they might just learn to avoid it ... just as they learn to accept the motion-activated sprinklers. I've heard that an electrified wire that runs around the garden generally works well, as does clear fishing line strung at their chest height and "ankle" height ... they can't see it, but can feel it and become confused and avoid it. They can jump quite high, but need room in order to do so; therefore, two parallel fences spaced just right will deter them - they have to be far enough apart that the deer cannot clear both in one jump, but close enough that they can't get the start they need to clear the second. Some people install these fences at an angle, but that becomes quite space-intensive.

As others have already stated, keeping the greenhouse cool in spring and summer would be a real problem, especially for those cool-weather crops you're planning. The shade house idea is a good one, however, and I'm wondering if you could get away with some type of tunnel-type structure covered with bird netting or some other mesh. For an easy-to-build frame, have you seen the faux bamboo stakes and connectors? Sort of like a large Tinker-Toy set for adults/gardeners. Gardener's Supply has them.

Actually, greenhouser, deer are becoming more and more a problem in suburban areas. We're creating the perfect habitat for them. Deer actually dwell at the woods' edge, seeking shelter inside and food in the adjacent meadows ... whether that "meadow" be wild or someone's lawn and gardens. Their natural predators all but gone and an abundant food supply, their numbers increase until population pressures force them to move outward to new areas.

Deer seem to be extremely adaptable and, as evident in some previous posts, become used to living around people, even standing their ground, blithely munching away on choice specimens, as a homeowner/gardener advances trying to shoo them away (I've seen it on video).

Squirrelypete, I don't know that it would be any comfort to your hubby, but my dad, who loved fishing, held the philosophy that the fish got itself caught because of its own greed: it thought it was eating something else; so he had no qualms about eating it (though he'd never have hunted).

{{gwi:69967}}Here the deer will usually avoid suburbia probably because of all the dogs people have. They will not go near a yard with even a small dog.

#1, DOG, BIG DOG.
#2, FENCE HIGH ENOUGH TO KEEP THEM OUT
#3, SHOOT THEM, yes I know bambi, but if you live in GA you had better get used to people killing deer.
#4, Too much noise, GOOGLE "Cough Silencer" That neat little rig is easly modified to fit a .22 rifle. Up close a .22 rifle is DEER MEDICINE. Use it and eat better. Do it while your husband is not home. Divorce him, after all what is important to you, YOUR GARDEN or a husband? You can replace with ease. :)
#5, Personally I would kill them. If you don't want the meat you can always give it to an old folks home. My address is :) LOL

LOL! You Ole_dawg you.

agardenstateof_mind, thanks for your input. If I can be honest about it, I've gotten so many good ideas, I think I'll need to think this through a bit longer. I'm leaning away from the structure to maybe a small, fenced potager garden w/screens.

Lol, Ole dawg you give good advice.

Fortunately our deer aren't a nuisance yet so I don't have to divorce hubby. Besides, without him around I'd have very little reason to grow a veggie garden. Momma never was able to make me learn to eat my greens.

April, glad you have more options now so you can figure out what will work best for you.

Danielle

The Wireless Deer Fence is patented, guaranteed deer control.
I am the inventor and manufacturer of the Wireless Deer Fence.
It works great where you cannot build a fence or have a greenhouse.
Please see our guarantee at http://www.wirelessdeerfence.com/guarantee.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Wireless Deer Fence