None of the deer in my area are afraid of people, but they usually ignore people and go about their business. If you shoo them, they will walk away for a small distance. I suspect that this buck is someone's bottle baby because even the very tame deer don't normally want to be handled and will keep a distance, even though it is a small distance. I know that he is dangerous and I'll stay away from him. The mule deer must not be as wacko as the white tails, because I am surrounded by bucks every day of the year and I've never seen any crazy behavior, except I did one time see a couple of very large bucks clash antlers a couple of times, in a sort of bored manner. tcstoehr, I have a 6 ft tall chain link fence around my own house that has kept the deer out for 16 years. They hang out by the gate, hoping someone will leave the gate open so they can stroll in. I just helped my son put game fence around his plants. It's 6 1/2 feet tall, and so far, so good. When the berry field is finished, it will have 8 ft of protection: 6 1/2 ft of game fence, 5 ft of chicken wire at the bottom for the rabbits, and the top of the fence and across the top of the patch, enclosed in bird netting. I see the deer inside 5 ft fencing, eating dinner with the local horses. I suspect that they are jumping over the gates, which are sometimes lower. But they can and will definitely jump a 5 ft fence.

Paula I am adept by now in pulling out few seedlings that germinated and planting them out while leaving rest alone to grow. With lupins they have long tap root. My action is- very gently with barbecue stick I disturb soil around seedlings slowly pulling them up only when I do not feel any resistance. If one has light approach it is not harmful to the plant. I also usually have all my seeds on top of the media so I can see what germinated and what now. I would say all hardy seedlings can go out now if they big enough for you handle. My area zip code is listed as above freezing temps for next 10 days, looks like most nights are in 40- good enough for me. I won't chance coleus until after mid May but begonias and torenias will go after May 1.

Did a web SEARCH and found the following site as the first hit regarding SERENADE- http://www.serenadegarden.com/howto/FAQ.html Even on eBAY can you find this product. http://cgi.ebay.com/Serenade-Organic-Garden-Disease-Control-Spray-32-oz-RTU_W0QQitemZ320264801834QQcmdZViewItem?IMSfp=TL0806191277r7250 Most 'hardware' stores cater to people who use common (and mostly non organic based) chemicals in a garden, and would not sell such ORGANIC BASED products, so you would probably never see this there, unless another cusomer asked for it and they ordered it special. To find such products, you would have to locate sources that sell ALTERNATIVE products for ORGANIC control. The internet is obviously quite powerful in giving many choices of sources. Bt, is a good example as is Neem. Neither might not be found in many hardware stores. Hardware stores (True Value, ACE, etc.) carry canning jars. BIGGER hardware stores ike Home Depot and Lowes, do not. Its a matter of popularity too. Most home gardeners may not even bother with trying to be organic when they grow things. Here, I spend extra time and money on organic alternatives to harsh chemicals. Herbs are no different. I wouldn't want to add a chemical base like Miracle Grow to herbs, or spray them with nasty refined chemicals. One place that I DO know that carries MANY organic products is Peaceful Valley and even though they are far away on the west coast, I still buy quite a lot from them. Needless to say , if I could find ALL the organic products in a LOCAL garden shop, I would become their best customer!

I like Daphne's idea of blackberries and roses, but I think the shade would dampen them. Smilax spp, i.e., Cats claw is aggressive and it has teeth and tolerates shade. it is a native plant and the fresh shoots in spring are edible. And it has to be the cheapest option, but I spend most of my time trying to get rid of it. I have a clump of Japanese bitter orange, Poncirus trifoliata, it is a bush. There is a clump of it that grows in my back woods, so it manages heavy shade. I'm sure you could hedge trim that against the fence and it would grow along the fence. The spines on that plant are crazy. But you have a nice citrus smelling flower and a small orange looking fruit. I don't know how fast or slow it grows. It is used as a root stuck for citrus trees to impart cold hardiness.