Hi, I live in southern Oregon and think that it would be a huge mistake not to put something up. The deer are just fooling you - their plan is to wait until just before you get a pepper, tomato, or whatever and then attack! It has been my experience that they will eat anything that you water in the summer (even plants that are poisonous) to get the moisture. The plastic fence should work - IMO to deter deer you don't need the same type of fencing that would hold up to years of cattle scratching their backs on it. Just make sure the fence is fairly tall or does not have an area inside of it that looks like they could safely land. They should also not jump into an area that is fairly small (say 6x6 feet). I would pound in 8' tall T posts (10' posts would definately be better but they cost so much more that I don't think it is worth it) at the corners and every 10-15 feet - pound them in (buy, rent, or borrow a post driver - driving with a sledge is dangerous) until the anchor plate is just under ground (If the ground is very soft you will have to go with the 10' posts and drive them deeper). Then attach your fencing material and if it is not tall enough run a wire or rope every 6 inches until you reach the very top of the posts. If you think the deer might not notice the wire tie a piece of ribbon to them every few feet. For a quick gate, wire half of a cattle panel (standing on end so that it would be 4' wide and as tall as your fence - point the sharper cut ends up) to one of the corner posts (not so tight that it can't move, in about 4 places) and drive an additional post for it to close against. To open you lift up the panel slightly and rotate it out of the way, then use a piece of string as a latch when you close it. - I know that sounds like it would look terrible, but IMHO it does not and it matches wire fencing nicely. I have not had a problem with squirrels. I would just bet and hope that they aren't to destructive. Best of luck!

Hi Norm, Back when I had a nosey neighbor who was driving me to drink, I looked at fencing options. You can get brushwood or bamboo fencing that is relatively low but high enough to keep a dog out. The lowest available is 39" but from looking at pictures I think it could be cut down quite a bit...by probably half! Here is a picture of some that I had found at Drs Foster and Smith. You can find it cheaper by looking around. Just google brushwood fencing or bamboo fencing. One brand that seems to be popular is Gardman. Good luck finding a solution that works! Here is a link that might be useful: lind to fencing options at Drs Foster & Smith

I will be getting an 'Elegant Aluminum' Fence in a few weeks when my pool is done. I don't know anything about it but 2 of the 5 PB's that I had give me quotes use it and really like it. The others preferred the more natural look of the wood board on board which I was not a fan of. One PB was pushing a black galvanized steel fence (not sure of the brand) at $50/linear ft. which I thought was crazy, but then again he was high on everything!

The welded wire enclosed one entire side of the property and included the back door and the whole side yard. It excluded the driveway and parking areas. It was safe for dogs (lots of dogs, I fostered) and visiting grandkids. 4x4 posts were used at (3) gates and corners, metal stakes were used in shrub borders where they virtually disappeared. Some of the shrubs were existing, more were planted to hide the rest of the fence and add more privacy. It’s a lot of shrubs/small trees to plant, but we wanted the privacy anyway. If you feel the chain link is the best option for you, you can still plant things on and in front of it to camouflage it, but I think it’s a bit harder to hide than a more open fence material. How about a rail fence with wire on it? Mine was not elegant by any means, but by focusing on planting on the outside first, neighbors were spared looking at for long. Plantings on the inside followed. You could even plant first and fence later. Not my photo. My favorite fence. Next house.