Deer-Proof Garden in Montana: Wire-Mesh Fence Protects Raised Beds

Mike and Joyce Nave’s Montana property near Missoula includes a 1,600-square-foot raised-bed garden protected by an 8-foot wire-mesh fence. Designed by their son Jim, an 8x10-foot shed with corrugated tin roof echoes the house. The fence uses 2x4-inch 11-gauge horse fencing on pressure-treated 4x4 posts every 10 feet, with 2x4 horizontal reinforcement at 4 feet and capping the top. Total cost ~$1,000 for the 40x40-foot plot. They grow annual flowers and salad crops, feeding with liquid fertilizer biweekly and chicken manure yearly.