Deer protection for raised garden beds
Advantages of raised garden boxes
Raised garden boxes have so many advantages, it makes you wonder why more people don’t use them. They bring your plants up to your level, saving your back and making harvesting easy. They’re easy to fill with nutrient-rich garden soil which can increase your yield. They lift your plants up out of the reach of rabbits that could otherwise make a meal of your garden. They enable you to grow lots of produce in a small space, balcony or patio. And they look great, too!
Garden box options
You’ll find easy to assemble kits for raised garden boxes at your local hardware store, garden center, home improvement store and in gardening catalogs. Most are made from rot-resistant cedar, like these (https://www.gardeners.com/buy/planters-and-raised-beds/elevated-garden-beds/) from Gardener’s Supply. You could also convert a galvanized trough like this (https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/search/galvanized%20trough) into a raised garden box.
Prevent deer damage with Plantskydd
One word of caution: If deer frequent your garden, consider that you’ll be raising your plants up right to nose level. In that case, you’ll need to either grow food crops they don’t like—onions, garlic, eggplant, and most herbs, for example—or give your plants some added protection with liquid Plantskydd animal repellent. It’s an organic product and is safe to use on edible plants, so the only thing you’ll need to worry about is what to do with all that rhubarb!
–Gardener Sue–
Freelance horticultural marketer, writer, speaker and consultant based in West Michigan
Originally published May 9, 2019 – https://www.facebook.com/PlantskyddDeerRepellent/photos/a.2149459498475951/2237331286355438
