I have to tell you, as I approach 70 and look around at our 56 acres, I wonder how much longer I can maintain it all. Each year my wife does less outside, which mean I do more.
Starting a new vineyard
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I like that idea… and will be implementing the first time they try to jump the wires. So far, like last night, they look at it and move on. Once I make the end rows “deer resistant“ then we will see. For now they are just hammering the end rows.
My wife claims it’s keeping me out of trouble.@GSMChris - from the photos, you have a lot of work happening there
I hear you on the what happens as I get older. I‘m trying to implement things now which result in less work in the future.
For example, I’ve nearly finished replacing all of the irrigation that came with the house. It was 20 + years old and implemented with class 200 pipe which has grown brittle over the years. In the first six months, I tried bailing wire and chewing gum to maintain and tweak that system virtually every weekend. We also wanted to irrigate probably 50% more land to allow for a veggie garden, fruit and olive trees. Finally I decided this whole system and trying to extend its life was stupid. So I have replaced it with a new system. We went from 16 valves to 63 valves as the valves were all trying to water far too much and too diverse of a set of plants. We built using schedule 40 and schedule 80 pipe using about 2800 feet of the former and 800 feet of the latter (which I use for all distribution lines from the well to the various valve boxes). Overkill? Perhaps - but I have had to make one repair in 3 years - bad glue job on a tee was leaking.
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I think using the electric “tape” for the extension wires would work even better.
One observation I have after several years of this approach. The 1" wide tape wears better than wider stuff and seems to works just as well. And a roll of it is a little cheaper to buy. I've been switching over as I maintain the fence. I get it in 1000 foot rolls.
Thanks for the guidance Chuck and Dennis. I'll switch over once I use up the existing roll.
Somehow, I missed this great thread. Thanks for all the detail and pics. I have carefully considered foothill property and a vineyard and this has clarified exactly how much work it is. I'm almost glad we were out bid on a piece of vineyard property last spring!
Congrats, though, on such a nice vineyard. I hope the deer leave some for you!
Congrats, though, on such a nice vineyard. I hope the deer leave some for you!
On Sunday, we installed 7 foot plastic deer fencing.
On the south side, where the plants are on the “outside” of the support stakes, we installed cross arms at the 4 and 6 foot marks and then ran 14 gauge wire. The cross arms got the wire clear of the tubing - and then we pulled the bottom out about two feet, stapling it to the ground every five-six feet.
On the north side, the plants are inside the support stakes, so we simply installed the two wires directly to the T-posts and end posts. Then the fencing was zip tied to all of the various wires and posts. Went through two 100 zip tie bags in all so I suspect we were a little enthusiastic.
Video thus far shows the deer nosing around the fencing but not making any attempts to break through. My attitude is we shall see. Next step will be to charge up the wires on the end posts and add a wire to the deer netting as an incentive to go elsewhere.
On the south side, where the plants are on the “outside” of the support stakes, we installed cross arms at the 4 and 6 foot marks and then ran 14 gauge wire. The cross arms got the wire clear of the tubing - and then we pulled the bottom out about two feet, stapling it to the ground every five-six feet.
On the north side, the plants are inside the support stakes, so we simply installed the two wires directly to the T-posts and end posts. Then the fencing was zip tied to all of the various wires and posts. Went through two 100 zip tie bags in all so I suspect we were a little enthusiastic.
Video thus far shows the deer nosing around the fencing but not making any attempts to break through. My attitude is we shall see. Next step will be to charge up the wires on the end posts and add a wire to the deer netting as an incentive to go elsewhere.
On Sunday, we installed 7 foot plastic deer fencing.
On the south side, where the plants are on the “outside” of the support stakes, we installed cross arms at the 4 and 6 foot marks and then ran 14 gauge wire. The cross arms got the wire clear of the tubing - and then we pulled the bottom out about two feet, stapling it to the ground every five-six feet.
On the north side, the plants are inside the support stakes, so we simply installed the two wires directly to the T-posts and end posts. Then the fencing was zip tied to all of the various wires and posts. Went through two 100 zip tie bags in all so I suspect we were a little enthusiastic.
Video thus far shows the deer nosing around the fencing but not making any attempts to break through. My attitude is we shall see. Next step will be to charge up the wires on the end posts and add a wire to the deer netting as an incentive to go elsewhere.
I’m trying to picture it. Do you have photos?
Here is a photo of the lower end where we attached directly to the T posts and wire
And here is the high or South end where we used cross arms to move the wire out about 5 inches
I hope the plastic holds up. We've had deer run thru electric tape and plastic fence before.
VinesnBines
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I've been told to tie white plastic bags at the top of the fence and that confuses the deer and they don't think they can jump or run through. White being more visible of course.
@GSMChris
Thanks. I see you still need to install your trellis system as well. My garden fence is just a temporary five-foot poly fence. I take it down every winter and this is the first year in 4 that a deer has run through it. My deer have lots of options so they don’t want to work too hard for a meal. So far a few applications of liquid repellent since the tubes came off has worked for the vines. I’m still planning a permanent fence around the garden and vineyard for raccoons, turkeys and deer. Also for chicken protection as predators have wiped out my free range flock for the second year in a row
.
Thanks. I see you still need to install your trellis system as well. My garden fence is just a temporary five-foot poly fence. I take it down every winter and this is the first year in 4 that a deer has run through it. My deer have lots of options so they don’t want to work too hard for a meal. So far a few applications of liquid repellent since the tubes came off has worked for the vines. I’m still planning a permanent fence around the garden and vineyard for raccoons, turkeys and deer. Also for chicken protection as predators have wiped out my free range flock for the second year in a row
.@GSMChris
Thanks. I see you still need to install your trellis system as well. My garden fence is just a temporary five-foot poly fence. I take it down every winter and this is the first year in 4 that a deer has run through it. My deer have lots of options so they don’t want to work too hard for a meal. So far a few applications of liquid repellent since the tubes came off has worked for the vines. I’m still planning a permanent fence around the garden and vineyard for raccoons, turkeys and deer. Also for chicken protection as predators have wiped out my free range flock for the second year in a row
Re the trellis - I simply did the irrigation wire and the fruiting wire this year. I'm planning on installing the cross arms and catch wires after I prune.
For now, I am simply trying to make it so the deer have to work harder to dine in the vineyard than they do to dine in my neighbors yard... Long term, hardly any of my neighbors- including the commercial neighbors have any deer fencing. Other neighborhoods are more deer intensive and there the fences have gone up. So I will have to see once the vines are older.
Thanks for the idea on the white plastic bags - I'll add that to the next steps!!! Although the real next step - if they get in - is electrifying the white wire on the end posts.
Yep. You just need to make it marginally more difficult for the deer than your neighbors vineyard.
From what I gather once the vines are mature and up on the wires grape vines don’t experience a lot of browsing damage. I think it’s a combination of being out of reach and not being a preferred food. Now if we trellised hosta’s the deer would quickly learn to climb!
Very interesting climate you have there. It’s very strange to see vineyards with no ground cover… just dirt. We have so much rain here that bare dirt would quickly erode away. And keeping it bare would be a constant struggle. I can skip weeding the garden for a week and I will have pigweed that’s a foot tall!
VinesnBines
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Ditto. Our struggle is keeping the weeds down in the vineyard. Some of my youngest vines are going to have to be "found" this fall. I sprayed herbicide but with all the rain we've had this year the weeds just keep on going. I only see bare dirt when we plow and till early in the year and I never see bare dirt in the vineyard.
Well, it’s a little deceiving- I have been pulling everything in sight for the last month, trying to eliminate a particularly nasty weed called yellow star thistle before it sets seed. I’ll be planting a cover crop in September/ October to stop erosion and increase organic matter in the soil.
And we have had essentially no rain since April so all of the water in that area comes via the drip system.
And we have had essentially no rain since April so all of the water in that area comes via the drip system.
Oh - and I got a new toy - a John Deere 3025 - with a box scraper and a loader. So I’ve been practicing in the aisles using the box scraper and back dragging with the loader. You can see that especially in the second image.
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