Do you have little knowledge or talent for fence building? Perhaps you are focused on planting your garden and don't have the time to build a fence right away.  If you have trouble with deer getting into your garden and need a quick fence to deter them, there is an option for keeping out the critters until you are able to build a permanent structure.  Tulle fencing may not seem like a sturdy alternative, but it works wonders for deterring deer and more.

I can't remember where I first heard about this option, but we implemented it last year.  It kept out deer, rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks. I even saw a hare attempting unsuccessfully to enter our garden area.  It jumped, hit the tulle, and bounced right back on its haunches.  It probably could have entered by crawling underneath the tulle, but it never attempted it.  This year we will also be using it to deter the neighbors' cats from using our garden as a litter box. We added bricks at the bottom to help discourage the felines from crawling underneath.

This fencing method is super simple (if I can do it, so can you!) and only requires three items to build.

Supplies:

-Tulle

- Plant Stakes

- Office Clips

Why tulle? Tulle allows air, sun, and water to pass through it.  You can put it around, or even over your plants without it blocking out the sun and you can water the plants right through it.  In spite of its lightness, the look and feel of it deters some of the animals.

Finding the supplies:

You can find tulle at many stores. I purchased mine from JoAnn Fabrics and Walmart.  It ran between .99/yard and 1.99/yard. I found the wider 72" tulle at JoAnn Fabrics. I was quite fortunate that their salesperson used this method of fencing the previous year and was able to give me a few tips. She put my initial doubts to rest by assuring me the tulle fencing works well. She said the deer don't like the feel of it on their noses and recommended the 72" wide fabric so we could leave the top to wave a bit in the wind as an extra deterrent.

Plant stakes and office clips are equally easy to find. Plant stakes can usually be found during spring in the gardening section at places like Lowes or Ace Hardware, or you can purchase them online. I found mine at amazon.com.  I spent just under $25 for a bundle of twenty-five 5' plant stakes. Office clips can be found at any office supply store and in many department stores. I found medium size office clips at both Walmart and Staples.  They were under $5 for a pack of 15 at Staples in spring of 2023. They did have better deals online, so if you don't need them right away, you might be able to get a better price per item by shopping around a bit.

Building the fence:

I set the stakes at each outside corner of the garden area.  No tools were required.  All that was needed was to push them into the ground.  I found that twisting them back and forth a bit while holding very near the bottom helped the pointed edge to better work its way into the turf.  I also set stakes in between the corners to help secure the middle of the sides and to keep it from sagging. Before erecting the sides, I planned where I wanted the ends of the tulle to meet so that I could easily unclip the ends to enter the garden. I wanted access at two points, so I cut my tulle into two sections.  I ran one from the center of the tall garden bed to the gap between the two shorter beds, using an office clip to secure the tulle to each stake at the top and the bottom of the stake. I ran the second piece in the other direction, clipping the beginning to the same post as the beginning of the first piece and the end to the same post as the end of the first piece.  This left me with the two pieces clipped together in the middle of the tall bed and the other ends clipped together near the center of the two shorter beds. To access the garden, I only need to unclip the tulle where the two pieces meet to make an opening.  When erecting the tulle this year, I made sure to leave a couple of inches at the bottom on which to set the bricks and the rest I left at the top to flutter in the breeze.   

Usage review:

These materials are durable, but not indestructible. Wind was the most detrimental factor to this set up. We had one really strong wind storm last year that bent a few of the stakes.  We tried gently bending them back into position this year, but the stakes I purchased were hollow and broke from the metal stress. Nevertheless, I used them again this year by breaking off the bent part.  They are somewhat shorter, but still usable. Also, one section of the tulle tore a bit in the last storm so I just trimmed it off. In spite of this, we were able to re-use all of our materials from last year and had enough stakes left over to enclose a bush on the hill and two more garden boxes that we added this year.  We only had to buy a bit more tulle and a few more office clips for the new beds.

Would I change anything? This set up worked really well, though I would definitely prefer a sturdier stake. However, given the temporary nature of this type of fencing, the cost difference would have to be fairly minimal before I would consider making the purchase.

I wanted to add a final thought. I have no illusions that this fence is the perfect deterrent. We have not had a deer jump the fence, but that is not to say that a deer couldn't jump the fence. What I do know, is that it is a deterrent and that it has helped protect our garden for the past two seasons.