Raised planter box question

[jp1]

Outside our backyard in hoa common area that is open to the wilderness area behind our house we have a raised planter box that was there when we bought this place. I want to plant veggies over winter for spring harvest. The box will need to be enclosed because otherwise the deer and turkeys will eat everything. I was planning to make a cage six feet tall using 1x2’s on the four corners and build simple doors on the front and put chicken wire on the sides and top.

Do I need to make it strong enough to withstand attempts by the deer to break into it? Or will they just gently poke at it and then give up?

[bae]

I've not had deer break down fencing before, but my fences have fairly stout posts.

6 feet is too short a fence to keep our very small deer out here. Conventional local wisdom specifies 7-8 feet.

[iris lilies]

I've not had deer break down fencing before, but my fences have fairly stout posts.

6 feet is too short a fence to keep our very small deer out here. Conventional local wisdom specifies 7-8 feet.

Our deer fence is currently 4 feet high but another 4 feet will be added to it vertically. I hate deer, I wish they were dead.

[bae]

Our deer fence is currently 4 feet high but another 4 feet will be added to it vertically. I hate deer, I wish they were dead.

I have plenty of recipes!

[iris lilies]

I have plenty of recipes!
Last week I drove by two of them cavorting in plain daylight in front of the post office. I yelled at them and told them to go live someplace else.

[jp1]

I've not had deer break down fencing before, but my fences have fairly stout posts.

6 feet is too short a fence to keep our very small deer out here. Conventional local wisdom specifies 7-8 feet.

I’m planning to cover the top with chicken wire as well.

[sweetana3]

Iris lilies, my brother has to deal with moose. No fence is really tall enough. Funniest story is the moose that got really stuck between a fence and a garage wall.

[ToomuchStuff]

I am hearing winter, and am wondering how cold does it get there?

Wondering if you could get a couple of large enough windows to make a cold frame, or a bunch of old windows and make a small greenhouse surrounding the bed?

[iris lilies]

Iris lilies, my brother has to deal with moose. No fence is really tall enough. Funniest story is the moose that got really stuck between a fence and a garage wall.
Moose would be impossible.

my friend in New Hampshire told me about someone driving down the highway in a convertible who ran into a moose on the highway and could not avoid that animal. She killed the moose and she came out of it fine. But because moose was so tall, the blood and guts of his undercarriage spilled all over her head and entire interior of her car. It was a yuck fest.

Those guys are TALL!

[sweetana3]

A friend in Alaska swerved at night to avoid something big and dark. The pickup truck and van behind her hit the moose and were totalled. Quite a few people have been killed when hitting moose since they are so large and tall they can fall into the passenger compartment.

And never ever get around a female moose with a calf nearby. They are deadly.

[jp1]

I am hearing winter, and am wondering how cold does it get there?

Wondering if you could get a couple of large enough windows to make a cold frame, or a bunch of old windows and make a small greenhouse surrounding the bed?

Upper 30's at night regularly, once in a while the low 30's. 50's/60's during the day.

[Alan]

And never ever get around a female moose with a calf nearby. They are deadly.
When I was in the Air Force and stationed in Alaska, one of the Security Police members of my flight had his patrol vehicle attacked by a mother moose, she pushed it off the road and turned it over.

[jp1]

Went to Home Depot yesterday and talked with the guy in the lumber section. He recommended using pressure treated lumber for the four corner posts so that they wouldn’t rot from touching the ground and would provide long term resilience for the overall structure. The other parts like the chicken wire covered doors I’m going to build can be replaced from time to time as needed. And the 8’ pressure treated 2x4’s were only $7.25 apiece.

The plan is to attach the posts to the existing box this Wednesday when SO is at bowing night and then do the rest of the framing and attaching of chicken wire the following Wednesday evening. I should be able to start planting by October 1st.

[catherine]

Moose would be impossible.

my friend in New Hampshire told me about someone driving down the highway in a convertible who ran into a moose on the highway and could not avoid that animal. She killed the moose and she came out of it fine. But because moose was so tall, the blood and guts of his undercarriage spilled all over her head and entire interior of her car. It was a yuck fest.

Those guys are TALL!

Years ago, DH and I were driving over the Green Mountains late at night, headed for our vacation rental house. It was pitch dark. We saw that an oncoming car had stopped and was flashing their headlights at us. So we stopped, wondering what was going on. Then DH looked to his left, out the driver's side window, and all we saw was a pair of legs right next to us. We couldn't even see the moose's torso, I never realized how big they are! The moose eventually slowly walked away and we got on our way, too.

[jp1]

So it's taken a couple of months for me to get to this project but I took the week off and spent most of the day on it. The plant cage is now finished except for putting on the chicken wire. Once that's done it would also be easy enough to put transparent plastic over it for the winter to make it into a green house and potentially get a longer growing season with it.

4970
4971

[rosarugosa]

Nice job, JP.

[happystuff]

Very nice, jp! Congrats on getting it done.

[jp1]

A couple of the turkeys came by to inspect the new veggie cage yesterday. Apparently they approve.

4984