Boxed out! man's device protects garden

Collapsible fence defends against crop-eating vermin

By GERARD T. HIRSCH
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
March 1, 2007

The Star-Ledger Archive
COPYRIGHT © The Star-Ledger 2007
Today in Hunterdon: Hunterdon County Democrat

Fed up with the four-legged poachers who destroyed his carefully-cultivated vegetable crop overnight, Bob Hannigan gave up backyard gardening years ago - except for a few flower pots sprouting cherry tomatoes on the back porch of his Readington home.

But this year, it will be a different story.

Hannigan and a partner, Amit Doshi, have designed The Garden Defender-a collapsible, protective fencing system that will keep deer on the outside looking in while inside the enclosure. pepper and tomato plants, cucumbers. pole beans, zucchini and squash are able to blossom and bear fruit, growing to full maturity.

"With all the local farms making vegetables available, it's not like you're going to go without fresh, but it's most enjoyable when you're growing them yourself," he said.

Hannigan pointed out several advantages - you know what's going on in your backyard; you can grow completely organic if you choose, and refrain from chemicals and fertilizers. The challenge is to protect the plants from foraging deer.

Hannigan, who moved back to New Jersey in 1997, had a bumper crop his first year "Peppers, tomatoes, we had great success; I didn't have anything around the garden, the only thing we used were the wire cones to support the tomatoes."

Disaster struck in 1998.

"About a month and a half into it, I got up one morning and every plant that had some growth was chewed to the nub right down to the base."

In 1999, he tried again.

"I got some rolled up wire and put that around the plants; the deer let them grow to where you could see you were going to have something, then they knocked the wires down and chewed the plants up pretty good."

That's when he opted for the potted plants on his porch.

"Deer and rabbits aren't going to climb the steps, but it's not the same," Hannigan said. "They just don't grow well in pots, no matter how large a pot you get, they're not as robust, there's just not enough filtration of air and water and a lot of times you get algae in the soil, and the plant knows it's growing in bacteria; you'll get some fruit out of it, but not as goad as what comes From the garden."

Chicken wire and metal stakes weren't the answer, either Too ugly, and too prickly to be rolled up and rolled out again next spring when it was time for planting seedlings.

Hannigan's frustrations are common to backyard gardeners and farmers in Hunterdon County; watch has the largest deer population in New Jersey according to various estimates.

The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife estimates that 178,000 deer roam the state, a number that has remained static for at least a decade In the top deer counties of Hunterdon, Warren. Sussex, Somerset, and Morris, deer densities surpass 50 per square mile, according to the New Jersey Audubon Society.

An infrared aerial survey of the deer herd in Hunterdon County conducted by the Rutgers University Center for Wildlife Damage Control, in conjunction with the New Jersey Farm Bureau and the New Jersey Division of Wildlife, determined the population in 2000 to be as high as 212 deer per square mile in Delaware Township.

The presence of deer in Hunterdon County is also reflected in the high number of motor vehicle collisions; between 2002 and 2005, Hunterdon County recorded 2,296 incidents of deer being hit by cars, representing 8.4 per cent of the statewide total.

Hannigan concedes deer will continue to trek through his backyard, but is confident The Garden Defender will ensure this year's crop is harvested and eaten by his family, not the deer.

Hannigan's design features a series of interlocking 2-by-4 foot light green panels with steel frames and tight mesh screen. Each bottom joint has a flange and a hole for a stake to be driven through. All stakes have a feathered shaft that will keep the unit firmly in place, and its color blends with the environment.

The Web site - www.gardendefenden.com has an animated link that shows how the panels lock together; all tools necessary for the construction of the four foot enclosures are included in the kits. There are four sizes available - 8-by-10 feet; 8-by-12 feet; 10-by-12 feet and 12-by 18 feet. The modular design allows any number of different configurations. Gardeners can start small, and add more panels if they want to expand their gardens, Hannigan said.

Hannigan said the rigid construction is far superior to a chicken wire end steel stake enclosure; the two piece door Panel sold with each unit also allows the gardener easy access for weeding and harvesting.

Deer can be persistent and stubborn, almost determined to bypass any fencing unit set up to keep them cut, but Hannigan says that's not likely with the enclosure system he designed; he says deer are reluctant to get themselves boxed fn a small enclosure.

One of Hannigan's neighbors has the original prototype in his backyard, ready for use this planting season; another prototype is in the backyard of his business partner outside Philadelphia.

Hannigan says the units should last 10 years, and recommends they be disassembled and stored over the winter.

The garden defender as shown in a Philadelphia, Pa. warehouse.

Back to Top
 

Questions about this website,