I grew up on a farm in Tennessee where if you saw a wire on an insulator mount, you assumed it was hot. If it wasn't your house, you just didn't mess with the fence. It's that simple. If you got shocked on the neighbors electric fence, you kept your mouth shut or someone would kick your behind for being somewhere you didn't belong. We had hot wired garden fence and the only thing we did was listen carefully at night to see if we could hear the coons squalling when they headed to get the corn...
What's Growing in the Garden
- Thread starter trc65
- Start date
I agree that if you don't live there and get a shock, you shouldn't have been there if you weren't invited. But, when everyone uses, "but, the children", it changes the narrative. ............ Nubs
That's what I was when you would get a boot for getting into somewhere that you didn't belong... "But, the children..." Is an excuse for not training the brats to leave what isn't theirs alone!
For sure there's the risk of getting sued. We have people around the neighborhood who regularly comment "but the deer were here first". I reply "so were the rocks, sagebrush, and junipers and you don't seem concerned they were all ripped out to build your house". I'll probably stick with my sling shot anyway.
Keep us posted on how it turns out.
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- #3,126
Just add to that, once the deer get shocked, they stay away from anything that looks like an electric fence wire. Had to put electric fence around strawberries to keep coons and deer away. Raspberries are near there, and the deer always browsed the top tender growth. Until, that is, I added a wire trellis for them. Deer think that is electrified too, and haven't touched them since.
As neighbors, their pets, etc. electric fence is legal as long as you aren't McGuivering something with line voltage.
They also make stakes with a little solar cell and shock surface on the top. Uses an attractant chemical to attract the deer, shock them and they learn to stay away from the area. Since you have power near there, I'd get a little fence charger, bait with PB and zap them.
Search for wireless deer fence for the stakes. I see a few that are battery powered as well.
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- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3,127
I think we are getting enough moisture in the garden.
By line voltage you mean 110V? Sounds like deer retain memory and don't return, once shocked. How about other varmints like squirrels, possum, rabbits, etc.? Chuck
just turn your hose off
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- #3,130
That has actually happened!just turn your hose off
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3,131
Yes. Used to occasionally hear about some moron who did that and killed dogs, calves, etc.
An electric fence operates in the thousands of volts (~5000-10,000), but most importantly only 100-200 milliamps. The "jolt" is also at a very short duration to prevent injury. That low amperage won't harm most animals, but I do occasionally find a dead bird.
As to how well small animals learn and remember getting shocked, I don't know. When I'm protecting berries or sweet corn the fence is always on. Just don't trust raccoons.
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Will any of your garden survive that much moisture? I amended parts of my garden with the decayed/burnt wood chips compost I mentioned earlier. We've been getting a lot of rain too (not as much as you) and my cow peas are wilting. Too much water for them?
And you mentioned deer like berry vines. I caught this doe 25 yards from my deck munching on my wild black berries. Mostly weeds so I don't care. (screen shot, didn't process)
Brother was cutting down a dying fruit tree and he noticed a swarm of insects around him. Didn't get stung so he thought they were japanese beetles. Turned out it was a bee hive. Small bees and surprisingly they weren't stinging us. Will they vacate the comb by Winter?
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- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3,134
Yeah, the garden will be fine as long as it dries up. I don't start to worry unless we have free water standing for 2 days or more. No more standing water by this morning, so they will survive.
Don't know about cow peas. My guess would be too wet and maybe root rot pathogens. If that's the case, not much to do other than giving some supplemental fertilizer when it dries out. That may help make up for loss of root function.
We had our first rain day this month. Got 5/8ths, so nearly 2 inches for the month. Still dry ground.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3,136
Hope you get more soon. Never easy going into the heat of July at a moisture deficit.
Some crazy systems occurring around here. Just a few miles in any direction and they've had half as much as us. Every system from May through early June missed us and now they are hitting.
Illinois leads the nation in tornadoes this year with 149 confirmed. That also sets an all time record for IL with quite a bit of the season left.
Some records should just not be broken!
Mustang grapes are a wild grape that grows prolifically here in Texas. But harvesting can be difficult - itchy vines, yellow jackets hidden, and almost always in tall grass which means chiggers. But every once in a while you find some at your granddaughter’s softball fields where they mow right up to the chain link fence where you can just walk right up and pick em at 5 foot rather than in the trees. With the nice spring & early summer rains the crop was excellent.
Easy picking
Cleaned and washed
Cooked and getting the juice
Finished product
Easy picking
Cleaned and washed
Cooked and getting the juice
Finished product
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3,139
That looks great!
We have wild grapes, but they are only the size of a large pea at best. Make fantastic jelly, but we have so many Japanese beetles annually, that they defoliate the grapes and it's hard to find enough to bother picking.
We have wild grapes, but they are only the size of a large pea at best. Make fantastic jelly, but we have so many Japanese beetles annually, that they defoliate the grapes and it's hard to find enough to bother picking.
With the abundance of rain this early summer some these are cherry sized and with tons on some vines. A rare occurrence. It was hard to stop picking. Still have juice in the freezer for 2more recipes