Fruit & Vegetable Exclusion Fence Requirements

Protecting your fruit and vegetable specialty crops is important. The more fruit you can harvest, the more your revenue increases. The best way to protect your crops is by using an exclusion or boundary fence around your investments. 

Deer control and exclusion in orchard, vegetable and vineyard crops can quickly translate to increased revenue. Even a few deer in an orchard can reduce yields by many bushels per visit. This will drain revenues and potentially damages tree growth and fruiting for subsequent seasons. 

Build a high exclusion fence that keeps deer and large pests out while allowing some ingress or egress by predators. This works to control moles and other vermin, one of the keys to a good orchard and vineyard exclusion fence. Follow the guidelines below when planning your next exclusion fence.

Download our brochure on high tensile wire for fruit and vegetable trellis and deer exclusion.

STRENGTH

The strength of your fence is very important when installing an exclusion fence. You want a fence that carries a high breaking strength and will withstand any impact from predatory animals. Fixed knot is the strongest exclusion fence style available and provides the best exclusion performance, particularly in areas where deer pressure exists.  Bekaert Solidlock® Pro 12.5 g Fixed Knot products carry a minimum breaking strength of 1,385 pounds making it our strongest option.  A Solidlock® Fixed Knot fence will exclude even aggressive deer in most situations. 

FENCE POST SPACING

Post spacing is a factor because it depends on product selection, height of your fence, animal pressure and terrain. Good post spacing will be essential in building a fence that protects your vegetable garden.

In general, we recommend post spacing for exclusion fence to be between 15 and 25 feet. For a specific recommendation, feel free to Ask the Fence Pros. 

HEIGHT

For vineyard and orchard applications, we recommend a height of 96 inches. If a 96-inch fence is not an option in your area, use a fence with a height of 75 to 90 inches. If additional height is desired, add lines of smooth or barbed wire along the top to increase overall height.

FENCE FOR FRUIT TREES

We have several great fence options for properties with fruit trees. It is important to consider the needs for your property and the surrounding wildlife you may want to exclude. A fence for protecting fruits and vegetables needs to have a good height and knot type. Check out some of the recommendations below to see more. 

•  Fixed Knot
•  Field Fence
•  Topper wire:
  •  High Tensile Barbed Wire or;
  •  High Tensile Smooth Wire

BEST OPTION

Bekaert Solidlock® Pro 2096-12 and 2096-6 Fixed Knot fence designs are all “best” options being that they are all 96 inches high. The difference between these three options is the spacing of the wires which is outlined below.  The differences between the 2096 products and the 1796-6 product are reflected in the total number of line wires and the spacing at the bottom. These line wire spacing changes are based on personal and regional needs. 

• Solidlock® Pro 12.5 gauge, 2096-12, Solidlock Pro 12.5 gauge - 2096-6 are our first recommendations. These fence products are 96 inches tall. The 2096-12 and 2096-6 options are similar, except the 2096-12 has 12-inch vertical stay wire spacing and the 2096-6 has 6-inch vertical stay wire spacing. The difference between this fence and the one below is the difference in the number of horizontal line wires and their spacing. The horizontal spacing for this fence is smaller, starting with 3 inches at the bottom and gradually increasing to 7 inches at the top. View the fence spacing diagrams below. 

BETTER OPTION

• Solidlock 14 gauge , 1690-6 or 1478-6 Fixed Knot fence is our recommendation here. Because these fences are only 78 or 90 inches in height, additional strands of either high tensile smooth wire or high tensile barbed wire can be added for additional height if desired. 
• Topper Wire: 
  • Cattleman® Pro 14-gauge Barbed Wire, 2- or 4-point, 5 inch spacing, use Bezinal® coating to help protect against harsh fertilizers and chemicals
  • Gaucho® 15.5-gauge Barbed Wire, 2- or 4-point, 5 inch spacing, use Bezinal® coating to help protect against harsh fertilizers and chemicals
  • High Tensile Smooth wire 12.5 gauge, 200 KPSI, use Bezinal® coating to help protect against harsh fertilizers and chemicals

GOOD OPTION

• Gaucho® Pro 12.5 g 1478-6 High Tensile Field Fence is a good fence recommendation for exclusion fence.  Again here, because this fence is only 78 inches, additional strands of either high tensile smooth wire or high tensile barbed wire can be used to add additional height to the fence.
•  Topper Wire: 
  • Cattleman® Pro 14-gauge Barbed Wire, 2- or 4-point, 5 inch spacing, use Bezinal® coating to help protect against harsh fertilizers and chemicals
  • Gaucho® 15.5-gauge Barbed Wire, 2- or 4-point, 5 inch spacing, use Bezinal® coating to help protect against harsh fertilizers and chemicals
  • High Tensile Smooth wire 12.5 gauge, 200 KPSI, use Bezinal® coating to help protect against harsh fertilizers and chemicals

Read the Rutgers University study on the impact an exclusion can have on your investment: Deer crop loss demonstration study results reveal benefits to all using deer exclusion fence