Original Down East

Animals such as hedgehogs, frogs and toads should be encouraged in any garden because they feed on garden pests. However, others such as deer, rabbits, moles or mice, must be kept out of the garden because they either feed on the plants or undermine them. Good fencing will deter deer and rabbits, but the only solution to mice and moles is to trap them.

DEER

If you live in the country near woodland, deer can be quite a problem because they eat most vegetation and strip bark from trees in winter.

Deer can jump a 3m (10ft) fence, so building one tall enough to keep them out is expensive. An alternative is to use an electric fence powered by a car battery or through a transformer run from your mains electricity. It is important to get an expert to install this type of fencing, so seek the advice of an agricultural merchant.

RABBITS

Rabbits are a problem in many rural gardens because they eat almost anything.

There is only one way to control them effectively. No amount of shooting, trapping or ferreting will keep their numbers down; they have to be fenced out with wire netting. It is important to use 2.5cm (1in) mesh netting and