I'm staring at a muddy spot.

So this is the entirety of my back yard.

It's a sad little muddy spot where we parked this winter. Why did we park in our yard? Because our house is on a very slopped piece of property. We only have about 3 parking spots in front and then this in the back. And the front drive is on a hill that gets very ice covered in winter, although the city did better than expected at keeping it clear. We figured it would be inaccessible and didn't buy a snowblower or think to try to remove the snow until after the city had plowed the streets and made a nice solid lump of ice for us out there. (Lesson learned. Shovel the front. You *can* park there.)

The "yard" is about 3 parking spaces wide by just barely 2 deep.

I dream of taking about two parking spaces wide by two deep and making a little garden. That or three wide and one deep. Leaving enough for winter emergency parking or for when we desperately need overflow parking.

The problem is the deer.

We have deer like some cities have rats. Or roaches. And they're crafty. And like to jump into gardens.

At a friends farm they have a garden fence that looks like something surrounding a prison. There's no razor wire at the top but the high walls and wide gate make it pretty clear she's determined to have a deer free zone.

This is complicated by the fact that we don't technically own the property so I've gotta clear everything with my landlord. And maybe he'd be cool with a fenced in area. But I have no clue how to fence (not to mention a back prone to spastic fits) or who to approach for such a job. Or even what to budget.

Would fence + garden + small space = money saved on groceries? I'm not sure.

In August there will be a deck added to the house which will require things parked in the back while loading and unloading happens. I'm not sure how happy people would be with a garden in the way. Even a small one.

So. Very. Complicated.

Anyone with experience deer proofing a garden? I even have terraced beds begging for planting but I hate to loose them during deck construction or due to the massive deer overpopulation.