I'm in central IL'ish and plan on doing the same thing. I don't think winter will be over in a week... We're about to get 4-8 inches of snow tomorrow. I've never grown outside so I'm interested in what you find out. I have heard that somepeople have taken fishing line and strung it about a foot and a half above the ground as the deer will run into it and look for a dif rout. I've also heard that people mark (pee) the area so the animals will smell humans and stay away. Don't know if any of this is real or just bs. hopefully some outdoor growers will chime in and help us both out.... Good luck...
