Deer are one of the biggest enemies of gardeners, decimating decorative shrubs and trees while devouring vegetables. Deterring deer requires being strategic and taking measures to thwart them off.
Physical barriers may prove more effective than chemical repellents in protecting crops from frost damage and insect invasion. Hang netting or cloth row covers used for frost protection and insect exclusion over your vegetable crops to provide frost protection and keep out pests.
1. Plants Deer Dislike
Deer are typically attracted to plants that produce strong scents such as rosemary; therefore, you can create a garden that repels them by planting crops like vegetables and herbs that they find distasteful. Deer tend to avoid pungent or pungent-smelling crops along with those which have coarse, spiny or sticky foliage as well as those which are coarse, spiny sticky or bitter in taste, such as the nightshade family (tomatoes peppers eggplants) as well as strong-scented varieties like rosemary.
Vegetables that provide high deer resistance include beans, lettuce, cabbage and other cole crops as well as carrots, radishes and root vegetables such as beetroot. Other resistant options may include kale, broccoli, cauliflower kohlrabi brassicas as well as snap peas.
Attractively unattractive flowers for deer include tulips, daffodils and pansies – popular spring-blooming options among gardeners due to their early season appearance when deer are most hungry – should also be planted nearer your house so deer don’t reach them easily.
Try perennials that won’t attract Bambi, like hollyhocks, lilyturfa and yarrow. Another option is planting flowers with scents that deter deer such as scented sage and lavender; basil and parsley plants with aromatic scents could also work effectively as repellents; there are even sprays you can use, though you will have to keep applying them regularly and may not be as effective as burdock (Arctium lappa) due to its sharp prickly spikes!
When planting these plants, additional steps will need to be taken in order to keep deer out of your vegetable garden. This might mean installing fencing, employing scare tactics or planting cover crop buckwheat as cover crops around it. Motion-triggered devices that squirt water or emit an irritating high frequency sound can also help – though their effectiveness won’t always last as savvy deers will quickly learn whether these noises actually pose any threat and begin ignoring them over time.
2. Extend Your Fence
Fencing is the best way to keep deer out of vegetable gardens, but not everyone can afford an eight-foot picket fence. One solution would be constructing a smaller fence with a ceiling using chicken wire fencing or another inexpensive material and covering it with deer netting to create an unsafe and confining environment that deer will likely avoid entering once they know they’re trapped there.
If you don’t have space for an expansive garden, try creating a “fence within a fence” by running two concentric squares of metal fencing around your garden bed. The outer square should stand three feet high while the inner one should reach six. Deer can leap the outer fence but cannot jump over its height; as they must instead walk around it.
Wood fences can also be utilized with this same method; instead of chain link fencing, welded wire mesh at least 3 feet high should be installed to make your garden less accessible by deer, protecting more vulnerable plants like strawberries.
Some have reported success using brush fences – piles of branches and limbs placed along the perimeter of their garden or yard to form barriers that deer cannot see over and therefore avoid. The theory behind these brush fences is that deer are unable to see over them and will opt to stay clear.
Methods for protecting gardens against deer damage include using products with strong scents that smell unpleasant to deer. The University of Illinois Extension school suggests sprays like Irish Spring or Deer Away Big Game as effective deterrents; you could also try creating your own natural repellent by mixing rotten eggs with water, or scattering kitty litter around the garden area to create strong odors.
My dad employed an excellent way to keep deer out of his vegetable gardens was simply stringing invisible fishing line between stakes of his fence. Deer are unable to see this line, which will confuse them when trying to hop over barriers; just make sure it hangs a few feet outside rather than directly against garden beds.
3. Use Scare Tactics
Deer are majestic animals that can be stunning to watch in the wild, but their presence in home vegetable gardens and landscapes is less remarkable when feasting on green beans, lettuce or hostas/arborvitae. One way of keeping deer out is using physical barriers – fencing or covers that protect plants such as lettuce/bush beans from them can help. Plastic netting/chicken wire are also great solutions to keep deer at bay.
Other deterrents use noise, scent, or movement to startle and dissuade deer. Examples include motion-activated sprinklers, alarms that make noise or flash lights, and other devices. These deterrents are particularly effective at night when deer are active – often around the perimeter of a garden – to trigger when deer come near and scare them off while teaching them not to revisit that spot again in future visits.
DIY versions of this device involve stringing multiple metal poles 4- to 5-feet tall around your garden and attaching pie tins tangled with twine to each pole; even slight breezes will make these loud clank together when wind blows. It’s an inexpensive and fun way to scare deer away, though moving the tins regularly may reduce their effectiveness as deer may get used to them and become used to them over time.
One way to protect plants, fruit trees, and shrubs from deer browsing is to place deer-netting-like material over them. This will keep deer away while still allowing sunlight and water to reach them; this solution is particularly helpful for young trees that are most vulnerable to damage by deer. This type of fabric can be found at most gardening centers; for optimal performance look for strong rustproof fabrics which last years before purchasing one.
Deer are intelligent animals with adaptive ways of getting into gardens, so no single method will likely prevent them from grazing there. To increase your odds of success and catch deer off guard more often, try using multiple approaches at once and switching up how often they occur to keep deer at bay.
4. Repel With Odors
Deer are known to feast on anything from tender lettuce leaves to blooming tulips and lilies, but you can stop them from raiding your garden with a few simple strategies. Planting deer-resistant varieties and installing fences are two effective approaches; there are also plenty of sprays and scare tactics you can employ in order to discourage deer from making your garden their buffet!
Odors can help confuse deer’s senses, so anything from rotten eggs and garlic spray to ammonia-soaked rags hanging in your garden could potentially jolt them out of their food source quickly and send them rushing back towards their own food sources.
Other deer repellents work by altering plant flavors, irritating eyes or mucous membranes (for instance with hot pepper spray), or overwhelming them with an overwhelming scent such as sulfur. Therefore it’s wise to experiment with several methods of repellent application; each will work differently.
My dad taught me another neat tip involving fishing line strung high off of stakes near plants, fruit trees, or bulbs you want to protect. Doing this allows you to avoid constantly having to bend over when tending your vegetables – and is completely undetectable by deer!
An effective way of telling if deer have visited is by looking out for hoof prints, droppings and ragged leaves. Deer don’t possess upper front teeth so they use their lower incisors instead to chew through leaves and stems with their lower jaw, creating the characteristically jagged edges seen on plants with no upper front teeth like this one does. Also watch for any signs of trampling and scattered seeds. Finally look out for any evidence of trampling of young plantings; cover these immediately after placing with protective measures like netting or protection using mulch/hay layers if temperatures allow.