Deer are easily kept out of your garden using various strategies, but physical barriers are usually the most reliable method. Fencing that stands 8-12 feet high works effectively in this regard.
Other techniques include replacing tulips with daffodils (Narcissus), which deer are less fond of. Keep an eye out for signs that deer have visited such as nibbled produce, clipped leaves that have been unevenly clipped, buds or blossoms which appear suddenly and then suddenly vanish without warning, hoof prints in soft soil and small piles of round droppings – these could all indicate deer have visited your garden.
Plant a Variety of Vegetables & Herbs
Deer are majestic animals to watch frolicking through Metro Park forests, yet when unleashed into your garden they can quickly decimate decorative plants, flowering shrubs, fruit trees and vegetable crops. Their antlers may even leave rough scrapes along tree trunks or woody shrub branches. Thankfully there are ways you can protect your plants and crops from deer!
Start by selecting a variety of flowers and vegetables known to be deer-resistant. Steer clear of planting any flowers known to attract deer, such as tulips, sweet peas, pansies and daffodils; opt for less attractive options like daffodils or roses instead; alternatively try growing cleome, clematis verbena bonarensis lavender as these have strong scents deer don’t like. Additionally thyme rosemary mint chives also act as effective deer repellents with strong scents deterrents that deer don’t like.
Planning ahead can help ensure your garden remains deer resistant while still fitting seamlessly with its landscape. Planting flowering and edible species together provides natural barriers against deer, helping mask your gardens. If necessary, deer netting should also be utilized.
Deer repellents come in various forms, from sprays that taste or smell unpleasant to deer to dried blood or urine from predators such as coyotes. Unfortunately, such repellents often require frequent reapplying to remain effective; physical barriers like fences are typically the better solution.
Homemade deer repellents include garlic, pepper-vinegar combination or ammonia-soaked strips hung from trees. Motion lights that activate when deer pass by may also work well – although keep in mind they will likely return over time and could become desensitized to these methods of control.
Cover Your Plants With Deer Netting
Deer are destructive pests that can rapidly strip away ornamental trees, shrubs and vegetable gardens – they even carry ticks which spread Lyme disease! However, there are various deer repellent solutions that will keep these pesky animals at bay in your garden and yard.
One effective method of protecting plants from deer is covering them with fine mesh netting. This enables water and sunlight to reach the plants while keeping deer at bay – ideal for young plants which are susceptible to their destruction by deer.
Deer are attracted to shiny objects, so another simple way of deterring deer from your yard or garden is hanging shiny objects like old CDs, aluminum pie tins, and metallic streamers that reflect light and move freely; these may create movement that disorients deer. Clustering multiple shiny objects together – perhaps from trees or fishing lines around your garden perimeter – may prove even more effective.
Some plants naturally deter deer, including cleome, verbena bonarensis, daffodils and lavender. While these nontoxic plants don’t poison deer directly, their pungent scent and displeasant textures often send deer in search of something sweeter to nibble on instead. Try planting these deer-repelling species around flower beds or veggie patches as a natural shield to safeguard your plants against hungry nibblers.
Rock gardens can serve as a natural deterrent against deer, as these animals tend to avoid rocky areas. To stop deer from visiting too closely to your garden, create a wide rock garden containing rocks of various sizes. Or use deer-repelling spray that contains eggs or hot peppers which repel deer naturally; simply apply to a pump sprayer and spray onto plant foliage or trunks.
Spray Your Vegetables & Herbs With Deer Repellents
Deer repellents come in all forms and effectiveness can vary widely; products containing rotten eggs have proven particularly successful at deterring deer. Commercial deer repellents may contain them or you can make your own by mixing five whole, uncooked eggs with one gallon of water and spraying this solution onto plants as a deer repellent solution.
One option for deer protection is planting plants that are naturally deer-resistant, such as nightshades (tomatoes, eggplants and peppers) as well as chives, garlic leeks and onions – these typically possess both slight toxicities as well as pungent scents that repel them.
Other natural deer-repelling plants include fuzzy lamb’s ear, barberries and cleome. Each one provides an unpleasant texture for deer taste buds to experience and can often be bitter or aromatic in scent or taste.
Use plants that naturally repel deer as a natural barrier around your vegetable garden or as an alternative fence, such as hedgerows. Remember to reapply repellent periodically.
There is no one-size-fits-all method that will keep deer away from eating your veggies and herbs, even those which have previously worked effectively may become ineffective over time as deer can quickly adapt to certain scents or sprays and become immune to them.
Keep a sharp lookout for signs that deer are nearby, such as nibbled leaves and flowers, branches with scratches from hooves, and small piles of round black droppings. If any of these appear, take immediate steps such as fencing your garden off, planting deer-repellent plants and using repellents to give yourself the best chance against their next attack by hungry deer.
Keep Your Vegetables & Herbs Watered
Deer are an ongoing hazard to gardeners and homeowners. Deer can decimate decorative trees, strip the bark off fruit trees, destroy vegetable gardens and carry ticks that spread Lyme disease–an illness fatal for both people and dogs.
Many commercial and homemade repellents can help deer stay away from edible plants by altering their taste, smell or scaring them away with predator-related signs or sounds. Repellents work best when applied immediately when deer damage has been noticed or suspected – especially after rain – and should be applied again regularly after rainfall to maximize effectiveness. Furthermore, their effectiveness increases even more when combined with other deterrent techniques.
Installing a deer-proof fence is the most reliable way to defend a garden, though it can be expensive. A tall fence – at least 8 feet in height – must block deer from entering and accessing your garden.
Other less costly strategies include fencing in your vegetable garden with chicken wire and covering shrubs and small trees with black deer netting available from most hardware stores. Some gardeners swear by hanging strips of fabric softener or wrapped bars of soap from trees to confuse deers’ sense of smell; other gardeners have reported success using garlic, rotten egg mixtures or ammonia-soaked rags instead.
Other effective techniques involve replacing plants deer do not like with something similar that you like – for instance, planting daffodils instead of tulips. Other good choices for deer-free gardening include lamb’s ear (Stachys), lady’s mantle (Alchemilla), yarrow (Achillea), purple top vervain (Verbena bonariensis) and purple top vervain (Verbena bonariensis). Deer seem particularly distaffected by plants with spiked leaves such as roses and Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla). Plant a wide range of textures and scents in order to displace them all!
Keep Your Vegetables & Herbs Clean
Hungry deer can quickly cause havoc in home gardens and landscapes by munching away at decorative trees, shrubs, vegetables and fruit trees. Furthermore, these creatures often nibble on flowers, berries and foliage of deer-resistant plants as well. Furthermore, these creatures carry ticks which spread Lyme disease, an illness which affects both humans and dogs alike.
There are ways to deter deer from damaging your garden or home landscape, from planting varieties that are naturally deer-resistant to creating homemade repellents. By following these simple tips, you can minimize damage caused by deer.
One of the most effective and widely utilized approaches is using a deer fence. However, as deer are known to jump quickly over fences, this must be at least 8 feet high to be effective.
Another approach is to cover shrubs and small fruit trees with deer netting. This will effectively keep deer away while not blocking your view or altering your landscaping. Or use commercial deer repellent sprays; most work by making plants taste or smell unpleasant to deer, though many must be applied frequently to remain effective.
Finally, hanging shiny objects from tree branches or around your garden to scare away deer is another effective method of deer deterrence. Items like CDs, aluminum pie tins and metallic streamers reflect sunlight and can disorient deer’s sense of sight. Some gardeners swear by hanging fabric softener strips or wrapped bars of soap from trees as another deterrent measure; others swear by garlic-rotten egg mixtures, hot pepper sprays, ammonia-soaked rags or bags full of hair or blood.