How to Keep Deer Out of a Garden
Cut down on the number of tasty plants in your garden., Plant close to your home., Mask the smell of a deer’s favorite foods with pungent plants., Protect your crops with tomato cages., Raise a hedge or fence.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Cut down on the number of tasty plants in your garden.
Deer favor rich, high-nutrient foods like lettuce, beans, peas and strawberries, as well as mild flowers like tulips and pansies.
The fewer of these you keep in your garden at a given time, the less likely they are to provide a mouth-watering feast for a grazing deer herd.
This will be more difficult if you maintain a farm or large vegetable garden, but you can still lower your chances of having your crops ravaged by keeping them in rotation and harvesting them as soon as they’re ripe.Keep your garden well manicured and maintained.
Harvest fruits and vegetables as soon as they are ripe to cut down on the chances that they'll be devoured.
Do some research on the types of crops that deer prefer and only plant one or two of these at a time. -
Step 2: Plant close to your home.
Deer are cautious creatures and won’t venture any closer to your domicile than they have to.
Take advantage of this and grow bright, attractive plants and plump fruits and vegetables close to your home, far away from the outer perimeter of your garden where deer are most likely to infiltrate.
In order to get to them, the deer will have to risk getting close to the hub of all the noise and activity they fear.Lush rose and tulip bushes make excellent ornamentation for the outside of your home where they will conveniently be the safest. , Smell is a deer’s strongest sense, and the one they use to track down food sources.
Confuse deer on the lookout for a free meal by covering up the scents of the plants they gravitate to with the more conspicuous odors of potent perennials and herbs.
Garlic, onions, lavender and mint all make great choices for disguising the smell of vulnerable plants and driving away hungry deer.Deer are naturally repulsed by things with acrid odors and flavors. , Place wire tomato cages over larger crops like tomatoes and beans to make it more difficult for deer to get to them.
Ready-made tomato cages can be found at most lawn and garden stores, or you can put them together yourself at home using basic, inexpensive materials.
The openings in the cage are too small for deer to reach the plants within, but are big enough to allow you to water, prune and pick fruits and vegetables by hand.
Cages are recommended for edible plants that grow tall on stalks or vines.Build simple tomato cages to your own specifications using concrete reinforcing wire.
Make a Tomato Cage , Though many people find them unsightly and difficult to maintain, a tall, sheer barrier such as a picket fence or dense hedge can make an effective deer defense.
Just make sure the fence or hedge is tall enough to keep the deer from seeing what’s on the menu in your yard.
Deer are prodigious jumpers, and a barrier shorter than about six feet won’t stand a chance.Growing a hedge to serve as a screen requires patience and upkeep, but is arguably the more aesthetic option than walling off your beautiful landscaping with a solid structure.
If space allows, consider erecting a double fence or hedge with an inner and outer barrier.
This will make it harder for the deer to clear with a bound. -
Step 3: Mask the smell of a deer’s favorite foods with pungent plants.
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Step 4: Protect your crops with tomato cages.
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Step 5: Raise a hedge or fence.
Detailed Guide
Deer favor rich, high-nutrient foods like lettuce, beans, peas and strawberries, as well as mild flowers like tulips and pansies.
The fewer of these you keep in your garden at a given time, the less likely they are to provide a mouth-watering feast for a grazing deer herd.
This will be more difficult if you maintain a farm or large vegetable garden, but you can still lower your chances of having your crops ravaged by keeping them in rotation and harvesting them as soon as they’re ripe.Keep your garden well manicured and maintained.
Harvest fruits and vegetables as soon as they are ripe to cut down on the chances that they'll be devoured.
Do some research on the types of crops that deer prefer and only plant one or two of these at a time.
Deer are cautious creatures and won’t venture any closer to your domicile than they have to.
Take advantage of this and grow bright, attractive plants and plump fruits and vegetables close to your home, far away from the outer perimeter of your garden where deer are most likely to infiltrate.
In order to get to them, the deer will have to risk getting close to the hub of all the noise and activity they fear.Lush rose and tulip bushes make excellent ornamentation for the outside of your home where they will conveniently be the safest. , Smell is a deer’s strongest sense, and the one they use to track down food sources.
Confuse deer on the lookout for a free meal by covering up the scents of the plants they gravitate to with the more conspicuous odors of potent perennials and herbs.
Garlic, onions, lavender and mint all make great choices for disguising the smell of vulnerable plants and driving away hungry deer.Deer are naturally repulsed by things with acrid odors and flavors. , Place wire tomato cages over larger crops like tomatoes and beans to make it more difficult for deer to get to them.
Ready-made tomato cages can be found at most lawn and garden stores, or you can put them together yourself at home using basic, inexpensive materials.
The openings in the cage are too small for deer to reach the plants within, but are big enough to allow you to water, prune and pick fruits and vegetables by hand.
Cages are recommended for edible plants that grow tall on stalks or vines.Build simple tomato cages to your own specifications using concrete reinforcing wire.
Make a Tomato Cage , Though many people find them unsightly and difficult to maintain, a tall, sheer barrier such as a picket fence or dense hedge can make an effective deer defense.
Just make sure the fence or hedge is tall enough to keep the deer from seeing what’s on the menu in your yard.
Deer are prodigious jumpers, and a barrier shorter than about six feet won’t stand a chance.Growing a hedge to serve as a screen requires patience and upkeep, but is arguably the more aesthetic option than walling off your beautiful landscaping with a solid structure.
If space allows, consider erecting a double fence or hedge with an inner and outer barrier.
This will make it harder for the deer to clear with a bound.
About the Author
Lori Garcia
Brings years of experience writing about crafts and related subjects.
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