Prevent Deer In Your Garden
- Make it tough for deer to browse. Trim off lower branches of trees. No deer wants to waste time picking through your scare yard if there are lush bushes next door.
- Clean up your yard. Dont leave acorns, rotted fruit, or leaves on your lawn they are an open invitation to hungry deer.
- For your garden, choose flowers and shrubs that are unpalatable to deer, such as forsythia, lilac bush, , zinnias, daffodils, lavender and snapdragons. Contact your local cooperative extension for suggestions in your area. See our chart with a list of deer-resistant plants.
- Put strong-smelling plants that deer dont like on the outside of your garden and smaller plants that need more protection on the inside. Deer tend to stay away from poisonous plants, strongly flavored plants, and plants with hairy or furry leaves.
- The most reliable method is to fence in your garden. Put up a strong, 8-foot-tall metal fence.
Best Ways To Keep Deer Out Of Your Yard This Summer
Deer are hoofed animals that live in forests, prairies, savannas, and transitional spaces between these landscapes. Technically reindeer, elk, and moose are types of deer. But, when many people think of deer they think of Bambi-like species, like the white-tailed deer, the red deer, or the mule deer. Deer species are naturally found on every continent except Antarctica and Australia.
These foraging animals love to eat weeds, specific crops, and flowers. Yards and gardens sometimes pose an attractive meal to deer, especially in areas where homes are closer to their natural habitats. However, they can destroy your hard work. So, how do you keep deer from eating all of your plants in the summer?
Sprinkle Irish Spring Soap
Another option for keeping deer out of your garden without a fence is Irish Spring soap.
Deer dont like the fresh clean smell of Irish Spring .
Shave slices off the bar of soap and sprinkle them around the areas you want to keep the deer out of. Then repeat whenever the soap has dissolved.
You can also try drilling holes in the middle of the soap and hanging it from branches or posts around your garden beds.
Other home remedies that have a strong scent such as hot pepper and garlic may also work. But youll need to refresh them frequently.
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Frequently Asked Questions About How To Keep Deer Out Of Your Garden Or Yard
1. Does Irish Spring soap keep deer out of your garden?
Another common claim weve heard is that Irish Spring will keep deer out of a garden or yard. Supposedly, deer dont like the smell so it keeps them away. Is this true or not?
Our good friends who live down the street from us recently put Irish Spring soap to the test in their summer garden after having deer problems. When we say put to the test we mean they probably put out at least one bar of soap for every 3 square feet. It was certainly smelly enough to keep us out of their garden!
The results? Deer ate every plant to the ground, repeatedly even plants sitting inches from the soap.
The sweet potato vines in the background have been eaten to the ground by deer multiple times despite being surrounded by Irish Spring soap. Irish Spring was not an effective deer deterrent in this case.
So it would appear that Irish Spring soap was not effective at keeping deer out of their garden. However, they now have quite a bit of soap in their soil, and who knows whats in it.
2. Does Milorganite work for repelling deer?
Some people use Milorganite to deter deer. In case youve never heard of it, Milorganite is a fertilizer made from heat-treated, pelletized sewage from Milwaukee. Yes, seriously.
Will the smell of Milorganite repel deer? Perhaps so, but wed rather have deer in our yard than Milorganite.
Also, pretty much any scent-based deer repellent is only good so long as it doesnt get wet and/or degrade.
Tactics For Deer Proof Gardens
As the white-tailed deer population in the east and the mule deer population in the west expand, and suburbia continues to encroach on their territory, deer have become more and more problematic for gardeners. Each herd eats differently, so gardening with deer requires patience and experimentation. But most of all, it requires a willingness to be flexible in your plant choices and deer management techniques. In other words, what works for Jane may not work for Joe. The key for me has been employing a combination of all four of the tactics I list below and being vigilant about noting which ones are the most effective against each different herd. If something stops working, Im always willing to tweak my deer management strategy until I find something that does. That being said, even in areas of heavy deer browse , my diligence has paid off. Though I find deer foot prints and droppings in my gardens almost every day, because of these four tactics, their feeding damage is almost nonexistent and the result is a series of beautiful, deer proof gardens.
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Create A Rock Garden Perimeter
The next way to deter deer from your flower beds is to create a rock garden around the perimeter of your yard.
Deer avoid rocky areas, so surrounding your garden with a wide rock garden can be a good way to keep them at bay.
To make this work best, vary the size of the rocks. That way there isnt too much flat area that the deer can walk across.
You could also combine a rock garden with a fence so that the deer dont have a clear landing area.
This is what I unintentionally did across the back of my yard. When I first moved into my house and was creating garden beds, I dug a lot of rocks out of the ground. They all got piled along the inside of the fence where I intended to create a terraced rock garden.
Tactic : Using Deer Repellents Religiously
If I had a nickel for every time someone told me that theyve tried deer sprays and they dont work, Id be a rich woman. More often than not, after I ask the person a few questions about how theyre using these products, I come to learn that the failure of the product is due to human error, not the product itself.
There are many, many effective deer repellents and deterrents on the market, but how well they work is almost completely dependent on how they are used. If you want these products to yield anything close to the great results I get, you absolutely have to be religious about using them. You cannot go out to the garden and spray them once and be done with it. I set a weekly reminder on my cell phone so I can stay on top of applying deer repellent. And, keep in mind, Im only applying it to a select few plants I grow that are not naturally deer-resistant. The twigs of our young apple trees, for example, are often nibbled by deer during the winter months so too are our junipers and Japanese holly bushes these are the plants I use deer repellent sprays on and I do it every week, without fail and without excuses. They work wonderfully, but only because Im consistent.
Here are some great tips for using deer repellents effectively.
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What You Can Do To Keep Deer Away
Deer can be such a sight to see on your landscape, but when they start eating the fruits and plants you worked so hard to grow, you won’t like them as much. There are many ways to humanely keep deer away and protect your plants from vanishing because of them. Building a fence around your property is helpful, but you can also consider growing plants that are known to deter them.
There are also other ways to keep deer away from turning your landscape bed into their lunch table. Using noise and deer-repellent products is proven to prevent these four-legged munchers from feasting on your plants. Keep reading to learn more about humane ways to repel them from your landscape.
Adjust Your Bird Feeders
The main thing that will attract deer to your yard is access to easy food sources.
The most common ones are ground or openly try bird feeders that they can easily eat.
Deer really like to eat seeds and corn, and a lot of commercial bird mixes will contain these. They will happily come back again and again for an easy food source.
Although this may not seem like an issue if they are leaving your plants alone. The problem is that it will cost you a lot of money replacing all that birdseed that they drain each night. They can also damage expensive feeders and poles trying to get to the food.
You may need to take down your bird feeders until the deer problem is solved. If thats not an option then try using bitter seeds like safflower or Nyger.
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These Large Mammals Will Do Anything To Get Their Hands On Your Flowers And Vegetables Keep Them Away With These Solutions
Andrea Beck spent more than three years writing about food for Better Homes & Gardens before serving as the assistant digital garden editor. Now, she writes about lifestyle topics, including food, garden, home, and health for Hy-Vee’s Seasons magazine. Her work has appeared on Food & Wine, Martha Stewart, MyRecipes, and more. Andrea holds a double degree in Magazines and English, with a minor in politics from Drake University.
Once deer discover your yard as a delectable deli, they’ll hop fences, ignore scare tactics, and show up like clockwork to devour plant after plant. They’ll trot right up on a porch to chew off the roses or stretch high to nibble the clematis you thought were safe on an arbor. And hungry deer will eat almost anything, depending on what’s available . There are plenty of methods for how to keep deer from eating plants and away from your garden that you can try, but it might take some experimenting to see what works best in your yard. One of the best ways to keep your garden safe is to fill it with deer-resistant plants that they’ll avoid on their own.
What Is The Best Deer Repellent
Deer use their acute senses of taste and smell to locate food as well as to detect predators and other dangers. Fortunately for gardeners and homeowners, we can capitalize on those acute senses in our efforts to keep deer out of our yards and gardens. Spray repellents and repellent stations containing strongly scented ingredients such as rotten eggs, garlic, mint, thyme or other spices can be very effective in repelling deer. Some products also contain spicy peppers to further discourage deer from eating any plants or trees that have been sprayed with the product.
While these repellents, available at your local hardware store or garden center, are supposed to be odorless to humans once theyre dry, their scent and flavor remain unpleasant to deer for several weeks or even months. If you choose to use a spray repellent product, be sure to shake the bottle well before spraying, since the active ingredients sink to the bottom between uses.
Depending on which product you choose, you may have to re-apply the spray as often every few weeks to keep the product at its peak effectiveness. If youd prefer a longer-lasting alternative, you might try a repellent station. These products work the same way as repellent sprays, by repelling deer with strong odors and flavors, but their effectiveness lasts longer. On the other hand, repellent station products are likely to be more expensive than sprays.
- 2 tablespoons each garlic powder and cayenne pepper
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Grow A Variety Of Plants
If youre only focused on growing delicious crops, thats the only target deer will have. Theyll be lured directly to your most valuable plants that youve worked so hard to grow. It will be well worth your time to grow a wider variety of plants to deter them.
For example, planting a few thorny or prickly bushes around the perimeter of your garden will cause deer to second-guess themselves before treading onto your property. These bushes will make garden access more difficult.
There are other plants such as aromatic flowers that will push deer away rather than draw them in. Not only do strong smells keep deer at bay, but they will also mask the more pleasant smells given off by your fruits and vegetables.
Use Motion And Sound Repellants
Deer dislike sudden, unfamiliar motion, so a landscape with windmills, solar-powered “scarecrow” devices, or motion-activated lights may well succeed in keeping deer away. Even wind chimes can scare deer away. If too much audible sound is not pleasing to you or your neighbors, there are also ultrasonic sound-makers powered by small solar panels and activated by motion sensors. The high-pitched sound can’t be heard by humans but is extremely annoying to deer. Some of these ultrasonic devices also activate a flashing strobe light when they sense motion.
Water sprinklers connected to motion sensors can also be very effective at keeping deer away. But don’t expect simple watering timers to work, as deer quickly learn to adjust their feeding schedule around the watering schedule.
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Scatter Dog Fur Or Human Hair In Your Garden
Having a dog out in the yard, or collecting dog fur or human hair and scattering it around your garden, may also keep deer away.
If your household doesnt generate enough hair, ask a barber or hair stylist to save some for you. As with deer repellent sprays and granules, you may need to add more fur or hair periodically so the scent is always present.
Deer Love To Feed On Landscape Plants Gardens Bulbs And More Learn How To Keep Them Away
If only all deer were like the cute, big-eyed, cartoon fawn that played in the forest with his best friends, a skunk and rabbit that we remember from our childhood. Unfortunately, trying to have a bountiful vegetable garden or beautiful landscape when deer are present can present challenges. The furry beasts seem to know which plants are your favorites and have appetites that are tough to beat. In addition to tender plants, bulbs, grass, and leaves, deer favor much of the same food we do, with the exception of strong-tasting plants like rhubarb, asparagus, and garlic. Here are some telltale signs that deer have invaded your yard:
- Nibbled buds and scraped bark
- Half-eaten fruit and vegetables
- Torn or ripped leaves with jagged edges
- Damaged shrubs or trampled plants
- Tracks shaped like upside-down hearts
To keep deer from treating your yard like their personal all-you-can-eat buffet, youll need a plan. Here are some tips to help keep them out of your yard.
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How To Get Rid Of Deer
There are many techniques you can try to deter deer from munching on your plants. Try some of these methods for your garden:
Let Your Dogs Inner Wolf Out
Dogs are a man’s best friend in many ways one way is by protecting their homes from enemies. Your dog, no matter the size, can scare off deer as long as they have a strong bark, according to Gardener’s Oasis. However, this can only work if your dog is able to get close to where the deer usually are in your garden. Deer are smart creatures and are capable of learning that your dog is unable to get close to them if your dog is tied to a tether. Mi Dog Guide says that if the scent of your dog is all over your yard, this will also make deer feel scared and drive them away.
However, use this tactic with caution, especially if you have a smaller dog. Deer are definitely capable of trampling and running over your pup. If your dog is not properly trained, maybe skip this step.
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The Best Ways To Keep Deer Out Of Your Garden
When it comes to your backyard garden, just a few hungry deer can wipe out your entire yield.
To protect your plants, you must find a way to keep deer off your property and away from your vegetables. In this article, we consider a deers motivation and examine a few strategies that can help protect your garden.
