Deer came in overnight and decided to mow down my sweet potatoes, hydrangeas (regular and oakleaf), strawberries, and sampled my coneflower and heliopsis. They've been leaving me alone majority of the season and I'm here frequently, and near a body of water so it isn't because of drought. They just dived in yesterday and realized my garden is for them too… And now I'm left feeling like I should give up because all my effort will be to feed them… lol 😭😭😭
Realistically I'll keep back at it but this was a blow to my mood. And higher fencing isn't really an option. This garden is meant to be as low cost as possible. I'm a broke boy working with all the plants that my garden center job throws out.
by oddballfactory
28 Comments
I’m sorry, they’re so brutal.
My mother has tried every trick in the book over decades, from the egg sprays, to higher fencing, to deer-resistant varieties (which they still loved) to trying to scare them off. They jumped over all the fences, even tall fences over narrow spaces.
The thing that finally worked was the neighbors getting a dog that patrols the fence line and loves to chase them.
This is why people take up hunting as a hobby.
Add some fence on top. Like a roof
Rats with hooves
Buy a shotgun …most of them critters are tasty with tomatoes !!
So sorry! Maybe you should eat the deer since they ate your plants.
I spent thousands of dollars on deer fencing. THOUSANDS. And it worked! Left the plants completely deer-free so the fucking groundhogs could move in and raze my entire 25-bed garden to the ground in two days. I’ve just let it go. All the pathways are overgrown and it’s just depressing to even think about.
So sorry 😢
I’m gonna move towards greenhouse gardening.
https://www.reddit.com/r/vegetablegardening/s/VRE2RlBczA
Deer harvested your crops. People harvest deer.
People have bigger brains than deer.
Your strawberries will recover. Mine are recovering after two such decimations in a row. I won’t get any berries this year but the plants will be fine.
a couple of cheap motion detected sprinklers should do the trick.
Plant cucumbers. They’ll be sprouted in a week
I had a bunch of native flowers chomped to the ground by deer last year. This year I’ve been dusting the leaves with a mixture of cayenne and garlic powder. If deer are going to eat my plants they’re going to have to eat some cayenne too.
Try planting garlic and onions, seem to work for me.
Hang in there bud. Eventually your determination to beat those F*ckers will return.
They came through recently for me too and did some damage (and also the stupid vine borer, but that’s another story).
I make a mix of a few tbsp. milk, 2-3 tbsp garlic powder, 2-3 tbsp cayenne (or other hot pepper) powder, maybe some neem oil, soap, water, and mix it all in a gallon jug. I let it rot in the sun for a day or two, the apply it to plants that I want deer and other critters to avoid. The idea is it smells like rot (unappetizing), and if something still decides to to take a bite, it tastes awful/burns their mouth so the don’t go in for more.
I think it works reasonably well, but you do have to reapply after rain.
Oooof. They may have one the battle but you can win the war!!!!!
Complete the circle of life, hunt the deer lol
With vengeance.
It’s also an excuse to get a puppy, who will grow into a dog. Who will chase the deer. You will cheer them on! Said pupper will feel SOO fulfilled! Pupper will keep chasing deer! You will greet Pupper each time you let them in, and ask, “Did you get the deer? YES YOU DID! Yes you did 😊!” All will be well in your world.
This has happened to me too. Deer and groundhogs ravaged my vegetable garden several years ago. After a period of days of depressed inactivity I picked myself up and salvaged what I could and enjoyed what I could the rest of the summer. The disaster motivated me to find ways to combat critters and now my entire 1/4 acre garden is surrounded by a double layer of electric fence and a 4-foot high mesh fence to keep the groundhogs back. Use it as motivation to fight back against the enemy.
Ouch.
Try spraying mint oil around. I use a two gallon sprayer filled with water. + 2 tsp dish soap, two tbs rubbing alcohol one tbs mint essential oil plus a shot of the hottest hot pepper sauce I can find. The trick is to spray every evening. It’s been working for my tomatoes and eggplant. I lost a few, but then I started spraying.
Vengeance
What about growing thorny bushes like blackberries on the perimeter?
I feel your pain, gardening friend. I grow all my plants from seed, so I’m attached to them, lol. I live a block away from a forest preserve and wetlands, so I’ve had year after year of deer decimating my garden and the hostas all around my yard.
I tried several tricks, but nothing worked. I finally bought netting as a last ditch effort and wrapped it loosely (so the plants had room to grow) around the perimeter of my tomato plants and sunflowers for the last two years. It works! I’ve seen the deer in my yard a few times since the net has been up, but there has been no more deer damage. I’m guessing the deer don’t like getting their snouts caught in the nets in order to get to the leaves/stems.
The netting I bought is plastic, durable, heat-resistant, easy to trim, and reusable. It’s 100 feet long and 7 feet tall – and it cost about $20 USD on Amazon. I tied the ends together with zip ties, and it came with some staples to keep it flush along the ground.
I hope you find success keeping the deer away, and that your garden rebounds.
I tried spray this year. Seemed to help but some rodents did leave a mark.