Garden help... What plants to Deer NOT like?

[Beekissed]

I use my youngest to test the fencing....he doesn't feel pain like normal folks, so its just an unpleasant feeling for him.

Free, I've often wished for little bracelet receivers for children. Remote control transmitter and ZAPPO! Wouldn't know it was Mom who was the bad guy.....must have been God! Can you imagine? Electric collars for kids....the ultimate in correction!

They have those little halters and leashes....why not do the do and go all the way into doggy control features?

 

[TTs Chicks]

I use my youngest to test the fencing....he doesn't feel pain like normal folks, so its just an unpleasant feeling for him.

Free, I've often wished for little bracelet receivers for children. Remote control transmitter and ZAPPO! Wouldn't know it was Mom who was the bad guy.....must have been God! Can you imagine? Electric collars for kids....the ultimate in correction!

They have those little halters and leashes....why not do the do and go all the way into doggy control features?

I had the same thought

 

[miss_thenorth]

I gotta chime in in favour of the electric wire (or two).

 

[hennypenny9]

I've read that deer don't like the smell of lavender or mint, but my mind is telling me that they'd just walk around them...

We hardly ever had deer problems where I grew up... And everyone around us was feeding the deer and raccoons, and wondering where their flowers and cats went to. We had a dog. She chased any deer that crossed our property line. How she knew the property line, I don't know, but she'd stop as soon as the deer ran across it.

My neighbor had an electric fence for her horses. I still remember the one and only time I touched it.

 

[SKR8PN]

I know for a fact the Whitetails are allergic to muzzle loaders, shotguns and bows.

THe one farm I hunt has a pasture field surrounded by electric fence to keep the cattle in. One evening last fall, as I was coming out of my stand (bow season) and walking back to my truck, I had to cut past that pasture. As I came out of a low hollow and crested a hill, I saw a doe walking from the woods over towards that fence....I ducked down so she wouldn't spot me and watched as she touched her nose to that top wire!!! I always knew deer could jump, but I had no idea they could jump that high STRAIGHT UP!!!
She didn't stick around to try it again.....

 

[enjoy the ride]

An 8 foot fence is pretty reliable but the best thing is to keep them out from the start- if Mom doesn't take them to your place, you have a better shot of them not coming when they grow up.
One thing that does work is to block their view- unless desperate, they do not like to jump where they can not see the landing.
BTW I have know them to nibble on Rhodi's if nothing else was around. This year they have attacked the day lilies having not done so in decades. I think some evergreens like cedar are pretty safe. I have never seen them eat the huckleberry leaves but have seen them snack on the blossoms.
I often wanted to do a chicken moat with close spaced fencing- letting the chickens have the outside perimeter and have the garden in the center but have never tried and probably won't now.

 

[BrookValley]

I have 5-strands of high-tensile, well-grounded (light you up good) electric fence, a little more than 5' high. My garden is about 15 ft off the back of my house and I have 3 pit bulls that run the property. I STILL lost all of the leaves off of my pepper plants and half of my chard last year to deer. Electric fence does nothing for the deer on my property.

 

[patandchickens]

Those with deer going over your electric fence, the problem is that you are making it easily jumpable. A 5' vertical fence is *nuthin* to a deer, especially if it is easily visible.

You need to either make the fence whoppingly high, or, simpler, make it hard for them to judge confidently. One or two electrified strands set about 4-5' (ish) in front of the main fence, making it effectively an "oxer" for those familiar with horse show jumping terminology, will keep out all deer except the few that accidentally run through the fence altogether (whcih drops to near zero if you use electric rope or braid).

www.premier1supplies.com has some good information on using electric fence vs deer (as do many other sources online, that's just what I happen to offhand know the URL for )

Pat

 

[me&thegals]

Wow! Lots of electric shock and gun remedies

Don't even bother protecting plants that the deer probably won't eat. I've never had problems with them eating onions, garlic, vining plants, rhubarb. They DO like to eat lettuce, beets, spinach, beans and other tender greens (or it may be the rabbits).

I have 2 options for pests:
1. Floating row covers. It keeps ALL pests (including bugs) out until I pull them off when the plants are well established.
2. All our fruit trees have Irish Spring soap hung in old nylons in 1 branch. It has kept the deer off for 2 years, and we have intense deer pressure here. The best part is that it is reactivated with each rain, unlike other deer-repellant products that are washed OFF with each rain.

Good luck!

 

[clstratton]

I hear they won't eat daffodils, but that's not really going to help with your veggie garden. But if you want a flower garden...daffodils would be the way to go.