Natural Deer Repellent

[milkman636]

I am having deer trouble in the garden this year. We have lived in our current home for 7 years now and this is the first year that I have had them raiding my garden. In trying to figure out why I pieced together two recent changes that may have contributed.

The garden is located in the back yard about 20 yds. behind our garage and is about 50x60 in size. Behind the garden is about 30 yards of lawn that contained a large swing set and a 7x10 wooden playhouse that the kids used almost daily. In the last couple of weeks I've moved both structures closer to the house so they would get better shade and my wife could see them better from the house during the day. This week I lost all new growth on the lower branches on our apple trees, and our green bean plants have been 1/2 decimated. Deer apparently love green beans and the plants they grow on. I really think that not having the kids playing all around the garden for the last couple of weeks has helped the deer feel more comfortable to come up out of the woods at night and feed in our garden.

The interesting thing that has me almost convinced is that I can see that the deer are coming up from the south east corner of the back yard and travelling uphill and around the back of the garden over to the north side to do all their damage. The south side of the garden is closer to the kids play thing and still sees a lot of kid traffic. Fortunately the deer seem to be avoiding the south side or we wouldn't have any green beans at all. If they start hitting my peas too I may have to shoot them, which may cause trouble with johnny law because they are hitting me at night. From the tracks it looks like a doe with two small fawns.

Short of installing fences or moving the stuff back to where it was, what can I do to repel deer from the garden?

 

[yelbike]

Human hair clippings spread at the garden edges. I have never tried it but I have been told. If you do try it let me know. Good luck.

 

[timster2]

Human hair clippings works well but needs to be replaced every few weeks. My good friend is a barber and has customers that take his hair sweepings for deer repellant. One guy hangs them in old pantyhose sections from fence polls that surround his garden. The deer no longer jump the fenced in section and all the plants in the surrounding areas are untouched. He is an organic farmer and doesn't want to use chemicals, it works for him. He has been doing this for years and says it works the best out of everything he has tried.

 

[RalphVa]

An electric fence is about the best way of doing it. I had a 50x75 garden down below, 100 foot drop and about 500+ ft down the hill. Three strands of electric wire with tallest at 4 ft kept them out of the garden for 12 years. You can get all-in-one solar powered chargers for them now. I just used teflon fence posts that you stick in the ground with your foot. TSC has them.

With my heart condition now, I moved to raised beds up behind the house. Have them protected by the same fencing. It keeps out the other varmits, too. I added a 4th wire down low for them.

 

[sawduster98]

I tried these things called Nite-Guard. Nothing more than bright flashing red LED's with a built-in solar charger and a photo sensor to turn on at dusk. I was very skeptical but they were cheaper than any fencing options so I thought I'd try it first. I put 2 of them on the back of my barn pointed toward my orchard and haven't seen any deer since. I guess they're supposed to simulate a predator's eyes. 2 of my friends have also had similar success. The only down side is they have to be moved around occasionally to remain effective. So far so good.

 

[rrrkkk]

We tried Lime, human hair, radio in a bucket, nothing works after a while they get used to it. The same is for Racoons. The only was is electric fence. The groundhogs seemed to get in reguardless, that was several years ago no groundhogs here now, wonder what happened to them?

 

[newbury]

1 strand electric fence with peanut butter.
Just wipe the fence with peanut butter. Stick 2 fingers in the jar grab the wire and wipe it down. Oh turn the fence off first

The deer lick the peanut butter, get shocked, get smart.

 

[Spindifferent]

Electrified or non-elecrtified tall fence. Period.

Anything else will result in eaten vegetation. My orchard still has scars from past failed methods...

 

[hitts427]

I've had good luck with bar soap.I have five younger apple trees that I planted three years ago and one that was planted eight years ago.The deer would strip the trees of their leaves in the spring so no apples.This year I've been saving the remains of my bar soap from the shower and put them in the wife's old nylons then clothes pin them to the trees.I have apples growing on the trees now.Very happy so far.

 

[murphy1244]

If you got a crazy friend that has a pet Tiger like I do get some poop and place along your borders, no Deer, Raccoons or any other animal will be around.