Keep The Deer Out Without Harming Them or Your Garden!

Deer love to snack in your garden, which understandably is upsetting. After all, you’re growing all kinds of good food to enjoy at the table, and maybe even to preserve some through canning for treats during the winter.

You can’t blame deer for wanting to get a taste or five of your plants. That’s why trying to poison the creatures is a cruel solution to a simple problem. Instead, you can discourage deer inhumane ways from raiding your garden.

Check out the following methods. Depending on the deer where you live, it might be necessary to rotate methods for the best deer repellent results.

The Right Plants

Deer don’t like all plants, so creating a border of ones they don’t like can keep the animals away from your food. Among the plant’s deer don’t like are many that have a strong aroma. Either the deer don’t prefer the smell, or it stays on their legs, making it difficult to detect predators later.

Consider any of these plants:

• Marigold
• Lavender
• Mint
• Catnip
• Oregano

The Invisible Fence

Fencing off your garden is a good way to keep the deer out. But, for practical reasons, you might not be able to put in a solid fence. That doesn’t mean you just give up, because there’s an effectively invisible fence that’s simple to put up, but will keep the deer at bay.

Drive pieces of wood or posts into the ground, spacing them several feet away from each other, like regular fence posts. Then, wrap the fishing wire around the posts, starting low to the ground and working your way up. Since the deer can’t see the barrier, they won’t even try to jump over it.

Soap Defense

Deer aren’t attracted to soap. In fact, it often deters them from getting near plants they’d otherwise munch on.

You can use a grater to shred up soap and then sprinkle it into your beds. Or, just cut the soap bars into little cubes and use meat skewers to suspend them in the air, right next to the plants.

A word of caution: tallow, which comes from fatty acids found in animals, are what scare deer off. If you use soaps that have coconut oil or other plant-based ingredients, you might be inviting the deer for a snack, not scaring them off.

Make It Smelly 

Some people make their own deer spray that doesn’t contain any harsh elements. Instead, the stinky nature of the spray keeps deer away.

You can play with your own combination, but some of the ingredients people have used includes:

• Milk
• Chile peppers
• Dish soap
• Egg

If you apply the spray when you’re not going to be outside for several hours, you don’t have to endure as much of the smell.

Create Some Noise

Just like human thieves, deer and other creatures looking to raid your garden can be scared away by sudden noises. Hanging up empty cans, pie tins, old metal utensils, even wind chimes can spook deer. You can also go with items that move in the wind, including old CDs and pieces of cloth. You must rotate what items you use, or the deer will become used to them and won’t be scared anymore.