Deer? Oh, dear!
We gardeners get visitors of all sorts. The most frustrating and annoying ones are deer.
As creatures of habit, they have certain fields or landscapes that they know will provide them with yummy vegetation to nibble on, so they visit them often. The mama deer love to teach their kids where to eat as well.
Deer are most active between dusk and dawn. While they’re generally timid, they become bolder when stressed by drought conditions. Deer are quite adaptable, so they can get used to something you’ve added to your garden to chase them away. Also, what works for one gardener might not work for another.
If you are faced with the challenge of deer, here are some suggestions:
Scare tactics often work well. If you have dogs, keeping them loose in your yard at night will keep deer out. If there’s a plant or shrub deer continually feast on, consider placing loose sheets of chicken wire on the ground around the base; they don’t like stepping on an unstable surface.
Some gardeners tie monofilament (fishing line) between trees or fence posts. When deer brush against the line, it unnerves them. You can also tie strips of white fabric or plastic sacks to trees or posts; since white-tailed deer raise their tails in the air when they sense danger, these white strips will serve as a warning sign to them.
Hanging wind chimes over gates or in other areas of your garden will disturb deer when they move in the breeze. There are also motion-activated sprinklers and ultrasonic deer repellants available in garden centers and online.
Because deer have a keen sense of smell, repellant sprays work quite well. If you’re intending to use one around edible crops, choose one labeled for this purpose.
The best way to keep them out of the garden is a tall fence. And when I say tall, I mean 7 to 8 feet tall. Deer are able to jump quite high and can scale 8 feet when being chased by a predator.
Solid fences work particularly well because deer usually won’t jump over them if they can’t see what’s on the other side. However, it doesn’t matter how good your fence is – if your gate is too short or left open, they will get in.
A few years ago, my husband, Bill, and I decided we’d had enough of our local deer herd’s nighttime forays so we extended the height of our existing fence. We already had a 4-foot-tall field fence surrounding our orchard and garden. Bill devised a way to add on 3 1/2 feet of heavy-duty black plastic deer fencing above the field fence by attaching rods of rebar to the metal fence posts. It has worked great.
You don’t necessarily have to build a tall fence, however. While deer are able to leap high and wide, they can’t do both at the same time. Take advantage of this. Consider building two shorter fences and spacing them about 5 feet apart. It’s difficult for deer to first hop in between the fences and then hop over the second fence to get into your garden.
One last fencing option is an electrified fence. Just make sure it’s in an area where children won’t be playing and you won’t get zapped by it.
As you can see, you have to get creative when it comes to keeping deer out of the garden. Because we’re all passionate about our gardens, it’s worth it to make the effort.
Susan Mulvihill is co-author, with Pat Munts, of Northwest Gardener’s Handbook. Contact her at susan@susansinthegarden.com and follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/susansinthegarden.