DEALING WITH DEER IN THE GARDEN

By Eve Keener

U.C. Cooperative Extension, El Dorado Co. Master Gardener

Many gardeners in our foothill communities have a love/hate relationship with their local population of deer. I love deer, they are so beautiful, but they are not welcome in my garden and many of my compatriots consider them no more worthwhile than rats! Readers new to our area will soon learn that excluding deer from your garden will be of prime importance if you have spent money on a terrific vegetable garden or expensive landscaping.

The catalogs will try to sell you all types of “deer deterrents,” some of which work during certain times of the year, but there is no magic potion that will make a deer avoid your garden. If the deer is hungry enough, it will try anything, including plants it will not eat in spring when there is plenty of natural fodder.

There are four basic methods for deterring deer – fence them out, scare them away, make plants taste bad, or make plants smell bad. Let’s discuss each of these methods in more depth.

· FENCING – this is the preferred method. 6’ field fencing with 2 strands of wire above for a total height of 8’ (barbed wire is not necessary, you just want to keep them out, not tear them up) is adequate to keep out most deer – but I must say I saw a doe jump my 8 foot fence from a standing start. Another method I have heard described is to have two 4’ fences with about 2-3’ between them, the point being that deer can only jump so far, either out or up, and with 2-3’ between the fences there is no room for the deer to land and make another jump. I have not, nor do I know anyone, who has tried this method. It seems like double the work to put up two sturdy fences.

· SCARE THEM AWAY – loud noises, an all night radio station played loud in the garden, may work for a while, but a dog (or two for large properties) does a better job, so long as you or your neighbors are not disturbed by their barking. Some dogs, however, get so used to the deer that they consider them part of the garden scene and just ignore them.

· MAKE PLANTS TASTE BAD – hot pepper spray solution is one possibility. Also some of the commercially available sprays fall into this category. However, with irrigation or rain the solution needs to be re-administered regularly. One spray, which I have found works for me, advises that you “train” your local population by treating susceptible plants weekly for a month or so early in the season, by which time, hopefully, the deer will have learned that these particular plants taste bad. However, when the fawns come along, they may just have to find out for themselves, so it’s important to make sure you have the spray on the plants during the birthing and early raising of the babies.

· MAKE PLANTS SMELL BAD - Many of the same sprays used to make plants taste bad also make them smell bad, and the same provisions apply.

In some communities, fencing high enough to keep these beautiful pests at bay is prohibited and in that case, consult the Master Gardeners, books and other sources for lists of plants that are “deer resistant,” recognizing that the term is relative. Deer, like people, have different tastes and what is non-edible in one area is consumed to the roots in other areas. Some people plant enough (particularly in the vegetable garden) for everyone, but I have never seen a deer that can read, either a “deer resistant” plant list or a sign that says “deer, this way.” Just remember, when the chips are down, don’t give up, you are smarter than the deer and there is a way, somehow, to outwit them