Dealing with Deer: Everyone Can Grow A Garden (2018) #14

[@imamonstr]

This is hands down the most comprehensive approach to keeping out deer. Well done and thank you so much !!!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you.

[@theanalyticgardener]

Thank you so much for this video, Susan. I'm beyond frustrated at this point, but this video has given me a renewed hope! ❣️

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Deer are frustrating, but I'm glad I gave you some ideas. Hang in there.

[@nodigBKMiche]

What a journey you have been on with your neighbours, the deer :) Your Garden is Beautiful! Totally worth the effort!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thank you! Sadly, the deer in this region have been hit hard with disease in the last few years, so we haven't seen many at all. While my garden is flourishing due to that, I do miss seeing them! Thanks so much for your compliments.

[@suzanneguiho4882]

The one thing that worked best for me, especially the Hostas and the hydrangea was to mix a spray of cayenne pepper, vegetable oil, and soap.. it even takes cares of certain undesired insects, such as slugs.....!!

[@SuerteDelMolinoFarm]

Greetings from the LooseNatural farm in Andalusia Spain where we currently live through a drought and deer raids. We now have a radio in the area that they frequent.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hello from Spokane, Washington! I'm so sorry about the drought conditions. Deer can be really frustrating, I hope the radio is working well for you.

[@SuerteDelMolinoFarm]

@@SusansInTheGarden Thanks. Let's see how things develop. Perhaps the deer has a party with the radio

[@Redandranger]

@@SusansInTheGarden Spokane? We're south of you east of Pullman just across the Idaho state line.

[@sarahbeee3]

Thank you for this video. I put up a fishing line system each year around my raised beds. I call it Fort Knox and it seems to work pretty well. We learned the first year to enclose it completely (there was a Little Rock wall I was sure they couldn’t get to… but they did. Smart. :) I got a lot of ideas here from you and in particular I appreciate the fence discussion. I subscribed! 😊

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thank you, Sarah!

[@thomashager6270]

Excellent tips on how to deal with deer. Thank you Susan!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Glad it was helpful, Thomas!

[@ginnyumberger918]

Wonderful suggestions on keeping deer out of gardens! Thank you so much!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

I'm glad it was helpful, Ginny!

[@SigalZoldan]

I love your tips Susan. Thank you, much appreciated.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thank you so much, Sigal.

[@isovideo7497]

We have a 4-foot tall fence around our garden, which looks nice, but obviously can be jumped over. However, deer tend to feed up to the fence before they jump it. We installed an electric fence (two wires) with 6-inch offset insulators outside of the physical fence. One wire is about 1 foot off of the ground (their sniffing height), and the other wire is at the four feet height of the fence. This works superbly, we have not had a single deer go into our garden. Their one attempt to sniff the fence gives them a lifetime aversion to it - they don't even consider jumping over it! The only snag is we had to keep the grass trimmed under the wire. We now use cardboard covered with gravel under the wire to minimize maintenance. No more sprays or trying to cut grass at the fence!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

That is awesome!

[@chartliner]

Another video showed if you used old socks to hold half a bar of soap then you can use close pegs to hang the soap socks on guy wires or maybe you could use 'S' hooks over the branches.

[@theplinkerslodge6361]

Beverly Hillbilly's style! Nowadays with 3D printing you could do something less obvious?

[@lisalaufenberg4281]

Very informative I learned a few more tricks thanks to you. I just subscribed 😊

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thank you!

[@sandrarichardson2713]

This video was so well put together and the information is terrific. Just today I went to water my vegetable garden and my peas and beans were pretty much gone. It was just about time to pick; so I will hopefully have the extra fencing added to the existing field fence to put a stop to their intrusion. I also liked the laying wire fencing on the ground to keep them from entering. I do know that works for rabbits, too. Thanks and Jesus bless.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Sandra. I'm so glad you found this helpful!

[@susanmerritt8331]

This is just the info I need as I plan my new garden out in the countryside! Thank you so much, and by the way, your garden is so beautiful!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thank you so much, Susan!

[@zepguwlthistle7924]

love your naturalization look of the garden

[@stephenwhited1833]

I live in the Texas Hill Country. I put 7 foot fences all around my garden, nets over my produce, Irish spring soap. I will find deer footprints in my tilled area my tomatoes devastated but no prints comming in or going out. I figure they must be speed roping out of a helicopter to get in. I have spent well over $3000 dollars to prep and make my garden all to get 3 tomatoes one zuchini and acouple fo cucumbers.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Ugh. That is so frustrating, Stephen. There is a good book that might give you some fresh ideas. It's called "Deer-Proofing Your Yard and Garden" by Rhonda Massingham Hart (Storey Publishing). However, with the lack of tracks, I'm wondering if you might have another type of critter causing the problem? One thing you might consider is getting a game camera to find out what's happening in there. We bought one from Cabela's, it's a Browning and I think it cost about $130. Here's hoping 2020 will be a much better year for you and your garden! Cheers.

[@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123]

I feel your pain !!! I live in northern Minnesota and the Paul Bunyan State Forest starts at my back yard, the deer, raccoons, rabbits, bear.......everything out there loves my garden 🤬

[@Redandranger]

We have deer come to our yard to rob the bird feeders so they're pretty unworried about us. We had great success keeping them out of our summer garden by surrounding it with a 4 ft fence (T-posts w cattle panels zip-tied on) and then running a single strand of electric fence tape (poly tape or ribbon) using step in posts and a solar charger about 30 to 40 inches away from the inner fence. The 2 layers of fence and the width of the barrier keep them out every season.

[@stephenwhited1833]

@@Redandranger I will give it a try

[@fannybuster]

Hanging soiled clothes around the area helps too,For instance,Hanging a worn t shirt with the human smell on it will work as if you're still in it.This is how I keep animals out of my garden area.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Excellent suggestion! Thank you.

[@RhondaRichter-1234]

I hang bars of Irish Spring in old pantyhose throughout yard!! I save bamboo and make little cages over plants!! It doesn't stop bear!! The fish line SUCH a great idea!!! Also saving urine and pouring close to plants!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

All great ideas!

[@shawnabloom]

Rhonda Richter I’ve tried the Irish spring many times. Doesn’t work with the deer up here. 🤷‍♀️

[@swwigardener415]

I think we will be trying the woven wire fence with taller rebar so the finished fence is 10’ tall. If that doesn’t work we may have to add a shorter fence around that. Maybe use that space in between to grow onions in. Lol. Thanks for the great ideas!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Glad the video gave you some ideas!

[@LearnToGrow1]

Great tips! Thank you!

[@rosalielukkari9080]

Thanks for your good advice and tactics and love your beautiful garden.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thank you, Rosalie!

[@prettypothos4me290]

The water motion detector works great if you remember to move it around once in a while. Fishing line didn’t work for me, neither did soap. Can’t depend on spray, because of rain and because they actually get used to it. We have arborvitae and we just wrap the bottom five feet with a double layer of cheap plastic bird fence in winter.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Yep, deer are challenging and what works for one person often doesn't work for another. Sigh.

[@marshwetland3808]

WHat happened with the fishing line in your case, and how close did you space it? I am going to try it along the back. Cheap and will give them a surprise, given they are content to jump through or over barbed-wire spacing. Gonna put in multiple rows. These white tails are skinny fellas.

[@OldWalkingCrow]

Or, if you have deer in a populated area, such as a village or small city, go directly to investing in a tall sollid fence. Your deer smell laundry vents every day, will snap fishing line, push down light fences, and think nothing of drinking from a dog's bowl; once your dog is inside.

[@scribblydoodle2924]

Thanks for the ideas. I think things need to be used in combination and diligently. I plant a lot of rosemary, mint, marigold and garlic in/around the veggie beds. Smell-wise, I think it just confuses the deer and they keep roaming around to something that gives a clearer indication of what is there. I think the best for me is that deer are not good at spatial orientation. And while they can jump, they don't like to jump into an area that is close or tight. Putting my veggies in raised beds, with fence around that, and have further enclosed with grape vine trellis -- all relatively close to the house with a motion sensor flood on it seems to have helped. I also use milorganite fertilizer. People say the latter retains a human smell (even after processing) that deer don't like. All in all, things seem to be OK (escept for one willow tree) vs. my neighbor immediately across the street who has his veggies and young fruit trees literally destroyed to the point of having to re-plant. fingers crossed.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Yes, all of those things work well. You certainly have to be creative when it comes to dealing with these creatures!

[@kalerorrener7288]

Loverly garden gives me happiness . Thank you.

[@archeolobeadscabin1781]

Great ideas! I haven't had anything work except fencing (field fence 4-ft tall) and then sickering it with branches/brush to about 7 feet. The branches stick out away from the fence so the deer can't get too close. I'm in the north, but have a friend in Florida who had deer jump her 10-foot fence! I think she's about to add a coil of barbed wire on top LOL

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Argh! That's so frustrating!

[@catherinezuppero7609]

GREAT suggestions!! Thanks so much!

[@kittykitchin8787]

Thank you so much. You gave me some good ideas most I knew but had forgotten. Deer have eaten all my sweet potato leaves and broccoli grrrrrrrr.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

So frustrating! Glad my video helped a bit.

[@jolyndaj]

Thank you and Merry Christmas!

[@scottlytton5328]

you have great advice. and a beautiful place. thank you

[@dvssayer5621]

yes, thank you. many good ideas. id better to the little circle fence around the young fruit trees, and then hang the irish spring soap off the metal barrier. it might keep me away too cause that stuff is strong!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

I know what you mean!

[@eugeneschmidt7941]

Nicely done!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thanks, Eugene!

[@martagranato8363]

Hi susan ! Love to see y garden , we do not have this problem in new orleans Metairie, I would love to see one in person though!!! Sorry is nuisances in that part of the country, good luck !!! Bye 👋

[@Moondancer_15]

Heard about eggs with water and detergent. Also Carolina Reaper pepper powder or cayenne pepper. Guessing adding the hot pepper and some dish soap to the solution and oil I've also heard of would make a Powerhouse organic deterrent. Let me know if anyone has tried anything similar and if it has or hasn't worked. I wondered and someone else asked about the smell of the eggs and another person replied that the deer do not like it but the raccoons do. So the hot pepper addition to the mix should work for that

[@gardeneroncarriagehill]

Great ideas!

[@srgmpdhns]

Thank you.

[@mberge1]

I like the fishing line idea, should be more cost effective than driving stacks in the ground and putting fencing around my whole back yard

[@chilacontigo3359]

Thank you for the information

[@frankhall9784]

Very helpful, thank you.

[@rayewen3347]

I tried the soap routine a few years ago. What a mess. When it rains the soap melts and gets over everything. I also found that whatever you use, and I've tried several, it never works the second year. I tried alternating deterrents every few years.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

I've had the same experience. Also, what works for one person might not work for another. Deer are definitely a challenge!

[@wholelover]

There's a deer and a wild rabitt, both friends, hiding in my yard. Their damage to my crops is minimal. But their other siblings have done significant damage on my wheat so i will apply these soft methods because i needn't kill them

[@lurklingX]

excellent!

[@MrClintscott]

This may be a dumb question but how exactly did you attach the rebar to the t posts?

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Not a dumb question at all! Bill pounded in the rebar at each post and wired them together.

[@maitruong1122]

Thank you for sharing.

[@lucimarchand253]

Thanks!

[@NightowlProductionsGroup]

A locked-in prisoner in your own garden. How sad. I took the buck by the horns - so's to speak. I placed a 4-ft. wide, 3-inch deep, walking path of small seashells "around" my garden and that has been working incredibly fine. Deer don't like seashell flooring - the sharp shells get in between their narrow little toes which is not only discomforting, it gives them no footing to jump your fence if you have one. They just don't like stepping on deep soft layers of little shells. I got the idea while making a nature documentary. I observed that deer "never" walk on the shell beaches we have here in Georgia. Ever! No matter how hungry. It got me thinking. I set out my design by putting a narrow shell beach down around my own garden. Also, I sprinkled some dry deer repellent over the seashells knowing that individual shells would "cup-hold" the mixture in place for weeks. Voila! The end design is totally organic and also aesthetically BEAUTIFUL - for any garden. Brilliant, I know. You're welcome. I will do a documentary on this "shellpath deer design" of mine at some point, but, for now, I wanted to share this with you. If you try this technique, and it works for you, please just credit me, "NightOwl Productions," in acknowledgment as your original source. Happy planting, fellow gardeners! (My apologies to any deer who might be reading this out there with sensitive feet...)

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Not exactly an option for most folks (I live 300 miles from the ocean) but an interesting approach.

[@NightowlProductionsGroup]

@@SusansInTheGarden Shell base material is available as fill material in most states. Try then a path run of deep pea stone or six inches of pine cones. The concept I came up with could work with other materials. Otherwise, if available, small shells rock…

[@johnt9320]

She's correct about the eggs. However I use a 32 ounce water bottle sprayer and I mix 1 egg yoke and 1 table spoon of baking powder in it. I have 21 rose bushes and the deer never touch them any longer.

[@theplinkerslodge6361]

What about noise makes. You showed the motion sensor water jet, what about the same idea with some noise they hate.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Yes, that is certainly an option but it's a matter of which sound you are willing to put up with hearing from time to time! We have a couple of pinwheels in our garden that thump a bit when the wind blows, and that keeps the quail away from some of our plantings. But, of course, it's reliant upon the wind blowing all the time, which it (thankfully) doesn't do.

[@theplinkerslodge6361]

@@SusansInTheGarden There should be a Garden Rumba, The Deer Steerer 2000.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

@@theplinkerslodge6361 I think you're onto something! You will be rich!

[@jeanettesilhouette5678]

What is the strongest smelling soap? Thanks

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Irish Spring deodorant soap!

[@chevtruck1000]

Ultrasonic repellers, wires, hanging aluminum pie plates, sprays, spices, soap, predator scent and fencing are all temporary measures that the deer either become accustomed to or can overcome. The only solution that works is the same one used if a cougar or bear moves in to the area.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Deer are extremely challenging. Not everything works for everybody, and not everyone has the option to implement your solution.

[@tannenbaum3444]

About the hair solution....the deer in my yard don't care about humans unless they are approached...when I work around the yard at a certain distance, or go to my car, they are not bothered, they might look up but then just continue with what they are doing. So, the hair option is really not an option.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

And that's the whole thing with deer: what works for one person, doesn't work for another. It can be so frustrating!

[@jerrylansbury9558]

An accurate 22 rifle with shorts ( ammo) Works great !!!! Quiet......and effective ! I promise they will never return !

[@suzanner2454]

Irish spring soap kept me out of the garden but not the deer at my house

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Yeah, it's pretty smelly! As I said in the video, what works for one person doesn't always work for another. It's frustrating.

[@khaleefax9553]

*What soap did you use?*

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Irish Spring because it's the smelliest deodorant soap around!

[@irish89055]

" and I like it too"......

[@sararich957]

A person we know used rat traps along the path and they would snap when they hit them. The noise scares them away.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

That's one possibility although there's the potential for it to catch something smaller that may be unintended.

[@snoilog655]

Good tips but if you use eggs inst your yard gonna smell like rotten eggs?

[@SusansInTheGarden]

I think you would need a whole lot of eggs for that to happen! I believe most folks who go this route would just be spot-spraying the plants that deer are really bothering.

[@portlandlocalchurch8168]

Thank you deer 🦌 he he

[@babetucci34]

how do handle mowing?

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi there. We use a lawn tractor for most of our mowing.

[@cookingwithiafrica4080]

Eggs help but raccoons love it

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Ugh. It's always something, right?

[@michaelfritz6775]

Don’t put milorganite in veggies garden...spread it around...your flowers and areas where deer go...it works big time...just put down half bucket and ran out..

[@lisascheid735]

Soap did not work for us.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

And that's the problem with deer. What works for one person doesn't work for another. It's so annoying! Sorry it didn't work for you.

[@kelly51757]

Deer is my problem in my 3 acres lot

[@SusansInTheGarden]

I feel for you! I hope some of the ideas in this video were helpful. Hang in there.

[@MichaelJosephJr934]

My dog weighs 8 lbs

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Ha ha! You probably need a larger model.

[@Redandranger]

Mine weigh 80 to 110# and one or two does stomp their feet and snort at them and the dogs give up. Now my dogs don't even care about them. But they will chase after a raven or turkey vulture up in a tree. Delusional.

[@irish89055]

And just when you get a handle on the deer, the voles decide to move in..

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Yup. Gardening is an adventure!

[@Redandranger]

How about ground squirrels/ground hogs? Good lord. Once they show up, your yard looks like a place that's had bombs dropped and is full of "craters" where their burrows are.

[@ondalineberger-blevins6344]

wire on ground-didn't deter in the least for us

[@SusansInTheGarden]

That's the problem with deer! Sometimes what works great for one person, doesn't work for another. I appreciate your input, though.

[@LoftLorian]

I bet this woman gets offended she sticks out her finger and say "hey buster!" 🤣🤣🤣

[@AdvandesAlmeida]

👏👏👏🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@nurmayantcoates9436]

I’m soooo frustrated dealing with the deer

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Trust me, I know how you feel!

[@nalinirana9129]

Even me😳😳

[@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123]

So frustrating when you have put so much work into a garden and go out there and it’s all gone !! I live in zone 3 with a very short growing season, no time to replant :(

[@marshwetland3808]

@@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123 I especially hate their sampling. They aren't supposed to like squash plants. True, they left the adult ones alone. But not before sampling and destroying seedlings. Just pulled them out of the ground, left some teeth marks, and spit 'em out. If I ever see an injured deer in my yard, I'm going to slit its throat and enjoy dinner. And I have never hunted in my life.