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I have moved all my hosta plants to the front yard; my day lilies to the front of the wooden fence and canceled my veggie garden this year. I am trying to break the deer habit by not having anything delicious for them to eat in the backyard.
Hi, Joan
Wow...deer.
Virginia, Michigan... no difference with deer problems; except that for me; daylilies are about the only thing they don't eat, along with any type of Peony, delphinium, Primula, Echinacea... but anything can be walked on & croaked by their hooves.
This Fall, they toppled my metal trellis, probably cleaning their horns; gggggrrrrrrr...right it, and fix it in the Spring, I guess.
Nobody has in infinite garden area to move and move and move their plants to.
So...as to "what works"??
Apparently not fences.
One of my Docs said his garden fencing went from 4 to 6, to 8, to 10 feet high in a season (!!! yes, over a single Summer!!!)); until it was tall enough to keep them from jumping it.
1.) I'm not a doctor... I can't afford an arms race like that.
2.) I live within the limits of an incorporated (small) town. Doctor X lives in a rural area. He has none of the buildiing restrictions I have.
My fence...even at the rear of my parcel, facing a beautiful meadow...can't be more than 4 feet tall..maybe 5 or 6' , and that may require a variance.
Try draping your plants with what is generally referred to as the "invisible" deer fencing.
good points:
it's cheap
it does tend to keep them off your stuff
if you hold down the bottom edges with bricks, it helps against rabbits
problems?
It can be a bear to wrestle with during Spring/Fall clean-up
whatever pokes thru may be eaten off
As with yourself; I will likely have to forget about a veggie garden in the immediate future.
Over a period of 5 years, my Sister evolved a 14 X 14 garden area (It must be around 8' tall) with a stoutly built wood frame and double strung chicken wire.
That definitely keeps most anything out; but she found it necessary to bury the bottom 6 inches of the fencing, to discourage the rabbits.
Some of the sprays do seem to work (Liquid Fence, Plantskydd, etc.)
However:
I have found it necessary to mix it with the meanest hot sauce I can find, (may I suggest "Endorphin Rush" ?). Added to the concoction is a bit of anti-fungal solution (ie. Bonide).
If the scent won't chase them, the Capsaicin will. Even rabbits leave that mix alone.
bad points?
this spray can't be used on the vegtables (with no veggie garden, it's not really a trouble to me, ;
it will need at least one re-application during the growing season, depending on rainfall.
In the Winter, I have to cover anythig liable to be eaten by deer or rabbits with inverted plant pots or cloth wrapping.
My whole garden is turned into Tent City... cheap sheets & pillow cases from Goodwill do just fine.
I wrap the whole plant with the sheets; ground level of the stems to top; and secure it with twine.
Good points:
there ain't nothin' gettin' thru it; gar-won-teed
bad points:
it can be unsightly
may need to be re-secured after Winter storms
catching good Fall-application and Spring-removal weather can be problematic
You can also put 2 fences in, a few feet apart, that aren't too tall. The deer can't jump over the first low (circa 4-5') fence, because there's no good place to land (the second fence is there, just circa 4' ? feet away, also 4' high. I'm not sure about exact heights and spacing, but that's the idea and it works. The deer won't jump over without enough space to land on the other side, and they can't jump over both fences at once (too wide). Good luck!
