by Marty Alan McGill

Created on: March 21, 2007   Last Updated: April 18, 2007

If it ain't one thing, it's another. Gardeners face more adversaries than most all other hobbyists combined. They have to contend with the weather. They have to battle all sorts of insects, birds, and diseases. And if that wasn't enough, they're subject to see their hard work devastated by Bambi and friends.

Deer spend most of their time in the woods, foraging for their food ... at least until garden season. Then all bets are off, and your veggies become an all-you-can-eat midnight diner. If you have a small garden, a small herd of deer can wreck it overnight. It's a disheartening thing to see early in the morning, and makes you want to throw in the trowel.

Unless you're willing to build a ten foot high fence, I'm afraid the best you can hope for is some moderate control over the deer. You can never stop them completely, but you can discourage them somewhat. Deer are creatures of habit, and if you can pinpoint their movements you can interrupt their garden parties.

Make notes of the time of day, or night when you see them, and you can almost set your watch by their movements. They do the majority of their feeding at night, so a little spotlighting may be necessary to find out exactly when they are visiting your garden.

Simply running them off several nights in a row can sometimes discourage them enough that they move on to quieter dining. If you are lucky enough to live away from the traffic, keeping an outside dog roaming the property will work wonders. Deer are terribly afraid of dogs, and will not go around a loose dog.

Some people claim that human hair, stuffed into nylon stockings will keep deer away. This doesn't work, and most noise making devices wont work for long, once the deer become accustomed to them.

If you have a small garden you might try an electric fence, however they will probably tear it down in a few days. Of all these suggestions, the dog in the yard is the most reliable, but you have to be mindful of neighbors and any restrictions you have in your neighborhood concerning pets.

Good luck in your quest for a solution to an age old problem. You may just have to plant a little extra, and share with the wildlife.

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