Follow us week-by-week for what you should be doing and planting in and around your garden. This week it's all about keeping deer out of your garden.

By Paul Epsom from The Victory Garden
Posted on August 27, 2010

Deer in New England can pose many problems in your gardens and, unfortunately, there is no silver bullet.

If there is one word that kind of summarizes what you must do when it comes to deer, it's consistency. You have to be after the deer all year round to they never think that your home is their home.

Let's start with sprays. There are many sprays out there and I don't believe that any is 100% effective but they do help. I use sprays with a disgusting aroma that you can spray directly on your plants.

Also make sure to spray underneath the leaves, on fence posts, and on tree trunks to really fill the whole area of your garden with the off-putting smell. Sprays can include anything from coyote urine, soaps, to sewage extract but all of them are about 50% effective. So, in addition, think about incorporating other techniques like fencing.

To completely exclude deer you have to build fence that is at least 7 feet tall because deer can jump tremendous heights. You can also angle and slope fences made of high-tension wire. As a whole, fences can be ugly, but they are effective.

A good mixture of sprays and fencing gets the best results but don't forget to use this combination all year round. Don't let the deer make a home out of your home.






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