I know I'm going to get shouted down, but if it helps someone, good deal. For about 20 yrs I have been using a electric wire about 8/10 inches off the ground, enough that mower deck will barely clear under the wire. Did not believe the old guy myself, made a believer out of me. Cured my deer problem, ask anyone that knows me. All the tall fences are good for is all the work repairing them after deer tearing them up. Shout me down or try it and thank me, at 75 this is probably my last garden rodeo.
We had marauding raccoons that would attack fruit trees every night. They are a disaster, break branches (as if peach trees need any help with that) take a couple of bites and leave the mess on the ground. They can climb over anything. And skunks, and possums. I read where an electric fence would keep them at bay! And it works. The trick is 2 wires 1st close to the ground so they can’t scoot under it and one about 4 to 6 inches higher so they can’t just step over the lower one. It works great for raccoons, possums, skunks. In defense of skunks, they do a pretty good job of cleaning up the mess of half eaten peaches the raccoons would leave. However, squirrels nimbly hop between the 2 wires, but since they don’t do the damage the raccoons do, we can live with them. But the birds! Don’t get me started!
I run 2 strand electric fence with short flagging tape streamers on it to increase it’s visibility. Deer run into it and break insulators on the regular. They also jump over it and graze daily.
I'm going to give you all a tip that I learned from a 93 year old Waterman on the eastern shore of Maryland in an area that is just loaded with deer . His garden was huge and I asked him Mr Johnny how do you keep the critters out of your garden and he answered see that 5-gallon bucket on a post in the center of the garden I said yes he said I have a radio underneath that bucket tuned to a talk show and that keeps the deer and other animals away. He added if you put music on they will get used to it so you must put on a talk show because no animals will come near two people standing in the field talking. I took that advice and when I built my house in a very rural area 20 years ago I picked out a spot where I was going to have a garden and I ran Water and Power to my garden and I live in an area without a talk show but there are religious shows which is basically the same thing and I have never had a problem with any animals whatsoever and there are deer running all-over my land . I have the radio on a timer 12 hours on 12 hours off. It works, thank you Mr Johnny.
Make sure the talk show is one of the liberal show's And not Rush! Cause if it is Rush all the animals will gather round and feast while they listen!!! 🤔😇😄
Using blue surveyors tape I hang 2 old CD's together back to back with the shiny side out in different areas of my garden. They catch light as they move in a light wind and even without a breeze. We have Mule Deer in SW Colorado and they aren't afraid of anything. Since using them I haven't had any in my garden. I like the pie pan idea !
Here in Montana we’ve tried all the suggestions commenters made here. The deer here are ravenous and eat it all - the lemongrass, the pepper, the hair, rope.. everything. The only thing that works here is to completely enclose the garden with netting. Even then, the deer push the netting aside to get to our plants.
I didn’t read all of the comments so this may be a repeat possible solution….I’ve heard deer don’t like stinky smells. I use fish emulsion to fertilize most of my plants in the garden on a two week schedule and boy does it stink. I also leave a radio on at night in my potting shed, which is about 15 feet away from the garden. So far, this has worked for me. I’ve been doing this for 3 years now.
A monofilament fence (fishing line) is cheaper and works better and is super easy to do. Humans can scoot under it or just make a kind of easy peasy gate. The green garden stakes and a heavy pounder that is made for this purpose and monofilament is all you need. Deer cannot see it and when the bump into it is scares them and the run away.
@@Queenie-the-genie I did this, this year. I have a herd of 18 deer that are in my yard in the morning, evening and all night long. My garden is in full bloom right now and NO deer damage. I have only 6 fishing line rows on 5' T-posts.
@@jude7321 There are these heavy things that are made especially to pound the stakes into the ground. If you go to where you buy the stakes, they with also have them. They make it easy to get the stakes down into the ground so they will not fall down. I got mine at the local nursery I think but they should have them at Home Depot or Loews etc. then you get heavy duty fishing line and string them to make the fence. I have been using them for years. Also, there are some people here on UA-cam who have videos regarding this type of fence. I can post a pic of the pounder thing but they sell them anywhere that they sell the stakes. Hope this helps. :)
We have a raised bed and all I did was wrap clear fishing line around stakes I placed in each corner, and every foot along the height of the stakes. It freaks the deer when they touch the wire and they back off. They never touch the plants and I can easily reach between the fishing line to weed or pick vegetables.
It works.....for a brief while. Then the deer learn what it is and chew right through it....I liked the fishing line idea because it is cheap and virtually invisible but I have reverted to deer netting because that is the only thing that works reliably for me.
Thank you! I just searched for how to keep deer out without fencing… I scrolled through a few videos then found you and this video. I love the deer that come to my property but I’m so discouraged from gardening because they eat almost everything! You have really made my day so much better; I remember seeing this solution at my grandparents’ garden way back when and now I know why. I’m definitely trying this. I actually wondered if scarecrows would help but this is way better, especially since you mentioned their vision is very different from ours. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I tie bars hand soap in my fruit trees to keep deer away. Works pretty well because they avoid human scent because of hunters. This could possibly keep them away from vegetable gardens. Janice from Arkansas USA
Glad it works for you, my deer jumped my 6 foot fences no problem and I had to extent the height to 7 1/2 feet to stop them with little flags along the top wire so they see it. Now I only have to worry about gofers, racoons, rabbits, birds and bugs.....my garden looks like a sea of netting and then the mice tear that up in winter when I store it in the shed. It's an endless attack and you have to plant twice as much as you want to harvest.
Sounds like you need a dog or 2 & a couple of excellent barn cats to help with the small varmints. Maybe a nice falcon to get the birds that eat your fruit? Bugs we all got---wouldn't you think the birds would help you out w/ that? (Darn freeloaders!) And for goodness sake, buy a couple of galvanized trash cans w/ lids & store your netting there in the winter. Sounds like you have the deer under control, but if not, they aren't as good jumping wide as they are jumping high. I just make rolls of that green cheap garden fence & lay them down 1 or 2 deep & my deer don't get over them.
@@vintagelady1 Had a cat but she passed 2 years ago, sadly she never chased or hunted any small critters except Chipmunks and they never posed a threat to the garden at all. The birds, Blue Jays mostly here peck and destroy tomatoes and eggplants, the pigeons eat young seedlings that aren't covered as soon as they go in the ground. My fruit trees are all under 4 or 5 years old as deer destroyed the ones I had before I put up a fence. My garden is a 1/4 acre so it's been a building and learning curve for over 7 years now. I'll never save money growing food for a few more years yet as it's still a work in process. Buying at the store is cheaper but I don't know what they put in it, mine is healthier by far, all natural and the garden keeps me busy and fit.....happy gardening.
@@dougtheslug6435 Sounds like your garden may be a little small for this, idk, but you may want to try things like bait crops on a larger scale. Native wildlife plantings, shrubs, etc that they would likely even prefer over your veggies and stuff
@@Gongall I agree and have done just that when I was clearing the land of big trees I surrounded the garden with highbush cranberries, goose berries, dogwoods, straw berries, black berries, raspberries and put in Hosta's everywhere for the deer, literally I've planted close to a 150 of all these, maybe more. When that didn't work I went to fence and gates. For the birds I have 6 feeders and go through 50 lbs of sunflower seed and 20 lbs of peanuts every month, plus I sow sunflower seeds everywhere, at least 500 or so grow every year all around. It's exhausting covering everything with netting...... lol, it's all good though, I love it and wouldn't change a thing all the animals know me and don't run or fly away, I even have names for many of them. Last fall I built a big grape arbor with four vines on the corner post, can't wait to see the trouble that causes in a few years.....cheers.
dear can jump as high as they need to... I takes 2 sets of fence line to create width! they have trouble judging height and width :) ya now what i mean? best, g
I use blood meal around my plants and sometimes directly on my plants to deter deer and other herbivores. They don't like the smell (not noticeable to humans) and avoid the area. Blood meal a good source of nitrogen for plants and lasts even when it rains. I live in WA state and we get a good amount of rain.. This is something I learned in my Master Gardening class and have been using it for20 years with great success. I order 50 pound bags of it and it lasts for several years!
How do you explain deer coming up to this gut pile with blood all around? They seem attracted to it!! ua-cam.com/video/Do6FEkHApyE/v-deo.htmlsi=rmRguJp2pszmz6bW
I’ve had pretty good success with using heavy scented bar soap like Zest or Irish Spring. The scent give deer the false impression that human life is around plus it won’t hurt your garden.
The best stuff to use is those green stakes you have and monofilament - fishing line. The deer cannot see it and when they encounter it they get scared and leave. I have been using this for many years and I assure you it works.
Excellent and well spoken video about your inexpensive method of keeping deer out. I've only a 4 foot fence around my garden which means they can lean into the garden or jump. You're idea about having a protective "alarm" a couple feet "out from the actual garden fencing" does seem like it will cause enough of a confusion as to have them distracted/leave before getting into the garden. I think too...for a small garden, it makes sense also to purchase inexpensive "pest" netting that can be place over the plants as to make it difficult and uncomfortable to get at the veggies. Such netting can be 'draped" over the garden in canopy fashion, yet not disturb the sunlight or rain. While having a garden so covered that it loses some of its "freedom", its better than deer eating my darn garden to stubs. :-}
Netting might help in some cases. Although I find myself too lazy to do things like that; my plants would grow up through them and they'd be stuck there lol
I laid sections of roofing metal around the garden and it worked They don't like stepping on such a slippery surface. Leftover scraps from roofing my storage shed
I use fishing lines. It works. I can't afford a big or high fence so I use square tomato cages spread out as a cheap fence. Which doesn't work for rabbits or groundhogs but is effective for keeping the deer out of certain areas. Also planting foxglove along my borders. Great video and tips. I haven't tried pie pans.
I use Irish spring bath soap on a rope! I had deer eat my sweet potatoes and my beans and never had a problem after hanging soap around my garden! Sprays, hair and urine all wash away in the rain, The soap gets refreshed when it rains and last all season!
Motion sensing sprinklers work great for me - there’s a little hiss when they start up that really scares critters of all sorts. The only downside is that you occasionally forget and walk in front of them and get wet.
I have a couple motion sense sprinklers. They have (off/day/night/always-on) settings. I move them around to cover entry and exit paths from time to time. They work.
@@ehRalph What brand did you get? I have read tons of bad reviews of some of the ones I see on Amazon, mostly related to the motion sensor and the shut off valve not working correctly.
@@ByHisGraceWeAreSaved I bought 2 Orbit 62100 Enforcers about 3-4 years ago ($50 range then- now more like $100), I’ve had to replace a couple garden hose caps and fiddle with them re:leaks lately. They can be set to day or night or always. They also need good new batteries. I store them indoors w/o batteries over winter. I also use light weight deer netting to deter intruders & I move and readjust the spray area whenever I cut grass. I have some cheap motion sense cameras to monitor the bushes 🤞. One bad night can wreck months of growth.
Things I do to my garden against the house where I have high deer and rabbit activity. 1) I put marigolds around the edge of the garden 2) I use "fox urine" 3 times during the season, when (trans)planting, about a month later, and finally when the fruit starts. 3) in the field, I use green ribbon tape. Green is a color the deer see well, so when it moves, they see it and are uncomfortable being close to it.
For the last twenty years or so, the botanic gardens where I volunteer has used a spray of 1/2 cup milk to 1 gallon of water. Spray often, after rains, can combine if you already spray liquid fertilizer. This works for deer and has never failed us.
@MarSarFishin-ws7qk put it on the plants you know they love…right on the foliage or flowers. We think it smells like cows to the deer and that means humans. Really great to add to foliar liquid fertilizers…add it right in to the regular spray rotation..usually every two weeks. Best part is it doesn’t smell bad to us! Good luck training your deer!
thanks, Jan, I will give that a try. Can’t stand the smell of the commercial deer repellent right next to my front door and bambies in our neighbourhood come close enough to ring the doorbell. Will let you know if it works 😁
@@DianeKistner not sure as I also have a dog! But would be glad to hear reports from anyone who has an experience with the many critters that like our gardens. Don’t have a lot of coons, possums or groundhogs at the botanic gardens as there is too much daily human presence. Maybe the groundhogs will not like the milk, but I bet it doesn’t deter the coons( who have magic stealing skills) or the possums…they’ll eat garbage. Maybe on skunks? Anyone have any info? Let’s pass this one on, maybe smarter heads will prevail! Good luck gardening all
Last year I put up fishing line between stakes. It less obtrusive looking than orange or red in an HOA neighborhood. The deer problem is over. They run into and freak out. Occasionally they jump forward and I have to repair the lines, but even when they get through they are so freaked out that they blast out the other side. Woks great. I still spray the perimeter of my property to deter them from even getting near the garden.
I just started using pinwheels from the dollar store to deter elk (bigger and even more destructive than deer!) Some of the pinwheels look like fire from a distance when they spin. I haven’t seen the elk since surrounding my yard and fence with them 👍
My grandfather strung fishing line about a foot off of the ground and and about chest height of a deer around his garden and it kept them out. It spooks them when they bump into them. He tried everything else over the years, human hair, Irish Spring soap, even playing a radio in his patch nothing worked until he used fishing line.
I grow enough for the deers and neighbors. Also a half inch cube of Iris Spring original scent at every corner you’d your garden or raised beds or Ruth Stout Garden works to keep all things wild from your garden.😎. “Casual Gardening”
Fishing line works for the same reason. Just line. No pie pans. We have horizontal lines at 1-foot intervals, up to about 5 feet. Cheap. Easy to replace. It's worked for 10 years.
How far out from a tree? They killed a 2' red Japanese maple. Now they are working on a 4 1/2'' green one. I have an even taller green one that they haven't touched - yet. It's next, I'm sure. 😢
After eight years of ignoring my vegetable garden, deer decimated it in 48 hours. They went crazy for the tomatoes and okra. There was plenty of basil, mint and chives - I think they ate them, too. I waited three years before planting again last year, hoping they would forget the garden. While I used fishing line up to a height of about 18", I don't think the deer remembered the garden as the fishing line was undisturbed all summer. As last year was very hot and incredibly dry in south central Texas, I was not confident that I'd be able to keep them away. I'll use the fishing line again this year as well as the Irish Spring soap. I'll check into the blood meal and fish emulsion, too. There is a six foot fence on two sides and an eight foot retaining wall on the other two. I know they have no difficulties jumping anything I have. I don't want to deal with the noise of pie pans outside our bedroom window. (An agent with Texas Parks and Wildlife suggested the fishing line but did not offer much hope when I spoke with him before last season.) Fingers crossed for this year.
of course we had deer proof fencing around all our fields and gardens except for one by house;;;we had plenty problems with deer;;;had several scare crows of which rotated and changed their clothes;;;also granpa made whirly gigs and hung tinfol; stro[s apmg the fences;;;;but they got used to them and then we had to let the dogs out at night to keep them at bay;;;Danny from Deep South Homestead used bright colored caution tape strung out to temporary posts about 5 feet from garden fences also tied strips to caution tape and fences ;;;but still had some make into the b;ackeyed peas;;;anyway enjoyed ;;;thumbs up and keep em comin
Awesome video pretty lady, I have a large garden and I had to install an electric fence to keep deer out of my garden which works well, but another problem came up last year the racoons ate all my sweet corn so i am gonna have to find a way to keep them out thanks for the video, i subbed your channel 👍
It may depend on where your deer live, lol. I was in a pretty rural spot with just one small road nearby when I used pie pans effectively. I tried them when I moved to where I am now. These deer aren't very skittish, they cross the busy road by my house with obvious understanding of cars. They are used to noise and the flash of sun on metal. They simply walked right past the pie pans as if they weren't a concern at all, rofl. Back to the drawing board for me.
Deer become anesthetized to most anything except electric fence. I have read a piece of tinfoil with peanut butter gets their nose zapped and that is the most sensitive body part that trains them to not go there again. I will be trying that in the future as they are very destructive. Problem is to totally do this it involves a driveway and a tall gate that would need to be operated. We are on a deer run to water and we are the salad bar. They’ve been crossing the fence and have the ground beaten down and some are getting smarter and just walking in the driveway. We have to fence Everything or there would be nothing. It is said deer have poor depth perception and will not jump over a fence where they can’t detect a clear landing. I use a lot of plant stands where I have a low fence and the areas with 7’ tall fence have a lot of gardening stuff inside so we haven’t had a problem. I’ve seen deer jump a tall fence at a standstill like they had springs. I read at a run they can clear 12’, I never seen that yet. Between deer and rabbits, I can’t afford to have them ruin plants, shrubs and trees. They get in a habit if you let them. They think the day lilies are bon bons. I now have to fence those in or I won’t see them. And the baby rabbits can fit through 2x4 wire fencing so now I have to put poultry wire around the bottom of that! Five rabbits were eating all the lettuce and peas last year. I thought it was One, then I seen several more-Ugh! It looks like a zoo and it’s difficult to landscape. We’ve had severe drought and anything is at risk for them to devour.
I have found that they hate the old fashioned brown Lysol smell. I mix a half cup or so in 5 gallon pails. About half full. Nothing drinks out of it. But a mesh cover attached with rubber bands keeps the bees and bugs out. As long as I have a number of these around my flowers and garden they haven’t been eating anything. I think it messes up their sense of smell not knowing what is around to eat. It saved my newly planted lawn from all of the trampling too.
Use ground chicken feather meal sprinkled around vegetables and/or flowers. Deer hate the smell like we hate skunk smell. Definitely works, is good for the soil, and very easy to use. check out Ohio Earth Food near Hartville Ohio.
I've been in the monofilament fishing line camp for a number of years now. My garden plot is enclosed with stand-alone posts, a post at about 8ft intervals, plus a gate, and I use 50/lb test line strung around the posts. I run lines at 12" intervals vertically, up to about 6ft high. The deer cannot see it, are spooked when they come up agianst it, and this has eliminated my deer problem. It WORKS. I determined that mature deer actually don't like tomato vines all that much, it's the young ones which don't yet know they don't like tomatoes which do the damage. One chomp eliminates a vine for a whole season. What does the most (ie, ALL) damage to my garden are the squirrels. I badly need to find a way to permanently get rid of the squirrels. I have an electrical surprise in mind, but haven't acted on it yet.
I read that squirrels chomp tomatoes for the moisture so I set out pans of water at ground level so they can quench their thirst. I also keep a feeder full of sunflower seeds so they're mostly interested in this gourmet option! Good luck. I know how frustrating these smart little critters can be!
I am glad you enjoy gardening so much! I had to give up gardening due to the groundhogs deer and moles/voles. You do a really nice job presenting this video and are very pretty as well!
Wow, Rachel, this was super helpful! Loved the idea of using hay string and pie pans - genius! Definitely gonna try this out since the deer have been relentless here. Thanks for sharing such a budget-friendly and effective tip! Happy gardening!
I don't know what kind of baby deer you have in Georgia but our deer would laugh at this :) The way I deal with it is to just have a ton of stuff they like to eat, it actually does seem to keep them away from the plants I care about.
I want to know this, too. I know they love beans. And hostas! But I can't afford to keep them supplied in hostas.... I ordered some organic Anasazi beans for our food storage, and I'm planning to plant some of them in an area in our front yard that I know the deer pass through, and I've got unfenced corridors in the back that they browse where I'll plant something for them to eat. I'd love to find some kind of perennial edibles for them that they can enjoy but not decimate that will come back every year. Thoughts?
@@dianekistner7650If you have some shade, the bush American Beauty berry might be an option. I think they can take some deer shearing and come back--I have read. Maybe do some research on them.
Well, maybe. But in researching this I came across an actual wildlife/deer expert (can I recall where? Naw!) on the internet who pointed out an interesting thing---deer can jump amazingly high but they are not so good at jumping wide. So I got out my many rolls of that green garden fencing, cut it into sections, rolled the sections & zip-tied them, & laid them down (you could do upright but the fencing goes further if you lay the roll horizontally) around my garden, like a moat. You can do 2 rows of the fence sausage if you have persistent deer or during the hungry seasons (spring & fall). These are cheap (1 roll goes a long way), portable if you change your garden boundaries, fairly unobtrusive (esp. if you have some nice fence & put the rolls on the other side), can be temporary while that hedge grows. You do want to move them to mow or you will get weeds growing thru them & then there's a battle. This has worked well for me for several years. Also---get a dog to discourage them.
I'm not sure I fully understand how this is being set up, but the premise of a wide fence vs a tall one I wouldn't really doubt, that sounds like a good idea.
@@firecloud77 Perhaps (likely) I'm not describing it well. Roll some wire fencing into rolls about 2-1/2 to 3 feet wide. Lay the rolls on their sides 2 (or 3) deep. Add a fence, doesn't have to be high, on the inside of the garden. Deer don't jump usually.
I use pie pans during winter in my S CT garden just to keep the deer from gettin comfortable in my yard…they get very hungry and will eat almost anything. We also use a milk jug on a large broomstick that we move around 😊 I think we’ve tried it all…it’s good to mix it up and keep them on their hooves.
Your method does work as longs as they don't have a clear landing area. I had similar fence and worked perfectly until I extended it. Then they would jump the one spot in the cross way of my beds where they could land in space. I'm going to test rosemary this year, but the electric wire over the fence has already solved the issue... and put a large pot in that landing zone!
FYI, your 'hay string' is known as 'baler twine' to all farmers who bale hay or straw. You are using straw as a compost material. Hay has nutritional value and deer should love it!
White Tail Deer don’t eat grass, they can’t process grass. They only eat it if they have stomach problems. They eat Leafy stuff. If you see them eating in your lawn, they are eating clover or leafy weeds. I protect my Leafy Shrubs, by putting used Coffee Grounds around them.
The circle of life. Gramps was doing that 60 yrs ago Deer repellent plants good idea. Deer have good sense of smell, I tried absorbent socks for use along doors soaked in mint & eucalyptus oils. Seems to work We r all working on deers skittishness but familiarity breeds consent. I'm trying cat mint very vigorous minty & if cats in neighborhood they'll sit in it for hrs adding their scent. Used cat litter. Blinking lights. Alt food supply, deer now eating hostas down by road unprotected When deer starving no deterrent! They'll eat Long Island daisy 😊 🎉
I'm not sure entirely why the numerous deer in my neighborhood haven't munched my garden but I believe it is a couple of things. One is a deepish stream that runs on one side of our yard making it slightly trickier for them to come out of the woods easily but more importantly I think is that I grow lots of garlic and lavender. They don't like strong smells because they can't tell if a predator is around. I'm actually scared that I said this outlook perhaps vexing my good luck. If it fails I will most certainly use your method. Makes perfect sense to me. Thanks!
I used 1 inch plastic mesh that was sold as deer fencing. $50 cdn per 100 feet. with the extra side effect of keeping out rabbits and for some reason rose chafers.
It would take years, but you could grow a fence around the growing area. I have Holly along one side and I am working on a 5 foot deep line of thorny raspberries in another area. There is nothing I can do about the driveway so I am focused on one area.
If you do not mind doing extensive pruning every fall, planting willow twigs is simply a matter of poking them into the dirt. If you inter-weave them at an angle you will have a natural fence in a single season that will last beyond your lifetime.
You're adorable (as spoken from a GrandPa & GrandMa). Anyhow as an earlier poster mentioned, fishing line; we use stakes harvested from the woods of our farm and "offset" 50 lb monofilament fishing line 6-8 feet outside of our electric fencing. This invisible fencing confuses the deer. IF they happen to cross that we have aluminum foil strips folded over much of the electric fencing and smeared with peanut butter. They learn that it's not as attractive as they thought. In addition we obtain unwanted old after shave, perfumes, cologne's and saturate sticks from the woods and toss them inside of the fence disguising the edible plant smells. And, what about rabbits? Some metal black cat silhouette's clearly visible around the parameter and plastic owl replica's perched on top of fence posts work great. Have fun and keep up the experiments. BTW - keep mixing things up, deer are persistent and get used to virtually anything over time; we use pie pans all around our deer hunting stands, the deer get used to the noise and we're far less likely to be noticed if we shift around inside of the deer stand.
Solar electric fence, lots of mending where deer run into it. But they sure do remember the "bite" they got! Marked with strips of white plastic bags, and if there are enough flapping around, it helps keep them from running into the two wires. This does not work to keep pheasants, quail, chickens out, however. Their feathers insulate them too well.
I live in Idaho next to forest land. I solved the deer and elk problem with a 6ft electric fence and 50 mile fencer. Also grounded wire in between live wires makes it when the ground is dry. All the neighborhood deer and elk are trained now. Don't even get close anymore. Keeps dogs and cats out also.The cost of seed and garden products is to high to feed the critters.
The only thing that stops the deer in my yard is a 6 foot high nylon deer fence, the fishing line or the Irish Spring soap did not work. You can buy nylon netting from most big box stores.
I used tall step-in posts and 30-lb test fishing line (440 yards for $8) strung in 5 lines from 6 ft high to 1 ft high. Absolutely no deer activity in my garden.
Hay string, aka 'Baler Twine', usually made of nylon and virtually indestructible. I've been using various bird scarers on mine but I can see that pie pans might work too. Now, to solve the gopher problem... Sticking Irish Spring soap down the holes certainly helps but they just pop up somewhere else, so now I'm just letting them occupy certain areas, and all my raised beds are on top of 2 layers of half inch square stainless steel mesh.
Interesting. I have had success every year, every garden with a Motion Sensor Water Sprinkler. Got it on Amazon for about $60. But this year I am living off grid without a hose with pressure so I’m looking for other options. Thanks for sharing.
I have a friend who attached fishing line to mousetraps. When the deer hit the line, the trap would snap and that sound scared the deer away. I think he now uses electric fence. It works for deer and bears, but nothing keeps the raccoons, squirrels, and blue jays out of the corn.
It’s not just about the fence. It’s you and your needs and expectations. Going full on prep-r ….or just want something pretty? Food prep isn’t about pretty so get real …this requires more money or vigilance and then both. Want pretty …adjust your expectations of pretty…find what you enjoy but deer don’t. That’s on you. Hungry deer tempted by their favorite treat will be more persistent and daring. That’s them, and they are willing to learn - whether you are or not. There’s no one easy fix …one must figure it out. It starts with you. Good luck!
Years ago while growing weed up in the mountains we used something called Tank. We had a friend who worked in a slaughterhouse and he would get us as many 5 gal buckets as we wanted for FREE. Tank is all of the bodily fluids (blood, urine, stomach acids, etc.) of the animals that are being rendered in the facility, they are happy to give it to us because it has to be treated like hazardous waste and they pay $$$ to have it hauled away. We would dig a shallow trench around our crop up in the wilderness and pour this Foul Smelling Sludge into the trench. There are NO Wild Animals in the forest that would cross that line. They smell death and run the other way.
In my experience, living in and near woods, deer get used to anything after a while. I have tried hanging cds, fish line, twine, stinky stuff...and tons of other things. Nothing works except a tall, sturdy fence. Even then, if they can stick their heads under the fence to munch your plants they will.
I also have used human hair on my gardens Just spread it around. Put some up higher on the plants. No problem with deer. I live in a former field. It has worked for 30 years. The deer travel through most days of the week.
Unfortunately, we live in an area with an HOA that looks down on fencing in the front yard. I use blood/garlic-filled stations along with growing garlic on the boundaries which has had some success.
Please be careful with the straw. I had just started using straw in my garden and heard people talking about how their Gardens were dying all of a sudden and they didn't know what was going on so one fellow was talking to another and said do you use straw and he said yes he said all I can tell you what your problem is he said they have used Roundup to spray the straw to make it die to turn it into straw and process it😮😮
The video was warning people not to use cow manure goat manure or horse manure in your Gardens because they're feeding the animals the straw that has been sprayed with pesticides and then people buy the manure fertilizer for their Gardens and it's killed their Gardens and it destroys the garden dirt for a few years so buy straw that they don't use pesticide on
it's called "baling twine'....often plastic, also a rough cotton i believe. those are really easy to braid into a rough rope. there is also 'baling wire, but i dont see that much anymore. you can buy a thousand foot role, made to be in the baler, for odd jobs around the house and barn, it's usually about $25 a roll.
I put 3 lines of red surveyors tape around my garden. Two lines 3ft apart in height 3 ft away from garden edge. The other line is 2ft high 1 ft away from garden edge. This staggers the tape so its an illusion to a deer. Worked few years.gotta redo evry year as sun breaks it.
When I first started gardening a few years ago I found rabbits eating some plants. So I put up a half height snow fence around my garden. Problem solved. Now the Rabbits eat my Japanese willow tree ( very much smaller willow). Plus a little off topic, I use small brown paper bags hung in my shed to keep hornets/ wasp away.
Brown paper bags works works absolut wonderful!!! It was only what works to keep wasps away from making nests on my balcony and shed. I had my little Granddaughter playing there, so I was happy they never came back.
Keeping them out of areas where you'll disturb them is a good idea, but in case you didn't know, paper wasps are wonderful predators for pests in the garden and in my experience are very docile as long as you aren't messing with their nest.
I’ve got a better story than that one.😂 somebody I know, kept getting his tomato garden, devastated by deer, so he put an electric fence around the tomato garden the type they use to keep cattle in. He used it to keep the deer out and it worked great. He also hung pie pans off of the electric fence with peanut butter on it so when the deer came up to the lick the peanut butter, they got a shock and they did not come back.
first instance was deer decided to eat a ring of bark off our favorite mandarin orange tree, killing it. I now use cattle fencing for now until i can get my bamboo stick fence built. Looks kinda crappy but they have not tried to get in again. Put some reflective silver tape like stuff and weaved it thru the top of the fence so they can see it easier.
We live in the suburbs and have herds of deer and hoards of rabbits to deal with. The deer jump over and through everything, including deer netting, fishline, baling twine (that is what you are using here) and 7 foot posts and rabbit fencing. Rabbits chew through the netting, and baby rabbits can squeeze through 1.5" space. I don't see how your fence could possibly work when they can just walk around it!
I lived in a remote area and everyone said i would have deer problems. I collected the fur from brushing my dog and mixed it in with the soil in my garden. They never touched a thing
I have seen deer standing next to very loud propane fired cannons feeding after a while they get used to anything...deer have excellent vision but may be colorblind...their bigger eyes allow more light for better nite vision...no matter what you do deer will eventually overcome any ploy you may try ..they are smarter than they look.😊
I went to a thrift store and bought a couple of white drop sheets, tore the sheets into strips and tied the strips to the plastic wire. No deer come near the garden anymore but the rabbits, raccoons and quail still invade regularly.
I have used plastic fence posts and yellow caution tape. Idk why it works but have not had any deer problems since 2008. My neighbor had his garden destroyed by deer while Mine remained untouched by deer. I’ve had a bunny get a nibble or two.
You could keep the tinfoil plates in place by using a clothespin on each side of them so they are not at the end of the line on that one night that the deer come to visit and eat.
What about a driveway alarm? The monitor is motion sensitive and then that causes an alarm to go off. So…you could keep the alarm in the house or maybe leave it in the garden and the alarm might scare them off. Or a novelty toy that is motion sensitive…… I saw where a guy place one in his trash can to scare a bear off. It was funny to see that bear jump when the noise started. Just tossing out ideas. Also….have you watched any videos about electiculture? You wrap copper around wood and stake the wool in the garden and the currents help the plants grow much faster and bigger.
Yes it's true that deer CAN jump over 6' fences, but they mostly choose not to. Specially in smaller spaces or when they don't have a clear landing spot. I have never personally seen a deer jump a 6' fence just standing there. Maybe they can, but imagine they might need a little space to gather up. Look for deer pellets next to your garden. I have a lot of deer too, but have more issues with rabbits and squirrels digging around. I place chicken wire around my plants which prevents digging and damaging roots.
I use fishing line to tie around the garden. It's practically invisible and when the deer come up against it, it spooks them. I haven't seen any deer in the yard since.
I know I'm going to get shouted down, but if it helps someone, good deal. For about 20 yrs I have been using a electric wire about 8/10 inches off the ground, enough that mower deck will barely clear under the wire. Did not believe the old guy myself, made a believer out of me. Cured my deer problem, ask anyone that knows me. All the tall fences are good for is all the work repairing them after deer tearing them up. Shout me down or try it and thank me, at 75 this is probably my last garden rodeo.
wisdom of elders, thank you.
I also used an electric fence. They wouldn’t even come near it. It was like they could hear the current and stayed clear!
We had marauding raccoons that would attack fruit trees every night. They are a disaster, break branches (as if peach trees need any help with that) take a couple of bites and leave the mess on the ground. They can climb over anything. And skunks, and possums. I read where an electric fence would keep them at bay! And it works. The trick is 2 wires 1st close to the ground so they can’t scoot under it and one about 4 to 6 inches higher so they can’t just step over the lower one. It works great for raccoons, possums, skunks. In defense of skunks, they do a pretty good job of cleaning up the mess of half eaten peaches the raccoons would leave. However, squirrels nimbly hop between the 2 wires, but since they don’t do the damage the raccoons do, we can live with them. But the birds! Don’t get me started!
Yup, I tried different things including fences and they all failed. Last year I put up an electric fence and had no trouble.
I run 2 strand electric fence with short flagging tape streamers on it to increase it’s visibility. Deer run into it and break insulators on the regular. They also jump over it and graze daily.
I'm going to give you all a tip that I learned from a 93 year old Waterman on the eastern shore of Maryland in an area that is just loaded with deer . His garden was huge and I asked him Mr Johnny how do you keep the critters out of your garden and he answered see that 5-gallon bucket on a post in the center of the garden I said yes he said I have a radio underneath that bucket tuned to a talk show and that keeps the deer and other animals away. He added if you put music on they will get used to it so you must put on a talk show because no animals will come near two people standing in the field talking. I took that advice and when I built my house in a very rural area 20 years ago I picked out a spot where I was going to have a garden and I ran Water and Power to my garden and I live in an area without a talk show but there are religious shows which is basically the same thing and I have never had a problem with any animals whatsoever and there are deer running all-over my land . I have the radio on a timer 12 hours on 12 hours off. It works, thank you Mr Johnny.
This is the best ever comment on UA-cam. Thank you!!!
This is pretty fascinating... I will have to try this...
And the deer converted! Lol
I'll get a solar radio and try this...
Make sure the talk show is one of the liberal show's And not Rush! Cause if it is Rush all the animals will gather round and feast while they listen!!! 🤔😇😄
Using blue surveyors tape I hang 2 old CD's together back to back with the shiny side out in different areas of my garden. They catch light as they move in a light wind and even without a breeze. We have Mule Deer in SW Colorado and they aren't afraid of anything. Since using them I haven't had any in my garden. I like the pie pan idea !
yes ~;; 🌿
Here in Montana we’ve tried all the suggestions commenters made here. The deer here are ravenous and eat it all - the lemongrass, the pepper, the hair, rope.. everything. The only thing that works here is to completely enclose the garden with netting. Even then, the deer push the netting aside to get to our plants.
Try the greenstkes and monofilament (fishing line) It works - I have been using it for a long time.
@skyflight99 Have you tried electric fencing?
@@tree_carcass_mangler Yup--it works--great deal!
I didn’t read all of the comments so this may be a repeat possible solution….I’ve heard deer don’t like stinky smells. I use fish emulsion to fertilize most of my plants in the garden on a two week schedule and boy does it stink. I also leave a radio on at night in my potting shed, which is about 15 feet away from the garden. So far, this has worked for me. I’ve been doing this for 3 years now.
A monofilament fence (fishing line) is cheaper and works better and is super easy to do. Humans can scoot under it or just make a kind of easy peasy gate. The green garden stakes and a heavy pounder that is made for this purpose and monofilament is all you need. Deer cannot see it and when the bump into it is scares them and the run away.
I started using fish fertilizer last year, yes it smells for while. But it works great. Down east some people use seaweed.
@@Queenie-the-genie I did this, this year. I have a herd of 18 deer that are in my yard in the morning, evening and all night long. My garden is in full bloom right now and NO deer damage. I have only 6 fishing line rows on 5' T-posts.
@@Queenie-the-genie
What is a heavy pounder?
@@jude7321 There are these heavy things that are made especially to pound the stakes into the ground. If you go to where you buy the stakes, they with also have them. They make it easy to get the stakes down into the ground so they will not fall down. I got mine at the local nursery I think but they should have them at Home Depot or Loews etc. then you get heavy duty fishing line and string them to make the fence. I have been using them for years. Also, there are some people here on UA-cam who have videos regarding this type of fence. I can post a pic of the pounder thing but they sell them anywhere that they sell the stakes. Hope this helps. :)
We have a raised bed and all I did was wrap clear fishing line around stakes I placed in each corner, and every foot along the height of the stakes. It freaks the deer when they touch the wire and they back off. They never touch the plants and I can easily reach between the fishing line to weed or pick vegetables.
Yes, I have used this for a very long time and it works.
I tried this. The deer knocked it down and spread string and stakes across the yard the first night.
Good idea, thank you!
It works.....for a brief while. Then the deer learn what it is and chew right through it....I liked the fishing line idea because it is cheap and virtually invisible but I have reverted to deer netting because that is the only thing that works reliably for me.
Thank you! I just searched for how to keep deer out without fencing… I scrolled through a few videos then found you and this video. I love the deer that come to my property but I’m so discouraged from gardening because they eat almost everything! You have really made my day so much better; I remember seeing this solution at my grandparents’ garden way back when and now I know why. I’m definitely trying this. I actually wondered if scarecrows would help but this is way better, especially since you mentioned their vision is very different from ours. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
❤ to keep your pans from sliding down the string, tie knots or use clothspins to hold in place.
Double 4 ft fence strung 3 or four feet apart is an investment but works. They won't jump onto the narrow gap.
I think my deers will use that pans to serve them self food from my garden
Don’t you just hate uppity deer? I swear…..
Or it could be your faulty perspective, that your deer would not stay away from the pie pans. And your garden, if you have one
I tie bars hand soap in my fruit trees to keep deer away. Works pretty well because they avoid human scent because of hunters. This could possibly keep them away from vegetable gardens. Janice from Arkansas USA
@@janicedelp2775 Irish soap works. But need fresh every two weeks.
Deer is a mass/noncount noun.
Thank you for a good solution for us gardeners who cant spend alot.
😃🌱🐢
Glad it works for you, my deer jumped my 6 foot fences no problem and I had to extent the height to 7 1/2 feet to stop them with little flags along the top wire so they see it. Now I only have to worry about gofers, racoons, rabbits, birds and bugs.....my garden looks like a sea of netting and then the mice tear that up in winter when I store it in the shed. It's an endless attack and you have to plant twice as much as you want to harvest.
Sounds like you need a dog or 2 & a couple of excellent barn cats to help with the small varmints. Maybe a nice falcon to get the birds that eat your fruit? Bugs we all got---wouldn't you think the birds would help you out w/ that? (Darn freeloaders!) And for goodness sake, buy a couple of galvanized trash cans w/ lids & store your netting there in the winter. Sounds like you have the deer under control, but if not, they aren't as good jumping wide as they are jumping high. I just make rolls of that green cheap garden fence & lay them down 1 or 2 deep & my deer don't get over them.
@@vintagelady1 Had a cat but she passed 2 years ago, sadly she never chased or hunted any small critters except Chipmunks and they never posed a threat to the garden at all. The birds, Blue Jays mostly here peck and destroy tomatoes and eggplants, the pigeons eat young seedlings that aren't covered as soon as they go in the ground. My fruit trees are all under 4 or 5 years old as deer destroyed the ones I had before I put up a fence. My garden is a 1/4 acre so it's been a building and learning curve for over 7 years now. I'll never save money growing food for a few more years yet as it's still a work in process. Buying at the store is cheaper but I don't know what they put in it, mine is healthier by far, all natural and the garden keeps me busy and fit.....happy gardening.
@@dougtheslug6435 Sounds like your garden may be a little small for this, idk, but you may want to try things like bait crops on a larger scale. Native wildlife plantings, shrubs, etc that they would likely even prefer over your veggies and stuff
@@Gongall I agree and have done just that when I was clearing the land of big trees I surrounded the garden with highbush cranberries, goose berries, dogwoods, straw berries, black berries, raspberries and put in Hosta's everywhere for the deer, literally I've planted close to a 150 of all these, maybe more. When that didn't work I went to fence and gates. For the birds I have 6 feeders and go through 50 lbs of sunflower seed and 20 lbs of peanuts every month, plus I sow sunflower seeds everywhere, at least 500 or so grow every year all around. It's exhausting covering everything with netting...... lol, it's all good though, I love it and wouldn't change a thing all the animals know me and don't run or fly away, I even have names for many of them. Last fall I built a big grape arbor with four vines on the corner post, can't wait to see the trouble that causes in a few years.....cheers.
dear can jump as high as they need to... I takes 2 sets of fence line to create width! they have trouble judging height and width :) ya now what i mean? best, g
I use blood meal around my plants and sometimes directly on my plants to deter deer and other herbivores. They don't like the smell (not noticeable to humans) and avoid the area. Blood meal a good source of nitrogen for plants and lasts even when it rains. I live in WA state and we get a good amount of rain.. This is something I learned in my Master Gardening class and have been using it for20 years with great success. I order 50 pound bags of it and it lasts for several years!
How heavily do you apply it? Soil and leaves?
I want to know too😊
we have a lot of coyotes, bobcats and wolves even a few moutain lions here in southern illinois...wonder if blood meal would attract them...
@@lorilex16 , good question
How do you explain deer coming up to this gut pile with blood all around? They seem attracted to it!!
ua-cam.com/video/Do6FEkHApyE/v-deo.htmlsi=rmRguJp2pszmz6bW
I’ve had pretty good success with using heavy scented bar soap like Zest or Irish Spring. The scent give deer the false impression that human life is around plus it won’t hurt your garden.
In my yard the deer chew on the Irish Spring soap.
The best stuff to use is those green stakes you have and monofilament - fishing line. The deer cannot see it and when they encounter it they get scared and leave. I have been using this for many years and I assure you it works.
How high do you put it?👍🤟✌️
@@1ntwndrboy198 there are about four levels to string it and your natural instincts will inform you. 🩵
Excellent and well spoken video about your inexpensive method of keeping deer out. I've only a 4 foot fence around my garden which means they can lean into the garden or jump. You're idea about having a protective "alarm" a couple feet "out from the actual garden fencing" does seem like it will cause enough of a confusion as to have them distracted/leave before getting into the garden. I think too...for a small garden, it makes sense also to purchase inexpensive "pest" netting that can be place over the plants as to make it difficult and uncomfortable to get at the veggies. Such netting can be 'draped" over the garden in canopy fashion, yet not disturb the sunlight or rain. While having a garden so covered that it loses some of its "freedom", its better than deer eating my darn garden to stubs. :-}
Netting might help in some cases. Although I find myself too lazy to do things like that; my plants would grow up through them and they'd be stuck there lol
I laid sections of roofing metal around the garden and it worked
They don't like stepping on such a slippery surface. Leftover scraps from roofing my storage shed
I use fishing lines. It works. I can't afford a big or high fence so I use square tomato cages spread out as a cheap fence. Which doesn't work for rabbits or groundhogs but is effective for keeping the deer out of certain areas. Also planting foxglove along my borders. Great video and tips. I haven't tried pie pans.
Didn’t work in Colorado mountains, it was ripped pretty soon. Not much vegetation around here so deer are going after anything green.
@@svetlanapil8089 Yes, in a drought, they will eat "deer-resistant" plants, the strog-flavored herbs and things they usually avoid.
A radio on a motion sensor device helps. Nice and loud, heavy Rock music, Car dealer ads might work well.
😂😂😂
I was thinking the same thing when I first started watching this video. Great idea!
One guy used a recording of his ex wife having an orgasm and put on a motion sensor. Worked like a charm😊
Political ads.
Car dealer ads!!😂😂😂😂 Political ads!!! 😂😂😂😂 Love both ideas! The political ones sure make me sick and want to run away!!
I use Irish spring bath soap on a rope! I had deer eat my sweet potatoes and my beans and never had a problem after hanging soap around my garden! Sprays, hair and urine all wash away in the rain, The soap gets refreshed when it rains and last all season!
Do you put the Irish spring around the bottom of the plant, such as day lilies?
We hung our Irish Spring using zip ties. They ate the irish spring and left the zip ties.
A sprinkler that has a motion senser works great too..u can run it at night when they come. Lee Valley tools**
I've definitely considered that! So far this is still working great but it's nice to have backup options waiting in the wings.
Motion sensing sprinklers work great for me - there’s a little hiss when they start up that really scares critters of all sorts. The only downside is that you occasionally forget and walk in front of them and get wet.
I have a couple motion sense sprinklers. They have (off/day/night/always-on) settings. I move them around to cover entry and exit paths from time to time. They work.
@@ehRalph What brand did you get? I have read tons of bad reviews of some of the ones I see on Amazon, mostly related to the motion sensor and the shut off valve not working correctly.
@@ByHisGraceWeAreSaved I bought 2 Orbit 62100 Enforcers about 3-4 years ago ($50 range then- now more like $100), I’ve had to replace a couple garden hose caps and fiddle with them re:leaks lately. They can be set to day or night or always. They also need good new batteries. I store them indoors w/o batteries over winter. I also use light weight deer netting to deter intruders & I move and readjust the spray area whenever I cut grass. I have some cheap motion sense cameras to monitor the bushes 🤞. One bad night can wreck months of growth.
Things I do to my garden against the house where I have high deer and rabbit activity.
1) I put marigolds around the edge of the garden
2) I use "fox urine" 3 times during the season, when (trans)planting, about a month later, and finally when the fruit starts.
3) in the field, I use green ribbon tape. Green is a color the deer see well, so when it moves, they see it and are uncomfortable being close to it.
For the last twenty years or so, the botanic gardens where I volunteer has used a spray of 1/2 cup milk to 1 gallon of water. Spray often, after rains, can combine if you already spray liquid fertilizer. This works for deer and has never failed us.
@MarSarFishin-ws7qk put it on the plants you know they love…right on the foliage or flowers. We think it smells like cows to the deer and that means humans. Really great to add to foliar liquid fertilizers…add it right in to the regular spray rotation..usually every two weeks. Best part is it doesn’t smell bad to us! Good luck training your deer!
thanks, Jan, I will give that a try. Can’t stand the smell of the commercial deer repellent right next to my front door and bambies in our neighbourhood come close enough to ring the doorbell. Will let you know if it works 😁
Do you know if the milk spray deters any critters other than deer?
@@DianeKistner not sure as I also have a dog! But would be glad to hear reports from anyone who has an experience with the many critters that like our gardens.
Don’t have a lot of coons, possums or groundhogs at the botanic gardens as there is too much daily human presence. Maybe the groundhogs will not like the milk, but I bet it doesn’t deter the coons( who have magic stealing skills) or the possums…they’ll eat garbage. Maybe on skunks?
Anyone have any info? Let’s pass this one on, maybe smarter heads will prevail! Good luck gardening all
Last year I put up fishing line between stakes. It less obtrusive looking than orange or red in an HOA neighborhood. The deer problem is over. They run into and freak out. Occasionally they jump forward and I have to repair the lines, but even when they get through they are so freaked out that they blast out the other side. Woks great. I still spray the perimeter of my property to deter them from even getting near the garden.
FANTASTIC tip! Cheap & easy, why wouldn't someone wanna do this?! Thanks so much for sharing, I'll remember to do this when I get some land🙏🙏😊😊
I just started using pinwheels from the dollar store to deter elk (bigger and even more destructive than deer!) Some of the pinwheels look like fire from a distance when they spin. I haven’t seen the elk since surrounding my yard and fence with them 👍
You have a sweet down to earth attitude! Good tip! Will try it.
My grandfather strung fishing line about a foot off of the ground and and about chest height of a deer around his garden and it kept them out. It spooks them when they bump into them. He tried everything else over the years, human hair, Irish Spring soap, even playing a radio in his patch nothing worked until he used fishing line.
I grow enough for the deers and neighbors. Also a half inch cube of Iris Spring original scent at every corner you’d your garden or raised beds or Ruth Stout Garden works to keep all things wild from your garden.😎. “Casual Gardening”
Deer ate all my sweet potatoes and squash in my Ruth Stout beds last year and armadillos tossed the beds about like crazy.
Fishing line works for the same reason. Just line. No pie pans. We have horizontal lines at 1-foot intervals, up to about 5 feet. Cheap. Easy to replace. It's worked for 10 years.
All the way around the garden? How you enter and exit?
How far out from a tree? They killed a 2' red Japanese maple. Now they are working on a 4 1/2'' green one. I have an even taller green one that they haven't touched - yet. It's next, I'm sure. 😢
After eight years of ignoring my vegetable garden, deer decimated it in 48 hours. They went crazy for the tomatoes and okra. There was plenty of basil, mint and chives - I think they ate them, too. I waited three years before planting again last year, hoping they would forget the garden. While I used fishing line up to a height of about 18", I don't think the deer remembered the garden as the fishing line was undisturbed all summer. As last year was very hot and incredibly dry in south central Texas, I was not confident that I'd be able to keep them away. I'll use the fishing line again this year as well as the Irish Spring soap. I'll check into the blood meal and fish emulsion, too. There is a six foot fence on two sides and an eight foot retaining wall on the other two. I know they have no difficulties jumping anything I have. I don't want to deal with the noise of pie pans outside our bedroom window. (An agent with Texas Parks and Wildlife suggested the fishing line but did not offer much hope when I spoke with him before last season.) Fingers crossed for this year.
Amazing. I hadn't thought anything so simple would work! Thanks.
of course we had deer proof fencing around all our fields and gardens except for one by house;;;we had plenty problems with deer;;;had several scare crows of which rotated and changed their clothes;;;also granpa made whirly gigs and hung tinfol; stro[s apmg the fences;;;;but they got used to them and then we had to let the dogs out at night to keep them at bay;;;Danny from Deep South Homestead used bright colored caution tape strung out to temporary posts about 5 feet from garden fences also tied strips to caution tape and fences ;;;but still had some make into the b;ackeyed peas;;;anyway enjoyed ;;;thumbs up and keep em comin
Awesome video pretty lady, I have a large garden and I had to install an electric fence to keep deer out of my garden which works well, but another problem came up last year the racoons ate all my sweet corn so i am gonna have to find a way to keep them out thanks for the video, i subbed your channel 👍
Fill the pole with sand so it won't kink very easily. It's how I've kept conduit from kinking. It may bend but it won't kink.
Put a cloths pin on each side of your pans to stay in that 1 ft area
You can plant flowers that they want eat as a boarder and it will help also!!
This is the comment I have been looking for!!! Thanks, do you know what flowers or food in particular they like to eat?
It may depend on where your deer live, lol. I was in a pretty rural spot with just one small road nearby when I used pie pans effectively. I tried them when I moved to where I am now. These deer aren't very skittish, they cross the busy road by my house with obvious understanding of cars. They are used to noise and the flash of sun on metal. They simply walked right past the pie pans as if they weren't a concern at all, rofl. Back to the drawing board for me.
Deer become anesthetized to most anything except electric fence. I have read a piece of tinfoil with peanut butter gets their nose zapped and that is the most sensitive body part that trains them to not go there again. I will be trying that in the future as they are very destructive. Problem is to totally do this it involves a driveway and a tall gate that would need to be operated.
We are on a deer run to water and we are the salad bar. They’ve been crossing the fence and have the ground beaten down and some are getting smarter and just walking in the driveway.
We have to fence Everything or there would be nothing. It is said deer have poor depth perception and will not jump over a fence where they can’t detect a clear landing. I use a lot of plant stands where I have a low fence and the areas with 7’ tall fence have a lot of gardening stuff inside so we haven’t had a problem. I’ve seen deer jump a tall fence at a standstill like they had springs. I read at a run they can clear 12’, I never seen that yet.
Between deer and rabbits, I can’t afford to have them ruin plants, shrubs and trees. They get in a habit if you let them. They think the day lilies are bon bons. I now have to fence those in or I won’t see them. And the baby rabbits can fit through 2x4 wire fencing so now I have to put poultry wire around the bottom of that! Five rabbits were eating all the lettuce and peas last year. I thought it was One, then I seen several more-Ugh!
It looks like a zoo and it’s difficult to landscape. We’ve had severe drought and anything is at risk for them to devour.
I use solar twinkle lights . 70 foot long work like a charm. Looks cool to.
That one I hadn't heard!
I have found that they hate the old fashioned brown Lysol smell. I mix a half cup or so in 5 gallon pails. About half full. Nothing drinks out of it. But a mesh cover attached with rubber bands keeps the bees and bugs out. As long as I have a number of these around my flowers and garden they haven’t been eating anything. I think it messes up their sense of smell not knowing what is around to eat. It saved my newly planted lawn from all of the trampling too.
Plant some lemongrass around the perimeter. I buy mine for 2.99 a bunch at the Asian store.
I'm actually adding that to my perimeter this year! Along with a few other perennial herbs that I've seen claim to be deer resistant.
Use ground chicken feather meal sprinkled around vegetables and/or flowers. Deer hate the smell like we hate skunk smell. Definitely works, is good for the soil, and very easy to use. check out Ohio Earth Food near Hartville Ohio.
I've been in the monofilament fishing line camp for a number of years now. My garden plot is enclosed with stand-alone posts, a post at about 8ft intervals, plus a gate, and I use 50/lb test line strung around the posts. I run lines at 12" intervals vertically, up to about 6ft high. The deer cannot see it, are spooked when they come up agianst it, and this has eliminated my deer problem. It WORKS.
I determined that mature deer actually don't like tomato vines all that much, it's the young ones which don't yet know they don't like tomatoes which do the damage. One chomp eliminates a vine for a whole season. What does the most (ie, ALL) damage to my garden are the squirrels. I badly need to find a way to permanently get rid of the squirrels. I have an electrical surprise in mind, but haven't acted on it yet.
I read that squirrels chomp tomatoes for the moisture so I set out pans of water at ground level so they can quench their thirst. I also keep a feeder full of sunflower seeds so they're mostly interested in this gourmet option! Good luck. I know how frustrating these smart little critters can be!
@@laurawilliams2790 Try a pellet gun
I am glad you enjoy gardening so much! I had to give up gardening due to the groundhogs deer and moles/voles. You do a really nice job presenting this video and are very pretty as well!
Wow, Rachel, this was super helpful! Loved the idea of using hay string and pie pans - genius! Definitely gonna try this out since the deer have been relentless here. Thanks for sharing such a budget-friendly and effective tip! Happy gardening!
I don't know what kind of baby deer you have in Georgia but our deer would laugh at this :) The way I deal with it is to just have a ton of stuff they like to eat, it actually does seem to keep them away from the plants I care about.
What do you plant for your deer? I am planning a feed plot for them this year and hope it saves the crops!
I want to know this, too. I know they love beans. And hostas! But I can't afford to keep them supplied in hostas.... I ordered some organic Anasazi beans for our food storage, and I'm planning to plant some of them in an area in our front yard that I know the deer pass through, and I've got unfenced corridors in the back that they browse where I'll plant something for them to eat. I'd love to find some kind of perennial edibles for them that they can enjoy but not decimate that will come back every year. Thoughts?
@@dianekistner7650If you have some shade, the bush American Beauty berry might be an option. I think they can take some deer shearing and come back--I have read. Maybe do some research on them.
I taljed with the deer here 20 years ago. They stood rhere and listened. Never a problem. Then again I'm way cool😅
"taljed"?
Talked
Well, maybe. But in researching this I came across an actual wildlife/deer expert (can I recall where? Naw!) on the internet who pointed out an interesting thing---deer can jump amazingly high but they are not so good at jumping wide. So I got out my many rolls of that green garden fencing, cut it into sections, rolled the sections & zip-tied them, & laid them down (you could do upright but the fencing goes further if you lay the roll horizontally) around my garden, like a moat. You can do 2 rows of the fence sausage if you have persistent deer or during the hungry seasons (spring & fall). These are cheap (1 roll goes a long way), portable if you change your garden boundaries, fairly unobtrusive (esp. if you have some nice fence & put the rolls on the other side), can be temporary while that hedge grows. You do want to move them to mow or you will get weeds growing thru them & then there's a battle. This has worked well for me for several years. Also---get a dog to discourage them.
Thank you. That seems odd that that works and they don't just practically step over the roll.
I'm not sure I fully understand how this is being set up, but the premise of a wide fence vs a tall one I wouldn't really doubt, that sounds like a good idea.
I’d love to see a picture of your system!
Not enough information to conceptualize the configuration you're describing. Or maybe I'm just dense.
@@firecloud77 Perhaps (likely) I'm not describing it well. Roll some wire fencing into rolls about 2-1/2 to 3 feet wide. Lay the rolls on their sides 2 (or 3) deep. Add a fence, doesn't have to be high, on the inside of the garden. Deer don't jump usually.
I use pie pans during winter in my S CT garden just to keep the deer from gettin comfortable in my yard…they get very hungry and will eat almost anything. We also use a milk jug on a large broomstick that we move around 😊 I think we’ve tried it all…it’s good to mix it up and keep them on their hooves.
I used pie pans and they worked for a few days then the deer chewed on the pans
Are there deer in CT? Driving on 95 through that state it looks like little NYC.
Thanks for the tip!
But... now these deer you often see driving home, are they driving Ford's or Chevys?
Your method does work as longs as they don't have a clear landing area. I had similar fence and worked perfectly until I extended it. Then they would jump the one spot in the cross way of my beds where they could land in space. I'm going to test rosemary this year, but the electric wire over the fence has already solved the issue... and put a large pot in that landing zone!
We did something similar-used fishing line and chimes, worked great.
FYI, your 'hay string' is known as 'baler twine' to all farmers who bale hay or straw. You are using straw as a compost material. Hay has nutritional value and deer should love it!
White Tail Deer don’t eat grass, they can’t process grass. They only eat it if they have stomach problems. They eat Leafy stuff. If you see them eating in your lawn, they are eating clover or leafy weeds. I protect my Leafy Shrubs, by putting used Coffee Grounds around them.
Pie pans have been used for decades. My grandmother used them around her garden regularly.
The circle of life. Gramps was doing that 60 yrs ago
Deer repellent plants good idea. Deer have good sense of smell, I tried absorbent socks for use along doors soaked in mint & eucalyptus oils. Seems to work
We r all working on deers skittishness but familiarity breeds consent.
I'm trying cat mint very vigorous minty & if cats in neighborhood they'll sit in it for hrs adding their scent.
Used cat litter.
Blinking lights.
Alt food supply, deer now eating hostas down by road unprotected
When deer starving no deterrent! They'll eat Long Island daisy
😊
🎉
Excellent idea! I am surely going to do this tomorrow! They loved my soy beans last year! Thank you for this video.
I'm not sure entirely why the numerous deer in my neighborhood haven't munched my garden but I believe it is a couple of things. One is a deepish stream that runs on one side of our yard making it slightly trickier for them to come out of the woods easily but more importantly I think is that I grow lots of garlic and lavender. They don't like strong smells because they can't tell if a predator is around. I'm actually scared that I said this outlook perhaps vexing my good luck. If it fails I will most certainly use your method. Makes perfect sense to me. Thanks!
Deers eat the lavender, bee balm and mints in my garden
I used 1 inch plastic mesh that was sold as deer fencing. $50 cdn per 100 feet. with the extra side effect of keeping out rabbits and for some reason rose chafers.
It would take years, but you could grow a fence around the growing area. I have Holly along one side and I am working on a 5 foot deep line of thorny raspberries in another area. There is nothing I can do about the driveway so I am focused on one area.
If you do not mind doing extensive pruning every fall, planting willow twigs is simply a matter of poking them into the dirt. If you inter-weave them at an angle you will have a natural fence in a single season that will last beyond your lifetime.
You're adorable (as spoken from a GrandPa & GrandMa). Anyhow as an earlier poster mentioned, fishing line; we use stakes harvested from the woods of our farm and "offset" 50 lb monofilament fishing line 6-8 feet outside of our electric fencing. This invisible fencing confuses the deer. IF they happen to cross that we have aluminum foil strips folded over much of the electric fencing and smeared with peanut butter. They learn that it's not as attractive as they thought. In addition we obtain unwanted old after shave, perfumes, cologne's and saturate sticks from the woods and toss them inside of the fence disguising the edible plant smells. And, what about rabbits? Some metal black cat silhouette's clearly visible around the parameter and plastic owl replica's perched on top of fence posts work great. Have fun and keep up the experiments. BTW - keep mixing things up, deer are persistent and get used to virtually anything over time; we use pie pans all around our deer hunting stands, the deer get used to the noise and we're far less likely to be noticed if we shift around inside of the deer stand.
Solar electric fence, lots of mending where deer run into it. But they sure do remember the "bite" they got! Marked with strips of white plastic bags, and if there are enough flapping around, it helps keep them from running into the two wires. This does not work to keep pheasants, quail, chickens out, however. Their feathers insulate them too well.
When I got up the other morning, two deer were in my house going through the fridge.
One asked to use my shower
I live in Idaho next to forest land. I solved the deer and elk problem with a 6ft electric fence and 50 mile fencer. Also grounded wire in between live wires makes it when the ground is dry. All the neighborhood deer and elk are trained now. Don't even get close anymore. Keeps dogs and cats out also.The cost of seed and garden products is to high to feed the critters.
The only thing that stops the deer in my yard is a 6 foot high nylon deer fence, the fishing line or the Irish Spring soap did not work. You can buy nylon netting from most big box stores.
I need an 8 foot fence. they can easily jump 6feet here.
I used tall step-in posts and 30-lb test fishing line (440 yards for $8) strung in 5 lines from 6 ft high to 1 ft high. Absolutely no deer activity in my garden.
I’ve heard this works great
Hay string, aka 'Baler Twine', usually made of nylon and virtually indestructible. I've been using various bird scarers on mine but I can see that pie pans might work too. Now, to solve the gopher problem... Sticking Irish Spring soap down the holes certainly helps but they just pop up somewhere else, so now I'm just letting them occupy certain areas, and all my raised beds are on top of 2 layers of half inch square stainless steel mesh.
Interesting. I have had success every year, every garden with a Motion Sensor Water Sprinkler. Got it on Amazon for about $60. But this year I am living off grid without a hose with pressure so I’m looking for other options. Thanks for sharing.
I have a friend who attached fishing line to mousetraps. When the deer hit the line, the trap would snap and that sound scared the deer away. I think he now uses electric fence. It works for deer and bears, but nothing keeps the raccoons, squirrels, and blue jays out of the corn.
It’s not just about the fence.
It’s you and your needs and expectations.
Going full on prep-r ….or just want something pretty?
Food prep isn’t about pretty so get real …this requires more money or vigilance
and then both.
Want pretty …adjust your expectations of pretty…find what you enjoy but deer don’t.
That’s on you.
Hungry deer tempted by their favorite treat will be more persistent and daring.
That’s them, and they are willing to learn - whether you are or not.
There’s no one easy fix …one must figure it out.
It starts with you.
Good luck!
Years ago while growing weed up in the mountains we used something called Tank. We had a friend who worked in a slaughterhouse and he would get us as many 5 gal buckets as we wanted for FREE. Tank is all of the bodily fluids (blood, urine, stomach acids, etc.) of the animals that are being rendered in the facility, they are happy to give it to us because it has to be treated like hazardous waste and they pay $$$ to have it hauled away. We would dig a shallow trench around our crop up in the wilderness and pour this Foul Smelling Sludge into the trench. There are NO Wild Animals in the forest that would cross that line. They smell death and run the other way.
I've seen it called Tankage
Lion poop works too if u live near a zoo
In my experience, living in and near woods, deer get used to anything after a while. I have tried hanging cds, fish line, twine, stinky stuff...and tons of other things. Nothing works except a tall, sturdy fence. Even then, if they can stick their heads under the fence to munch your plants they will.
I also have used human hair on my gardens Just spread it around. Put some up higher on the plants. No problem with deer. I live in a former field. It has worked for 30 years. The deer travel through most days of the week.
I had to finally remove my hostas in my front flowerbed this year. No more free salad at this house, lol..
Unfortunately, we live in an area with an HOA that looks down on fencing in the front yard. I use blood/garlic-filled stations along with growing garlic on the boundaries which has had some success.
Please be careful with the straw. I had just started using straw in my garden and heard people talking about how their Gardens were dying all of a sudden and they didn't know what was going on so one fellow was talking to another and said do you use straw and he said yes he said all I can tell you what your problem is he said they have used Roundup to spray the straw to make it die to turn it into straw and process it😮😮
Thanks for the warning! I actually have a whole video on my channel talking about this. It's a big problem.
Holy cow, this hadn’t even occurred to me…. makes sense though. I’m removing the straw immediately. Just laid it so hopefully it won’t be too bad. 🤬
Yes! Roundup ready crops are fed to cattle,contaminating the manure.
The video was warning people not to use cow manure goat manure or horse manure in your Gardens because they're feeding the animals the straw that has been sprayed with pesticides and then people buy the manure fertilizer for their Gardens and it's killed their Gardens and it destroys the garden dirt for a few years so buy straw that they don't use pesticide on
Not Roundup. Grazon!
it's called "baling twine'....often plastic, also a rough cotton i believe. those are really easy to braid into a rough rope. there is also 'baling wire, but i dont see that much anymore. you can buy a thousand foot role, made to be in the baler, for odd jobs around the house and barn, it's usually about $25 a roll.
I put 3 lines of red surveyors tape around my garden. Two lines 3ft apart in height 3 ft away from garden edge. The other line is 2ft high 1 ft away from garden edge. This staggers the tape so its an illusion to a deer. Worked few years.gotta redo evry year as sun breaks it.
Maybe also the cattle panels keep them from jumping the strings if they do see them because they do not have a safe place to land??
Def worth a try, thanks. trying to think of other items that can clap together or make noise too.
I also heard that deer can`t stand the scent of Irish spring soap ( same here ).. So some folks hang a couple bars upwind of their gardens.
When I first started gardening a few years ago I found rabbits eating some plants. So I put up a half height snow fence around my garden. Problem solved. Now the Rabbits eat my Japanese willow tree ( very much smaller willow). Plus a little off topic, I use small brown paper bags hung in my shed to keep hornets/ wasp away.
How do paper bags keep hornets away?
@@vry3555 Paper bag looks like hornet/wasp nest and deter another nest another nest from forming.
Brown paper bags works works absolut wonderful!!! It was only what works to keep wasps away from making nests on my balcony and shed. I had my little Granddaughter playing there, so I was happy they never came back.
Keeping them out of areas where you'll disturb them is a good idea, but in case you didn't know, paper wasps are wonderful predators for pests in the garden and in my experience are very docile as long as you aren't messing with their nest.
@@AuxhartGardening thank you for the info, about paper wasps being predators for best.
We made a deal with our deer. They can have some things, like a couple apple trees. We fence off everything else. Same with porcupines.
Masons twine is really cheap and comes in fluorescent colors
I’ve got a better story than that one.😂 somebody I know, kept getting his tomato garden, devastated by deer, so he put an electric fence around the tomato garden the type they use to keep cattle in. He used it to keep the deer out and it worked great. He also hung pie pans off of the electric fence with peanut butter on it so when the deer came up to the lick the peanut butter, they got a shock and they did not come back.
first instance was deer decided to eat a ring of bark off our favorite mandarin orange tree, killing it. I now use cattle fencing for now until i can get my bamboo stick fence built. Looks kinda crappy but they have not tried to get in again. Put some reflective silver tape like stuff and weaved it thru the top of the fence so they can see it easier.
Deer eviscerated my hostas and hydrangeas last year!
There must be some hostas they don't like, because they never eat mine. Mine are variegated pale green and dark green stripes...
They love my hydrangea and all my hostas exept the variegated kind
Hosta + Tulips + Roses = Deer Smorgasbord
I have all that stuff! I'll tell my kids and grandkids how to do this! Yes, we have deer around here lots. We have mountain lions, too. 😆😁😎💋💖🎉🌵👵🐺🖖🌵
We live in the suburbs and have herds of deer and hoards of rabbits to deal with. The deer jump over and through everything, including deer netting, fishline, baling twine (that is what you are using here) and 7 foot posts and rabbit fencing. Rabbits chew through the netting, and baby rabbits can squeeze through 1.5" space. I don't see how your fence could possibly work when they can just walk around it!
I lived in a remote area and everyone said i would have deer problems. I collected the fur from brushing my dog and mixed it in with the soil in my garden. They never touched a thing
I have seen deer standing next to very loud propane fired cannons feeding after a while they get used to anything...deer have excellent vision but may be colorblind...their bigger eyes allow more light for better nite vision...no matter what you do deer will eventually overcome any ploy you may try ..they are smarter than they look.😊
I went to a thrift store and bought a couple of white drop sheets, tore the sheets into strips and tied the strips to the plastic wire. No deer come near the garden anymore but the rabbits, raccoons and quail still invade regularly.
I have used plastic fence posts and yellow caution tape. Idk why it works but have not had any deer problems since 2008. My neighbor had his garden destroyed by deer while
Mine remained untouched by deer. I’ve had a bunny get a nibble or two.
I use a similar idea. Instead of twine I use at least 50# clear fishing line or stronger
We use an electric fence. Deer, like cows can sense the fence being on. Once zapped they will not cross them.
You could keep the tinfoil plates in place by using a clothespin on each side of them so they are not at the end of the line on that one night that the deer come to visit and eat.
Deer can hear very well so the scratching pan sounds may scare them, Good idea.
What about a driveway alarm? The monitor is motion sensitive and then that causes an alarm to go off. So…you could keep the alarm in the house or maybe leave it in the garden and the alarm might scare them off. Or a novelty toy that is motion sensitive……
I saw where a guy place one in his trash can to scare a bear off. It was funny to see that bear jump when the noise started.
Just tossing out ideas.
Also….have you watched any videos about electiculture?
You wrap copper around wood and stake the wool in the garden and the currents help the plants grow much faster and bigger.
Yes it's true that deer CAN jump over 6' fences, but they mostly choose not to. Specially in smaller spaces or when they don't have a clear landing spot. I have never personally seen a deer jump a 6' fence just standing there. Maybe they can, but imagine they might need a little space to gather up. Look for deer pellets next to your garden. I have a lot of deer too, but have more issues with rabbits and squirrels digging around. I place chicken wire around my plants which prevents digging and damaging roots.
I use fishing line to tie around the garden. It's practically invisible and when the deer come up against it, it spooks them. I haven't seen any deer in the yard since.