How to Deer Proof Your Vegetable Garden

Overview

Growing your own vegetables is rewarding, and can save you a lot of money at the grocery store. Unfortunately, a vegetable garden can be a big temptation to a deer. If your garden is not protected from deer, you are going to wake up one morning to find that half of your vegetables have been gobbled up. All of your hard work will have gone down the drain. You must take action to keep the deer out of your vegetable garden.

Step 1

Install a fence. Fencing will keep deer out of a vegetable garden if the fence is the right height. When a deer is hungry, it can jump pretty high. Seven to 8 feet high is ideal. Also, make sure your fence doesn't have any room at the bottom for the deer to crawl through.

Step 2

Plant flowers around your yard that deer are not attracted to. English lavender and Lenten rose are two good flowers to start off with. Then you can add Jacob's ladder, or some irises. Of course, when deer are starving, they will eat anything, but sticking to plants that are not preferred by deer will keep the majority of them away.

Step 3

Place a pile of human or dog hair in a nylon stocking and hang it around your vegetable garden. Using unwashed hair will work better because the natural scents will be intact. You can always ask a salon or pet groomer to set hair aside for you.

Step 4

Create a repellent spray. Mix the cayenne pepper, hot sauce, water and vegetable oil together. Pour some into an empty spray bottle. Spray your vegetables and surrounding plants with this mixture. The deer will not like the smell and will stay far away. You must reapply this after each rainfall.

Step 5

Set moth balls around the perimeter of your yard. This will keep the deer from stepping foot on your property. Just make sure that you do not put the moth balls in your vegetable garden because they are poisonous. Setting them around the perimeter of your yard is much safer and just as effective.