How to Keep Deer Out of Gardens

Most hungry deer will look at your garden as a veritable buffet. In just one short night of grazing, your prized fruits and vegetables -- and maybe prized shrubs and trees -- can be seriously damaged or wiped out. You do not, however, have to resort to inhumane measures in order to protect your plants. You also should not have to give up planting a garden for fear of it being destroyed. With some planning and a bit of extra work, you can prevent your garden from ending up in the belly of a beast.

• 1

  Concoct a solution comprised of 20 percent egg yolk (beaten) and 80 percent water. Mix the egg yolks and water thoroughly, dump the solution into a spray bottle and then spray it around the edge of your garden and even on directly on plants. This serves as an effective repellent -- once the eggs start to rot, producing a stench deer intensely dislike. Be sure to wash any fruits or vegetables before consuming. Reapply the mixture every month, or more frequently during rainy periods.

• 2

  Hang perfumed soaps around the perimeter of the garden. Simply attach pieces of string to the soaps and suspend them from nearby trees or bushes. The strong aroma will help deter any hungry deer in the area.

• 3

  Grow plants in your garden that deer find distasteful. You'll want to position these plants around the outer perimeter, keeping your most precious or susceptible fruits and/or vegetables close to the house or otherwise inside the garden. Better yet, landscape entirely with deer-resistant plants. Daffodils, lavender, black-eyed susans, thyme, juniper, hawthorn and Douglas fir are a few of the most common plants that deer generally do not enjoy eating.

• 4

  Construct a fence around the garden. Purchase some tall posts -- to stand at least 8 feet high, once in place -- and drive them into the ground around the garden. Then fasten your choice of fencing material between the posts. Black mesh is one inexpensive option. Deer can jump approximately 12 feet high even without a running start, so your fence must be high enough to deter them. Due to the cost and work involved, a fence might be a last resort.