Plan Your Vegetable Garden to Prevent Deer Damage

Planting your own vegetable garden can be a very joyful and rewarding experience. Homegrown vegetables, especially those safe from chemicals and pesticides that are often used for mass vegetable production, are chock full of amazing nutrients. Not only are homegrown vegetables good for you, but they often taste better, and they are less expensive to grow than to purchase in the produce aisle at your local grocery store.

Unfortunately, planting your own vegetable garden can come with challenges, especially from deer and other pesky outdoor animals that also want to enjoy your fresh vegetables. Thankfully, there are methods that you can take to naturally deter deer and others so that your vegetable garden can grow without hindrance.

Location, location, location

When designing your vegetable garden, if you have the ability to be selective in where the garden is located, it is important to think about accessibility. One of the best ways to keep deer out of your garden is through installing a garden fence around the perimeter. There are a variety of lovely fences available on the market to ensure that the fence is a complement to the look of your garden and not a detractor. If you have the ability to install a garden fence, this should be included in your design.

Another option is to plant your garden as close to your house as possible. Deer are skittish creatures and will usually avoid getting too close to your home. However, placement near your home is often not practical unless your home is positioned in a way that the home will not provide shade for the majority of the day. Your vegetables need an abundance of sun to grow big and strong.

Plants that can deter deer away from your garden

There are a variety of plants that can be planted around the perimeter of your garden, which will provide a natural barrier. These plants are a great option whether or not you have a fence. If you are able to fence around your garden, these plants will provide a lovely focal point in front of the fence, and if there is no fence, these plants will serve as a fenceless guard. Great options for planting around the perimeter of your garden are fuzzy lamb's ear, barberries, and cleome. Deer are often repelled by textures, and these can be effective options. However, make sure that the presence of these plants will not make it difficult for you to effectively work in your garden.

Chives, thyme, garlic, and oleander are must-haves to plant within your garden itself. Deer are repelled by pungent aromas and so planting these are a great strategy and are often popular items that you will want to plant anyway. Placement is key here though, so make sure you strategically plant these items around the vegetables that are more appetizing to deer, such as aromatic vegetables. These can include sweet corn, tomatoes, pumpkins, green beans, carrots, peas, broccoli, lettuce and greens.

To maximize your garden, plant onions around the perimeter. If you have a fenced garden, the onions should be placed around the perimeter inside the fence. If no fence, the onions should be planted inside of the aforementioned plants, which will provide a layered approach starting with the textures that the deer don’t like, and then the aromas that they don’t like. This provides you with two of three tiers that the deer need to get through before they get to those tasty treats. As an added precaution, you can install hoop tunnels to protect those low-lying crops in the center of your garden, such as broccoli, lettuce, and carrots. These tunnels can also help to deter rabbits that can more easily make their way through those fences and prickly plants.