View Full Version : Gardening, Farming & Deer control
I have lease a plot of land with the intent of growing herb, vegetables, Fingerling Potato's, Beef steak Tomato, radishes, Carrots, Yellow squash, Green onions, Broccoli and wildflowers.
I have no knowledge about turning the earth other than what I've gleamed from the internet, a substantial resource to say the least. I've been told that I'll lose 50% of my garden to the local pets- Deers.
Everyone states there is nothing you can do.This site at Rutgers U. list a number of plants which are deer resistant. http://njaes.rutgers.edu/deerresistance/
Then an old pisano told me to save my piss and go to a barber shop ask them for the hair trimmings; then spread it around the perimeter it will keep the deer away.
I get the marking concept, but was wondering if there were other helpful suggestion that were organic and as effective?
CPTAUSRET
04-30-2011, 12:06
I have lease a plot of land with the intent of growing herb, vegetables, Fingerling Potato's, Beef steak Tomato, radishes, Carrots, Yellow squash, Green onions, Broccoli and wildflowers.
I have no knowledge about turning the earth other than what I've gleamed from the internet, a substantial resource to say the least. I've been told that I'll lose 50% of my garden to the local pets- Deers.
Everyone states there is nothing you can do.This site at Rutgers U. list a number of plants which are deer resistance. http://njaes.rutgers.edu/deerresistance/
Then an old pisano told me to save my piss and go to a barber shop ask them for the hair trimmings; then spread it around the perimeter it will keep the deer away.
I get the marking concept, but was wondering if there were other helpful suggestion that were organic and as effective?
Don't have your answer, but Nancy has a 25x40 ft garden which I fenced. Works well. We have a ton of deer, and have never found a good way to (chemically) deter them.
I've seen some water sprinklers, with motion detectors, that shoot a squirt a water and is supposed to scare them away. I have no first hand knowledge as to it's effectiveness, but we are going to try them after our move.
Pat
ETA: http://www.amazon.com/Contech-Electronics-CRO101-Scarecrow-Motion-Activated/dp/B000071NUS
This is just one example. One I've seen has a water reservoir so it doesn't need to be attached to a hose.
SLVGW360
04-30-2011, 12:35
I deal with situations like this for a living and your best bet is to fence the perimeter. There are some commericially available deer fences that are black poly mesh and 6-8 feet tall. I have one at my home and the mule deer stay out which protects the trees and berry bushes we have in our yard. There are some commercial blood and egg based chemicals that are showing some promise for large scale application, but are expensive and must be applied multiple times. The nice thing about the type of fencing I have described above is that it is relatively inexpensive, is more durable than it appears and is almost invisible if your worried about aesthetics. It can be ordered from several of the larger gardening suppliers.
Our's has lasted for 7 years now.
Good luck,
RB
Thank you all for the feed back. I was hoping not to fence, but it appears that is the only way to keep the deer out.
Thank you all for the feed back. I was hoping not to fence, but it appears that is the only way to keep the deer out.
Faced the same problem last year, and I used "Liquid Fence" deer and rabbit repellent last year and they stayed away in herds. 15 bucks, and I still have a third of the container left. It's guaranteed .
Then an old pisano told me to save my piss and go to a barber shop ask them for the hair trimmings; then spread it around the perimeter it will keep the deer away.
I get the marking concept, but was wondering if there were other helpful suggestion that were organic and as effective?
My barber has a customer who does the same (with the hair) and has had excellent success with it for a few decades. Unfortunately I don't know how/where and how often he applies it. He wards off mostly whitetail and some mule deer on the on the edge of town (along the Snake River, central Idaho). I'm sure the fellow you talked to can provide details.
Good luck!
Team Sergeant
04-30-2011, 16:58
Faced the same problem last year, and I used "Liquid Fence" deer and rabbit repellent last year and they stayed away in herds. 15 bucks, and I still have a third of the container left. It's guaranteed .
I looked this up on the internet, it said the active ingredient was " nancy pelosi's used bath water". Use with caution.
dadof18x'er
04-30-2011, 18:29
Thank you all for the feed back. I was hoping not to fence, but it appears that is the only way to keep the deer out.
save a gallon of your tinkle each day and pour it around your perimeter each
evening, works for my lettuce patch. If they persist kill them and use them with
your fingerling potatoes. :D
mark46th
04-30-2011, 19:57
Good one, TS!!
SLVGW360
04-30-2011, 21:52
Liquid Fence is one of the repellents that does work. If you can find it in smaller quantities at a price you are willing to pay, I would say go for it. The other is a blood based pelletized repellent of which I don't know that name. If you would be interested in Liquid Fence from the standpoint of quantity and cost, I could check with our game damage specialist who has done the background work and trials with it since it will be in the same category. The specialist and I discussed this about 2 months ago and he told me the pelletized repellent would likely work best in a garden type situation.
Otherwise, use the bath water!!!!!:)
RB
save a gallon of your tinkle each day and pour it around your perimeter each evening, works for my lettuce patch.
Dad, we've used this at the horse farm to keep skunks out of the barn, but didn't know it worked on deer. The raccoons, coyotes, feral hogs, possums and armadillos don't seem to respect human urine, but I know it works for skunks.
And we, um, don't use mine. Apparently the wildlife only respects male human urine. Or so I'm told.....
Will try the Liquid Fence. Thanks for the headsup, Dusty.
TS, that was a good one! :D
I'm up in an area heavily populated with deer. My experiences have been that liquid fence, coyote urine, and human urine have poor results in keeping deer from browsing gardens.
Sprinklers, dogs in the area, and other less-than-lethal means of hazing are not overly effective around here.
In my area, tall fencing is the only truly effective means of protecting a garden.
8 foot tall fencing seem to keep out lazy deer that have good food sources elsewhere nearby. If the deer are hungry, 8 foot fencing is not going to get the job done. Most deer here can clear that without much problem if they want to.
10 foot tall fencing is starting to get to where you need to be and will work pretty well but is not 100% effective.
Around here, you need 12 foot tall fencing at a minimum for successful, reliable exclusion. The deer are amazing at their intrusion skills when they really want to get to food.
The nice thing about fencing is once it is up, your deer exclusion work is done, unlike the chemical deterrents. You don't need to hurry out to your garden after each rainstorm to reapply your fence.
AXE, I particularly want to thank you for posting a reply; with 55 posts over the 6+ years that was a bit chatty for you, so thanks for taking the time.
SLVGW360
05-01-2011, 08:44
Axe is correct.
Eight foot tall fences don't always get it done. I have personally witnessed a run of the mill mule deer clear 8 ft. without a running start. I couldn't believe how easily this doe did it.
However, there are a few factors that influence whether or not they'll bother. One is what benefit is realized from getting to the other side. If the fence is leaning or not and if there is a slope that will influence their ability to get over; among others. Some deer will climb their way over if they don't clear the top and get somewhat hung up on the fence. Given all that it is still the most effective means of protecting your resources.
I don't know what laws are in place in your locale, but it would always be a good idea to consult with you local wildlife agency representative. Here in Colorado the State is not responsible for damage to gardens, but we will help people work through solutions. If the problem is significant, we might issue some game damage prevention materials (pyrotechnics or rubber buckshot) to help resolve the situation. I would strongly discourage any such measures without first checking with you agency and getting approval to do so.
Here our wildlife officers are multi-purpose employees and are all required to have at least a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife biology or a very closely related field before being hired and sent to police academy to be POST certified officers. We are responsible for all law enforcement, wildlife management, information/education and customer services. Many states have single purpose wildlife officers who are LE only and have little or knowledge of the biological aspects.
Good luck,
RB
Penn,
Have you considered an electric fence? I considered installing one around my garden, but for smaller plots it's not very cost effective.
Gallagher claims to have good success protecting deer food plots. For more information:
Link (http://www.gallagherusa.com/wildlife/foodlot.protector.aspx)
AXE, I particularly want to thank you for posting a reply; with 55 posts over the 6+ years that was a bit chatty for you, so thanks for taking the time.
LOL, Glad to lend my .02.
It is rare that there aren't several people who know far more than me about any given subject under discussion, so I generally end up just reading. I like to avoid sticking my foot in my mouth whenever possible.:D
SLVGW360
05-01-2011, 11:00
Penn,
Have you considered an electric fence? I considered installing one around my garden, but for smaller plots it's not very cost effective.
Gallagher claims to have good success protecting deer food plots. For more information:
Link (http://www.gallagherusa.com/wildlife/foodlot.protector.aspx)
Electric fencing can work. I have not had much experience using it for deer. Used properly it can be very effective for bear and mountain lion.
Nebraska has done a great job compiling damage mitigation measures for various wildlife species. This link (http://icwdm.org/handbook/index.aspx) will take you to a manual that has been quite helpful for me. The mother website has changed significantly since I last visited it, but the manual appears to be very similar, if not the same. One measure I know of and I don't recall where I heard or read is that to train deer to the fence one should wrap small rectangles of aluminum foil around a hot wire and then coat it with peanut butter. I've not seen it myself, but would imagine the it would "learn 'em purdy good".
Take care,
RB
Monthly we spend $40per/wk on herbs, $500/wk on the produce I listed earlier, plus another 200+/- on things like peeled garlic, oranges. apples etc.
To date I've spent $223 on herbs, tomato, carrot, squash and other plants; that if I can bring to fruition, will save me several thousand, plus pay for the portable solar fence in one season.
Also, if I understand my rotation correctly, I'll have two harvest. The first around the middle of July and the second in late September.
I know there are many members here with farming experience. If you have the time please share your hard fought knowledge with us. In appreciation that you will, I want to thank you in advance for your time and consideration.
dadof18x'er
05-01-2011, 16:09
Monthly we spend $40per/wk on herbs, $500/wk on the produce I listed earlier, plus another 200+/- on things like peeled garlic, oranges. apples etc.
To date I've spent $223 on herbs, tomato, carrot, squash and other plants; that if I can bring to fruition, will save me several thousand, plus pay for the portable solar fence in one season.
Also, if I understand my rotation correctly, I'll have two harvest. The first around the middle of July and the second in late September.
I know there are many members here with farming experience. If you have the time please share your hard fought knowledge with us. In appreciation that you will, I want to thank you in advance for your time and consideration.
In Missouri critters are only a minor annoyance compared to weeds, insects, and diseases. Do you have access to mulch for weed control? Are you using chemicals
or organic? Weeding takes ALOT of time. I have found a ton of advice on youtube, such as composting. good luck!
Dad, tx.
We are organic, as for weeding, I have a few employees that need to stay employed so weeding isn't an issue. I am constructing elevated beds.
I know there are many members here with farming experience. If you have the time please share your hard fought knowledge with us. In appreciation that you will, I want to thank you in advance for your time and consideration.
Penn, I think your gardening idea is great. There's nothing better than fresh-from-the-garden produce.
We've had great success using the Mittleider Method (http://foodforeveryone.org/vegetable_gardening/20/what-is-the-mittleider-method) for growing crops. We plant in raised beds and use Mittleider's "recipe" for adding organic nutrients to the soil. Our plants are large and vigorous producers - we get a lot out of a small space. I highly recommend it.
The nutrient recipe might be in the free ebook, available at the website (link above). If not, and you're interested in the recipe, I'll see if I can dig it up. (No pun intended. :) )
Susan
LibraryLady
05-13-2011, 14:24
Though I haven't used it myself, I saw a very successful application of fencing, both to cut down deer depredations and to maximize growing space. Two 5 foot fences separated by a 5 foot space. Use the internal fencing to elevate your vine producers and for beans, peas and such like.
I AM planning on using this if I'm in a place where I need it.
LL
dadof18x'er
07-03-2011, 11:51
I have lease a plot of land with the intent of growing herb, vegetables, Fingerling Potato's, Beef steak Tomato, radishes, Carrots, Yellow squash, Green onions, Broccoli and wildflowers.
I have no knowledge about turning the earth other than what I've gleamed from the internet, a substantial resource to say the least. I've been told that I'll lose 50% of my garden to the local pets- Deers.
Everyone states there is nothing you can do.This site at Rutgers U. list a number of plants which are deer resistant. http://njaes.rutgers.edu/deerresistance/
Then an old pisano told me to save my piss and go to a barber shop ask them for the hair trimmings; then spread it around the perimeter it will keep the deer away.
I get the marking concept, but was wondering if there were other helpful suggestion that were organic and as effective?
how's the critter war going? I'm happy to report that my garden is incident free so far using the human urine method. Now if I could beat the tomato diseases.
I'll let you know if the cornmeal gluten method works or not.
What the growers use here are deer fences, they are about 8 foot high. Grape growers use them too.
This is from the OSU extension service:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/ec/ec1557.pdf
Buffalobob
07-04-2011, 11:12
An interesting article on modern tomatoes
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/28/137371975/how-industrial-farming-destroyed-the-tasty-tomato&sc=nl&cc=es-20110703