Deer are fun to watch because they are graceful and keen creatures, but if given the opportunity they can eat up your whole vegetable garden in no time at all. Use these 10 proven tips to keep deer out of your garden while still enjoying them on your property. I hope you find these tips helpful and easy to implement.

1. Plant Prickly Plants

Deer are somewhat sensitive creatures and therefore won’t typically make themselves uncomfortable in order to get to the food they want. Place plants that deer don’t particularly like on the outer edges of your garden to detract them from proceeding further in. Cactus would be a good plant to use because deer rarely damage cactus. Shrubs also make a great deer deterrent because they have prickly leaves which deer don’t like.

Whatever prickly plant you choose to use position it so that it is the first thing the deer come to in your garden. If they can reach your other more irresistible plants, then your prickly plant won’t act as a deterrent. If you are unsure if the deer will like your plant or not, just feel the plants leaves. If they are prickly to you then most likely the deer are not going to like the feel of them either.

2. Plant Strong Smelling Plants and Herbs

Not only are deer sensitive to textures, they are also sensitive to smells. By using plants and herbs on the outside edges of your garden that give off strong scents you can deter deer from your garden. You might like to try lemon grass, garlic, onions, lavender, chives, oregano, and mint. The strong smell of these plants and herbs will overpower the good smelling plants that the deer are attracted to and send the deer the other direction.

Even though their primary purpose might be to deter deer from your garden, there are many other uses for them. Dry the herbs and make teas or seasonings for your kitchen. The chives, onions and garlic are also great additions to your meals.

3. Use Dog Urine

Do you have a dog? Well, as much as we’d like to keep our dogs from digging in our garden, it’s a good idea to let them in once in a while and encourage “doing their business” on your plants. I’m talking #1 here. Not #2. Haha! Anyway, the smell of your dogs urine can send a bad signal to the deer in your area. Deer want to stay away from predators and if they smell your dog, even if it’s a small dog like ours is, they will want to stay away.

4. Use Human Urine

And then there’s this! Wow! Are we going crazy? Not really. For the same reasons that dog urine works to deter deer, human urine also works. You could keep a bottle in your bathroom next to your toilet to be filled up and then apply it around your garden. I can see why many people would find this suggestion unattractive though. I myself am a little repulsed at the idea of having a bottle of urine in my bathroom. What would the guests think?!? An easier solution is to have your boys “water the garden” when no one else is around. I’m sure there are other solutions. Let me know how you would handle this.

5. Hang Human Hair

Since we’re already on the subject of humans, why not throw another strange tip out there! Human hair! Deer are reluctant to come into an area where they smell humans. Tie the hair up into little bundles or in little mesh bags and place them in strategic locations. Many people have had success with this method and it doesn’t really take much effort or money to try. If you aren’t accustomed to cutting your hair at home, you could ask at your salon for some clippings. Why not give it a try?

6. Shock Them with Electricity

A method to keep deer out of your garden that is very dependable but also more costly will be to install an electric fence. A Solar Low Impedance Electric Fence Charger like this one costs about $140.00. It works with steel/aluminum, poly wire/poly rope and poly tape fence types. Check out the video below from Josh the Stoney Ridge Farmer. He does a great job showing us his electric fence that he installed around his orchard. He says that no deer got into his orchard that year, but they were standing outside the fence.

If you have a small garden you may not want to take such drastic measures, but for large gardens and orchards using an electric fence might just be the way to go!

7. Startle Them

Deer startle very easily. Their big eyes and ears are always on alert so why not use those features to your advantage! Here are three ways you may choose to startle the deer in your yard and make them think twice about spending any time in your garden.

• Use Reflective Light

My neighbors in Utah had a ton of CDs hanging in their yard. For the longest time I just thought they were a little strange, maybe obsessed with rainbows or something. Then I realized that there was a purpose behind their madness. The sunlight reflected off of those CDs which startled deer and other critters away from their plants and flowers. They weren’t mad after all!

• Use Motion Activated Sprinklers

What’s so cool about this sprinkler is that it uses an infrared sensor and protects your garden 24/7. It seeks animal heat and movement day and night and runs on AA batteries so you can set it up virtually anywhere your deer are more prone to visit. When the sprinkler detects animal heat it will spray out a burst of water for 5 seconds startling them and sending them the other direction! What a great idea!

• Use Motion Activated Lights 

You may already have motion activated lights on your property. If you do, you just need to point them in the direction of your garden. When the deer activate the lights they are typically started by the sudden brightness and turn the other way.

8. Hang Grated Irish Soap Bags

Ok, here’s another tip that you might think is a little out there but it has been used for many years and by a lot of people. All you need to do is buy Irish Spring soap bars and grate them or run them through your food processor using the shredder attachment. Be sure to clean your food processor really well afterwards so that your food doesn’t taste like soap later on.

If you have ever smelled Irish Spring soap then you can agree that it has a very strong smell. The strong smell acts as a deterrent for deer and other critters like rabbits. You just need to sprinkle the shredded soap on top of your soil around your plants. Reapply if you have had a very heavy rain or every 2-3 weeks.

9. Place Netting Over your Plants

One of the easiest things you can do to protect your plants from deer is to throw some light weight netting over them this this stuff. It’s not very expensive and does the job well. You could either use it as fencing and surround your whole garden or individual plants, or secure it over your garden so that deer can’t reach in and munch your plants. This netting is also good for preventing birds from flying into your garden.

10. Make a Scarecrow

The idea of placing scarecrows in your garden to keep deer away has been around for a long time and they are still being used in gardens today because they work! Make your own out of old clothes and stuff it with some straw. Not only will it help keep the deer at bay but, they scarecrows are also just a fun thing to have in your garden. If you have kids, enlist them to help make one. They’ll love it!

If This is Not Working…

If you are at your wits end and can’t figure out why the deer keep getting into your garden, I recommend using a combination of the 10 tips listed in this article. Deer are smart creatures and can get comfortable around certain deterrents if they know there is a a reward nearby.

Don’t give up! I know it can be annoying and disheartening to see your hard work decimated. One morning we came out and found one bite had been nibbled out of each of our melons! Ah! Makes you want to cry.

I’d love to hear what other proven tips you have for keeping deer out of your garden. Please write your suggestions in the comments. Keepsm:)ing! 

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