Deer Resistant Vegetables (2024)

FAQs

What vegetables are not eaten by deer? ›

Deer usually avoid root vegetables (which they have to dig up), and prickly vegetables such as cucumbers and squashes with hairy leaves. Sharply-odoured plants like onions, garlic and fennel are not palatable to deer.

Deer resistant vegetables in the nightshade family include tomatoes and tomatillos, potatoes, eggplant, and some peppers. Other plants toxic to deer : Rhubarb and cucumber leaf are toxic to deer. Many otherwise toxic plants do not harm deer because they are ruminants.

This means that almost any herb is 'safe' and won't be grazed. This includes plants you might not think of as herbs, including annual geraniums, scented geraniums, Artemisias, and some perennials related to the mint family. All Alliums, including garlic, chives, scallions, and onions, repel deer.

Fruits and Vegetables Deer Love

If you grow beets, cabbage, apples, berries, beans or broccoli in your garden, deer will want to stay and feast. Deer also love lettuce, leafy greens, pears, spinach, turnip, cauliflower, carrot tops, kohlrabi, peas, strawberries, plums, sweet potatoes and sweetcorn.

Some smells that deer react negatively to include eggs, garlic, cloves, and mint. They're also driven away if they smell danger, so using predator scents, such as wolf urine, may work.

All varieties of marigolds are a turnoff for deer because of their strong, pungent scent. However, signet marigolds (pictured) have a lighter citrusy smell and flavor, making them popular for culinary use. Learn more about growing marigolds.

Fruit & Vegetables. Although deer will eat apples, carrots, cabbage, etc., their use is not recommended. They are like candy to a child tasty but of little value in providing a well-balanced and nutritious diet.

Deer love tomatoes, but other plants in your garden might also be at risk. Other favorites of the deer are the Swiss chard, strawberries, sweet corn, raspberries, and some varieties of beans.

Build a Barrier

"Because deer that are really interested in entering the garden can jump fences up to eight feet high, woven wire fencing at this height stands out as the most effective deer barrier, often lasting more than 20 years." Smaller fences—like electric fence garden kits—netting, and tree tubes can also help.

What is the deer's favorite food? ›

Deer will primarily eat browse (woody portion of leaves and stems), forbs (broad-leaved plants), mast (acorns, apples, etc), and grass. Although these are the main foods deer like to eat, the quantity of these different foods differ throughout the year and the region you are hunting.

Deer have a strong sense of smell, which means that the bitter smell of coffee grounds can be used to keep deer away from your property. However, there is no scientific evidence to prove that coffee grounds repel deer, but ground coffee does exude a bitter odor that can support deterring deer nearby your home.

Mint is also a good choice for a deer-resistant herb garden. The strong scent of mint is off-putting to deer, who will avoid eating plants that smell strongly of mint. In addition, the leaves of mint plants are usually quite fuzzy, which can also deter deer from taking a bite.

Deer love soybeans, but no single crop can meet all of a deer's year-round needs. Diversity is best, both in your food-plot options and in natural forages that occur outside food plots. Overall, this means that there is no magic crop that will always best meet your deer's needs throughout the year.

Deer are attracted to the smell of soil as is, but if you want to up the attraction factor, pour some buck or doe urine, or scrape starter into it. This will create an exceptional trail camera site, as bucks will continue to check the scrape every time they pass by or are in the area.

Do deer eat celery? Yes, they do. Deer will eat your celery plants to the ground if you let them. Therefore, you need to invest in the right deer deterrent methods to keep them out.

As neophobes, deer fear new, unfamiliar objects. Though they aren't always attractive, scarecrows, sundials, and other garden ornaments—especially those with movable parts—make deer skittish. Use them in combination with wind chimes or bright lights to keep deer out of your yard.

Sprinkle Soap

It may seem silly, but sprinkling soap is a tried and true method of deterring deer from entering and destroying your garden. Cut Irish Spring Original soap into cubes, and place the pieces into the ground around newly growing plants.

Deer repellents are most often made from putrified eggs, dried blood, garlic, or soaps. Several studies, including this one, have found that egg-based products are the most effective. These include Deer Away, Bobbex, and Liquid Fence. I've used all of these and have had good results.

Fencing, the construction of a barrier between the crop and the deer, is the most effective long-term solution to deer damage. The basics of fencing apply to both electric and non-electric fencing. It is important to understand that deer can easily jump a fence 10 feet high, but much prefer not to.

What repels deer from plants naturally? ›

Essential Oil Deer Repellent

Add 6 drops of peppermint essential oil and 4 drops of rosemary essential oil to the spray bottle with the vinegar. Tightly close the spray bottle lid and shake to mix the contents together. Spray this mixture onto plants, refraining from spraying anything you plan to eat.

The most popular deterrents are bars of deodorant soap. Simply take several bars of soap, punch a hole in each one, and use twine to hang the bars of soap from the trees and fencing around your garden. Deer will smell the soap and steer clear of your crops.

According to an article in Hunting Lease Magazine by Ben. H. Koerth, human urine does not frighten deer.

The deer-resistant herbs with these high ratings include basil, Greek oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme. Deer keep their distance from these delicious herbs because of the plant's strong-smelling essential oils or the foliage's intense aroma.

1: Plantain Lily (Hosta spp.)

Plantain lily is a perennial with lovely green broad, oval, soft and juicy leaves and in fact it's one of deer's favorite meals!

Deer adore fruits and nuts. They love pecans, hickory nuts and beechnuts acorns in addition to acorns. A couple of favorite fruits are apples, blueberries, blackberries and persimmons.

The quick answer is, “anywhere they want.” Deer sleep anywhere they bed and may do so singly or in groups. However, during daylight it's far more common for deer to sleep in heavy cover where they feel secure.

Yes, deer can eat apples whole. Of course, that makes it a bit of a mission so if you have a chance cut them at least in half, they'll appreciate that.

Plant Heavily Scented Herbs and Flowers

Herbs like lavender, chives, mint, and marigold are all great options. These pungent plants work in two ways. Deer will avoid walking through heavily scented plants, as they pick up the smell on their fur and are more noticeable.

Yes, garlic is a natural way to deter deer from your gardens. You can purchase them in bulbs and plants around your vegetable plants. Ensure you buy the organic variants. Once your garlic starts growing, you can replant whatever you don't eat or let it seed so you can store it up for next spring.

Will Dawn dish soap keep deer away? ›

Dawn dish soap is an inexpensive solution that will help repel deer from your yard. You can make a simple mixture using, 1-2 tbsp of dawn, 1 gallon of water and a sprayer.

When food is scarce, deer eat just about anything, including prickly-stemmed okra and hot peppers.

Yes, they do. Deer love zucchini just like everyone else – human and animal alike.

Some not-so-awful smells that keep deer away include mint oils (often combined with pepper and garlic), cloves and cinnamon, and citrus.

Scare Tactics

Try to frighten nuisance deer using motion-activated lights, loud noises or whistles, or scarecrows. Just be sure to keep your neighbors in mind.

A wide variety of fruits and vegetables – including apples, grapes, cherries, pears, carrots, and snap peas – are eaten in nature by deer. Therefore, it is safe to feed deer these fruits. Acorns are another safe food source.

Food Plots

From larger plots of forage soybeans covering 10 or more acres, to small parcels of broken tree canopy planted to brassica; various crops including corn, milo, turnips, peas, clover, and alfalfa will attract and keep deer. One of the surest ways to attract deer is through their stomach.

In truth, Epsom salt can be used to deter deer from your property. Deer have a strong sense of smell, and the scent of Epsom salt irritates them. To deter deer with Epsom salt, sprinkle or spray an Epsom salt solution in areas where you want to keep deer out.

Does apple cider vinegar deter deer? ›

Keep pests out

Simply soak some old rags in apple cider vinegar and leave them around your garden. Pests like raccoons, rabbits, moles, rodents and deer hate the smell, so they'll turn the other way.

Lemon Balm: Repels deer. Deer resistant garden, Deer resistant plants, Garden pests.

Oregano (Origanum vulgare) A widely used culinary herb that deer will not eat, oregano is a perennial growing 1 to 2 feet tall and hardy through zone 5. It needs full sun and dry conditions. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) Rosemary is another drought loving Mediterranean herbs with a strong scent.

As ruminants, deer have a specific blend of microbes in their stomach that break down their naturally high-fiber diet. Large amounts of carbohydrate-rich, low fiber foods like deer corn can disrupt this microbiome — leading to bouts of severe diarrhea and dehydration that could be deadly.

Deer will primarily eat browse (woody portion of leaves and stems), forbs (broad-leaved plants), mast (acorns, apples, etc), and grass. Although these are the main foods deer like to eat, the quantity of these different foods differ throughout the year and the region you are hunting.

People are tempted to help these lovely animals survive by feeding them. Carrots have proved to be among one of the best vegetables to feed these deer with. They contain vital nutrients such as beta carotene, fiber, vitamin K1, Potassium, and antioxidants.

Nuts are the most preferred foods for deer. They eat acorns, beechnuts, hickory nuts and pecans. Acorns are the fruit that falls from oak trees. The deer prefer acorns that come from white oak trees to those that fall from red oaks.

The quick answer is, “anywhere they want.” Deer sleep anywhere they bed and may do so singly or in groups. However, during daylight it's far more common for deer to sleep in heavy cover where they feel secure.

When should I put corn out for deer? ›

Early spring to mid spring is a good rule of thumb to start your spring deer feeding program. This roughly coincides as food plots will start being planted.

Deer are attracted to the smell of soil as is, but if you want to up the attraction factor, pour some buck or doe urine, or scrape starter into it. This will create an exceptional trail camera site, as bucks will continue to check the scrape every time they pass by or are in the area.

Many people put out vegetable trimmings discarded by supermarkets. Comprising of celery, cabbage, lettuce trimmings, old fruit, or other waste, these foods are deer killers if deer have to rely solely on them for their survival.

What Other Plants Do Deer Eat? Deer love tomatoes, but other plants in your garden might also be at risk. Other favorites of the deer are the Swiss chard, strawberries, sweet corn, raspberries, and some varieties of beans.

Do deer eat celery? Yes, they do. Deer will eat your celery plants to the ground if you let them.