We tried lavender too, but our deer must've missed the memo—ate it like a salad bar. Honestly, best budget deterrent for us was a cheap wind chime...guess they're picky eaters who prefer silence with dinner?
Interesting about the wind chime...but honestly, I'm skeptical. Deer around here seem totally unfazed by noise. We tried hanging CDs (remember those?) thinking the reflections would scare them off—nope, they just admired themselves while munching away. Maybe your deer are just more refined diners? Anyway, I've heard good things about Irish Spring soap shavings scattered around plants. Cheap enough to test out, and bonus: your garden smells fresh after rain.
"We tried hanging CDs (remember those?) thinking the reflections would scare them off—nope, they just admired themselves while munching away."
Haha, now that's an image! Honestly, deer seem to adapt pretty quickly to our little tricks. I've heard about the soap thing too, but never thought it'd actually work. Curious though—doesn't the soap just wash away after a good rain? Or do you have to keep reapplying it every few days? Seems like it could get tedious, even if it smells nice...
"Haha, now that's an image! Honestly, deer seem to adapt pretty quickly to our little tricks."
Yeah, deer are way smarter (or maybe just more stubborn) than most people give them credit for. I've tried just about every DIY trick out there—soap bars, human hair clippings, even garlic spray. The soap actually holds up better than you'd think, especially if you hang it in mesh bags, but after a few heavy rains, you've gotta reapply. It gets old fast.
One thing that surprisingly worked for me was planting certain shrubs and flowers deer naturally avoid—stuff like lavender, boxwood, or daffodils. Doesn't always look exactly how you'd planned your landscaping, but at least you won't wake up to a garden massacre every morning. Has anyone tried fencing just a smaller portion of land temporarily until you're ready to build? Wondering if that's worth the effort and cost...
Temporary fencing can actually be pretty cost-effective if you do it right. I had a client who fenced off just their veggie garden area with simple T-posts and deer netting—worked surprisingly well, and didn't break the bank. Worth a shot, at least until you're ready to build.
