Nature seems to be busting out all over this time of year, not only with flora, but fauna as well. I was over at my parents’ house for Memorial Day and, while looking up on the hillside, witnessed a Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom style smack-down between a hawk and a little woodland creature who undoubtedly met his maker that afternoon. My mom has all of her citrus trees covered with strawberry netting in order to fend off the squirrels who have taken it upon themselves to ravage every piece of fruit on every fruit tree in their backyard. I guess that’s what happens when humans invade places where only animals once dwelt. There is a delicate balance on this planet, and as gardenerds, we do our best to strike a deal with critters and crawlers in order to keep our gardens happy and healthy.
A gardenerd recently wrote in: I know our biggest challenge is the old nightmare – deer. Sigh. Last year they didn’t touch the garden until everything was about 8 inches tall, then they leveled it down to .08 inches tall! It was a sad day.
I have several suggestions for your deer problem. Click on the links below to find out more information about each of them. Depending on your terrain, one of these options might work for you:
Deer No No – Both this and the item listed below carry a non-toxic deer repellent that are supposed to scare away deer.
Deer Fortress
Deer Fencing- If you have a relatively small space that you can enclose with deer fencing, this is your best bet.
One other option is to make a spray of pureed chili peppers that you can apply around your garden on a regular basis. The capsaicin present in hot peppers is what gives chiles their heat. It’s a natural irritant that deer and other critters (like squirrels) don’t appreciate. You can make this in your blender at home with water and a handful of peppers. Strain it and transfer to a spray bottle. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling peppers.
Give these a try and let me know what happens. Does anyone else have experience with fending off woodland creatures? Let us know!
