Garden Guru Offers Advice To Deer-Proof Your Yard

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Ask a gardener, and they will tell you that deer seem to be anywhere these days.

"They are coming into the areas that have never been affected by the deer before," says Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Garden Contributor Doug Oster. "That is what people are seeing is the deer coming in closer to the house, and they will eat just about anything."

With the arrival of spring, the deer pressure has lessened, and Oster says much of the damage has already been done.

"They are forced out of the forest -- there's nothing to eat. Our stuff is often the first stuff to come up -- especially something like hostas, their favorite food. That's a nice soft green. They love it -- and boom, the hostas gone."

Here are three things to do to keep the deer away from your garden.

"The most important thing to do with deer is some kind of physical barrier." Oster says. "You might not be able to fence your entire property, but you can fence off certain plants that you see that they love."

Fencing your whole property is not feasible, and even if it were possible, it would be very costly. Remember, the fence doesn't have to be a 10-foot high fence. You can use something smaller.

Oster is a firm believer in using something to cover your favorite plants.

"In some cases, I might just put some stakes up, but I can also use deer netting and just put it around the plant, over the plant. You know, it almost becomes invisible -- at least until the plant gets going and the deer can't destroy the whole thing," Oster says.

Deer netting is inexpensive, the deer are afraid they may bet tangled in it. The plastic netting is almost indestructible and can be used year after year.

Oster has another low-cost method for fencing your garden. It starts with posts that are sunk in the ground and are approximately 6-feet high.

A trip to the sporting goods store for fishing line does the trick.

"Fifty-pound monofiliment fishing line is what I use to string between the posts. Then, I use curling ribbon I found at the craft store. I was looking for something called birdtape, but the curling ribbon works great. It is cheap, and the wind blows it so there is some motion in it, so it is shiny so they can see it," Oster says.

Even if the deer manage to get to your plants, there are ways to discourage them from grazing on your plants. Using a deer spray is very effective.

"Most of these deterrents are naturally based and most of them smell bad -- and so most of the deer come up to and they are like, 'Ugh, no way. That smells terrible,'" Oster says.

Oster suggests rotating two or three products to keep the deer from becoming used to just one smell.

If you can't keep the deer out of your garden and don't have any luck with the deer deterrent sprays, you need to learn what deer like to eat.

"There is nothing we cannot say that deer will not eat. We can say things they don't prefer. Daffodils are one of the things we are almost sure they will never take, but on the opposite end, tulips are their favorite food," Oster says.

Viburnum is a pretty flowering bush deer tend to leave alone. Oster encourages gardeners to substitute for some of your favorites in an effort to deer-proof your garden.

"I've switched most of my plantings to daffodils," says Oster. "I grow some tulips, but they are behind the fence, and that's the only way I can get tulips to bloom."

And Oster says there is actually one more thing that often works.

"Maybe a fast dog who doesn't like deer," Oster says.

Happy gardening.

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