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Munch, Munch, Munch

March 14th, 2018

The last two years have been great for acorns in our area of Maine, which translates to a large deer and turkey population. While deer are beautiful creatures, they’re also destructive to a garden. This winter has been particularly rough. Almost every shrub and tree in my gardens have been browsed heavily.

They hydrangeas were hit especially hard, I doubt there will be any blooms this coming summer. Now I have to take extra care to protect plants. Next fall you’ll find me wrapping things with burlap, adding fencing around the garden, and probably spraying some things with hot pepper oil to keep them safe from browsing deer.

Do you have issues with deer in your garden? What’s your preferred method of dealing with their winter browsing?

4 Comments to “Munch, Munch, Munch”
  1. joan on March 14, 2018 at 7:12 am

    Since I don’t have many landscaping plants, most of my browsing is on young apple trees, and on overwintered carrots and parsnips as they begin to poke their tiny leaves up through the soil.

    Once this snow melts we should soon begin seeing garlic peeking through the straw. I can’t wait!

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  2. Nebraska Dave on March 14, 2018 at 12:38 pm

    Susy, yes, Terra Nova Gardens has big time deer issues. My solution was a 6-foot High wooden fence. Yes, a deer can jump a 6-foot fence but they don’t jump a fence if they can’t see what’s on the other side. They are indeed a beautiful animal but as you say very destructive. I think I even saw deer tracks in my front yard this last snow.

    Have a great spring day in Maine. I was wondering if you got any of those northeasterners storms?

    Nebraska Dave

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  3. Nebraska Dave on March 14, 2018 at 12:38 pm

    Susy, yes, Terra Nova Gardens has big time deer issues. My solution was a 6-foot High wooden fence. Yes, a deer can jump a 6-foot fence but they don’t jump a fence if they can’t see what’s on the other side. They are indeed a beautiful animal but as you say very destructive. I think I even saw deer tracks in my front yard this last snow.

    Have a great spring day in Maine. I was wondering if you got any of those northeasterners storms?

    Nebraska Dave

    Reply to Nebraska Dave's comment

  4. Chris on March 14, 2018 at 2:55 pm

    Yes, like you, we live in a very wooded area so the deer are plentiful and seem to know where all the goodies are to munch on. In the main part of our garden, we use a motion activated scarecrow that shoots out a heavy blast of water…I know it works because it’s gotten me a few times! :)
    Stringing fishing line about 4 ft. off the ground works well too…they can’t see it but when they bump into, they back off!
    I also have a very effective spray that they don’t like either…although the rabbits don’t seem to mind it much!

    Reply to Chris's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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