Living here 16 years I have had very little damage to my gardens by deer. Even with only a 30" high fence around the one next to the driveway, it wasn't bothered. But last month I decided to take my 2 dogs on a 2 week trip to Massachusetts to visit my sisters and my best friend. In that time I was away, approximately 18 days, at least one deer decided veggies are tasty.
Since I have been home I fertilized the remnants and have been watering every day as it is extremely hot and dry here. Hal did water a couple times while I was gone which allowed things to survive, but he is not as good a deer deterrent as my dogs apparently are.
There will be no snow peas this year. What should have been 4-6 foot high plants are now about 6 inches tall, all the leaves and even vines eaten. The green beans, which were eaten down to stems are regrowing leaves. So are the zucchini, the 3 hills that I have left out of 6 anyway. Forget about the cucumbers, there is one that must have sprouted late and made it through the devastation but it is barely a week old.
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| Green beans with a week's new growth |
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| Zucchini plants with new leaves and many stems |
And apparently my veggie garden which is outside the dogs' electric fence and not visible from the house was not the only place the deer visited. Yesterday I discovered the deer came into the front yard and ate all the leaves off the nicest hosta in the yard. This plant is only about 20 feet from my front door. I don't think there is anything I can do for it.
But I will not be totally thwarted. I have a plan!
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