Darned Deer in the Garden!

I live in the woods. Deer also live in the woods. Normally we live in harmony and we don't bother each other. If the deer want to eat some of the apples under my tree, that's ok.  Lately, these deer have been pushing the limits-and my patience. It seems like every time we go on vacation or camping during the summer, the deer move in and wreak havoc. Without the kids or dog around, it's a free for all, I guess!

Last year, I was agonized to see every single Asiatic Lily eaten to the ground. So, I dug them up and moved them closer to the house (so far, so good). This year, the deer have knocked down some of our split rail fencing, eaten my hanging baskets of impatients and the final straw-my green beans. 

These deer are some sort of picky. While most people commiserate about the hostas being eaten, these deer haven't touched mine (and I have a lot). They snack on the most random things. But back to the beans.

I only grow a few veggies in my small raised bed-zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes and green beans. Most of my garden is dedicated to beans. I like a big bounty that I can preserve for later in the fall and winter. I've always had good luck with beans, that is, until this year. Not only did I have a bad batch of beans that didn't sprout (others did this year too), the deer took out every single bean plant I put in.  I have NEVER had deer mow down an entire patch of beans. I replanted them and once again, the seeds didn't come up (that's a whole other blog and story).

Now, I needed to deal with the deer, if the beans ever did manage to sprout (as a side note, beans can be started in late summer and flourish into the fall). I did some research on deer resistant plants that might deter further ransacking of the patch. I haven't ever planted perennials in the raised bed, but this year I invested in a few that I hoped would keep those deer at bay. 

I wanted to keep my small garden useful and I found out that deer don't like most herbs. Perfect! My vegetable garden just got an addition of perennial herbs. I planted lemongrass, lavender and thyme to start. They are around the perimeter of the bed and will serve as a "wall" to my beans (well, future beans). I may add in some oregano and mint, as deer seem to dislike them as well. I guess if I never do get these beans up out of the ground, I'll have a nice selection of herbs to cook with!

The rest of the garden of zucchini and tomatoes remain untouched by the deer, and I am still trying to figure out these silly deer. What do the deer eat around your house and how do you keep them out? Are there other animals that bother your veggie gardens? I know that I need to accept that these animals live here too, but I'd really like to keep them out of MY food!

Happy gardening friends! I hope you've enjoyed this Home Ericanomics blog. Follow me on Facebook, subscribe to the blog and let me know how it's going in your garden this year!