We have the fenced veggie garden. We even put deer netting along one side, with a contraption of tomato cages to keep it away from the fence. That way, the beans and peas and cucumbers can climb up the fence.
Things are hanging on by a thread in there, with this heat. But, the cucumbers are still making.
The plants aren't as nice as last month.
But, they were better than this:
It took some doing, but the deer netting got torn and the cucumbers on the outside of the fence got chomped!
This.....
was attached to this. With some good-sized cucumbers.
At first, I thought it had to be some kind of catapillar. I wasn't sure I wanted to see something big enough to do this damage....all those leaves...all those cucumbers. But, there's the fence...and there's the netting...and I spray along the outside of the netting with 'Deer Fence' pretty regularly.
But, then we found the tear in the netting. Had to be a deer.
Then, this morning.....more chomping. The cannas in the pot by the garden have been chomped....again. They left the ones on the other side of the house alone. But.....
this....
is now this.
Now, Gazania is 'deer resistant'.....and, silly me, I thought it was true. This has been there for several weeks. Not the best place...it needs more sun. But, it hadn't been touched by the deer. Oh well....I replanted it and hope it comes back.
I made a double-strong batch of the deer fence. (I now buy it in concentrate to make by the gallon.) And now, the whole place reeks of the stuff. EVERYthing has been sprayed.....again.
I'll just have to be more diligent with the spray. It seems to work. We just have to apply it more often than the label says....and, especially after watering, if it gets washed off....or, in case it ever actually rains again.
Thanks for listening to my tales of woe. I'm sure there will be more. We've just started this gardening among the limestone and deer.
That must be very frustrating. I haven't started gardening in the deer zone (front yard) yet, but I will eventually. When the deer get stressed, they'll eat almost anything, won't they? So sorry!
ReplyDeleteI love garden art and the way you show them! gardening is one of my biggest passions
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Blotanical, that is where I found your blog. Oh my, the dreaded deer mowing machine. My heart goes out to you. They eat everything here, roses, hollyhocks, tulips, and the list goes on. How were you able to keep your lilies? They got 3/4 of mine.We have a lot of green in the woods near use but they like my delicacy of flowers ala carte.Your Gazania was pretty.
ReplyDeleteOne of the gardens we visited in Elgin (Western Cape, South Africa) the lady of the house said she collects (human hair) clippings when she goes to the hairdresser. They think she is crazy. Apparently it keeps our wild antelope out of her garden. Anybody tried with your deer?
ReplyDeleteOh, dear! What a pain deer can be! They chomp my lilies, phlox and hosta and I'm forever trying to outsmart them, but to no avail!
ReplyDeletePam..Good luck when you start in your front yard. It's a challenge.
ReplyDeleteBeth...thank you.
Hocking Hills..the lilies are inside the fenced veggie garden. That's the only way they would survive.
Elephant's eye...these deer will walk right up to you. They're not afraid of humans at all. The hair won't work. I spray with this stinky stuff. Sometimes that works.
Jan...It's a pain, isn't it? But, I refuse to give up.
Deer can be such pests! I have that problem with squirrels! They ate my roses I was rooting!!!
ReplyDeleteI feel for you about your deer-munching woes. I learned the hard way about what plants the deer are temmpted to eat in the harsh drought we have here in central Texas. So not only do I only plant deer-resistant plants in the front, I sprinkle dog fur and human hair clippings around my plants periodically. It seems to be helping! They frequent our neighbors more now.
ReplyDeleteHello Linda;
ReplyDeleteI have heard more deer stories at the nursery than any previous year. It has hardly stopped raining since spring snows began to fade and yet the deer have fed at vegetable and flower gardens instead of fields of grass or even clover.
Before we moved to our new nursery, I put up 7.5 foot deer fence around our 5 acres and it has been almost trouble free. The daylilies are getting close to peak bloom and we have a lot of fragrance in the air so I expect deer will try to get through the fences any night now.
Good gardening wishes!
George Africa