Home gardeners often face the challenge of protecting plants from local wildlife. Deer are a common concern, prompting questions about their dietary habits, particularly regarding cherry tomatoes. This guide addresses whether deer pose a threat to your tomato plants and how to safeguard your harvest.
Do Deer Eat Cherry Tomatoes?
Deer are opportunistic foragers, consuming a wide array of plant materials, including garden crops. While cherry tomatoes are not their primary food choice, deer will eat them, especially when preferred food sources are scarce. They can consume up to 12 pounds of plant material daily, with a diet including hundreds of plant varieties.
Deer are attracted to both the fruit and foliage of tomato plants. The high water content of tomato fruits makes them appealing, particularly during dry periods. Although leaves and stems contain alkaloids like tomatine and solanine, deer typically do not consume enough to suffer ill effects. If a deer develops a taste for tomatoes or other palatable options are limited, they are likely to return.
Identifying Deer Damage to Cherry Tomatoes
Distinguishing deer damage from that caused by other garden pests is helpful in determining the appropriate protective measures. Deer lack upper incisor teeth, resulting in a characteristic ragged or torn appearance on chewed stems and leaves. This contrasts with the clean, straight cuts left by rodents like rabbits or chipmunks.
Deer often target the tender new growth at the tops of plants, typically at a height of 3 to 4 feet, which aligns with their grazing level. They can cause widespread damage across multiple plants as they move through a garden, unlike smaller animals that might focus on a single area.
Other indicators of deer presence include large bites taken out of ripe or unripe fruits, uprooted plants from forceful grazing, trampled surrounding foliage, and the presence of cloven hoof prints or droppings in the garden. Deer are most active during early morning and late evening, so fresh damage may be observed during these times.
Protecting Cherry Tomatoes from Deer
A combination of deterrents is the most effective strategy for protecting cherry tomato plants from deer, with physical barriers offering the most reliable protection. An 8-foot tall fence, made of metal mesh, poly mesh, or chain-link, prevents deer from jumping over, as they can clear heights of 8 feet or more. For smaller garden areas, a 6-foot fence might suffice, especially if the terrain makes jumping difficult or a double-fence system is used. Ensure the fence is secured at the bottom to prevent deer from pushing underneath.
Repellents also discourage deer with strong odors or tastes they find unpleasant. Mixtures containing rotten eggs, garlic, hot pepper, or strong-smelling soaps can be sprayed on plants or placed around the garden perimeter. Blood meal or bone meal sprinkled around plants can also act as a deterrent. These repellents need reapplication after rain or every few weeks, as deer can become accustomed to a single scent.
Integrating companion plants that deer avoid can add another layer of defense. Plants with strong scents, fuzzy textures, or unpalatable to deer, such as chives, onions, garlic, mint, rosemary, sage, and lavender, can be planted around cherry tomatoes. Motion-activated sprinklers that startle deer with a sudden spray of water can also be effective. Rotating different deterrent methods helps prevent deer from habituating to any single approach, increasing long-term success.