Finding leaves and shoots browsed overnight is a common frustration for gardeners in deer country. These large herbivores view a cultivated plot as an easy, concentrated food source. Protecting your harvest requires a proactive strategy that begins with understanding deer feeding habits and selecting the right crops. This guide offers insight into which vegetables deer tend to ignore and the defense mechanisms you can employ to secure the rest of your garden.
Vegetables Deer Consistently Avoid
While a truly “deer-proof” vegetable is rare, certain crops are reliably avoided due to their inherent characteristics. These plants can form the basis of a garden intended to minimize deer damage.
The Allium family represents the most consistent group of avoided vegetables, including garlic, onions, chives, and leeks. The sulfurous compounds within these plants produce a pungent aroma and sharp taste that deer find highly unpalatable. Planting these crops densely can often create a natural, localized barrier to protect neighboring plants.
Another category that deer typically bypass is the Nightshade family, which includes eggplant and the foliage of potatoes and tomatoes. The leaves of these plants contain glycoalkaloids, which are mildly toxic to many mammals, including deer. While deer usually leave the leaves alone, they may still consume the mature fruit of tomatoes, which lacks the same concentration of defensive compounds.
Strong-tasting or texturally challenging greens also appear low on the deer’s preferred menu. Vegetables like rhubarb, which contains oxalic acid in its leaves, are toxic and consistently ignored. Collard and mustard greens, along with globe artichokes, have a tough, sometimes bitter taste or a fibrous, fuzzy leaf texture that makes them less appealing.
Finally, the prickly or hairy-leaved cucurbits, such as cucumbers, zucchini, and some winter squash varieties, are often left alone. Root vegetables like carrots and potatoes are also somewhat resistant simply because the edible portion is underground, though deer will readily consume the tender tops if other food is scarce.
Factors That Determine Deer Feeding Choices
The selective dining habits of deer are primarily driven by sensory inputs related to taste, smell, and texture. Deer possess a highly developed sense of smell, which they use to locate palatable food sources. The intense, sulfur-based odors immediately signal an undesirable meal to the animal.
Plants that contain secondary metabolites, such as the bitter-tasting alkaloids found in the foliage of many Nightshades, are quickly rejected. These compounds evolved as a chemical defense mechanism, signaling to the deer that the plant may be toxic or unpleasant to digest. This is why plants like rhubarb are consistently avoided.
Texture also plays a significant role in determining palatability, as deer prefer soft, tender, and easy-to-chew foliage. Fuzzy, prickly, or tough leaves deter feeding because they create an unpleasant mouthfeel. Conversely, deer are heavily attracted to plants high in easily digestible carbohydrates and water content, which explains their preference for soft lettuce, peas, and young bean plants.
Physical and Sensory Deterrents for the Garden
Beyond strategic planting, the most reliable defense for vulnerable crops involves external deterrents that create physical or sensory barriers.
Physical exclusion is the most effective measure, typically requiring a fence at least eight feet tall, as deer are capable jumpers. If a high fence is not feasible, a slanted or double-row fence setup can confuse the deer’s depth perception, making them less likely to attempt a jump.
For smaller areas or individual rows, protective netting and lightweight row covers can shield young, tender plants from being browsed. These barriers must be secured firmly to the ground to prevent the deer from pushing underneath them.
Sensory deterrents work by overwhelming the deer’s sensitive sense of smell or startling them with sudden stimuli. Repellent sprays that contain putrescent egg solids, hot pepper, or garlic function by making the plants taste or smell offensive. For maximum effectiveness, these repellents require reapplication after rain or new plant growth. Motion-activated devices, such as sprinklers or lights, provide a sudden, unexpected stimulus that can scare a browsing deer away, training them to avoid the protected area over time.