I planted my garden a few weeks ago, and within a few days something had eaten most of the leaves of the tomato and pepper plants, and completely ate the watermelon and tomatillo plants to the ground. I replaced them and installed a chicken wire fence around the garden. Everything seemed to be fine for a couple of weeks, but this morning I see one of the watermelon plants is gone again, and the tomatoes and peppers have been attacked again just like before. I've been planting vegetables for 5 years now and have never had this happen - I thought it was rabbits but now I'm not so sure . What else can I do to keep the mystery munchers from eating everything?

Maybe deer? Estimates put the number of deer roaming around the lower 48 states at 15-20 million. Multiply that by the 5-10 pounds of food per day that a typical healthy adult deer needs to eat and the potential damage is staggering.

Oh and of course you need to know that deer are social creatures, they tend to travel in groups of 2-7, so in addition to eating your plants, deer can damage your garden by walking around on it and trampling beds.

I should point out of course that the deer problem is all our fault. We are continuing to develop away their native habitat, and we have virtually eliminated their natural predators, like coyotes. Certainly, striking a balance between man and nature is an age-old problem, and personally, I think I’d rather live with deer instead of coyotes, but that’s another story.

Using barriers can control damage by deer. The best barrier by far is an eight-foot tall, electrified fence topped with barbed wire surrounding the entire yard. This is an impractical solution for most of us though!

The next best thing might be a plastic mesh fence. Sometimes known as “snow fencing:” this product is available in black or green to be a little less obtrusive than the orange types. You can buy this product in eight feet tall, 100-foot wide sections. Staple the fencing to tall stakes or trees to protect your plantings. You’ll also need to use smaller stakes to secure the bottom of the fencing so that the deer won’t go underneath it.

Fishing line can also be strung from stake to stake at about three feet high to protect smaller garden areas. Keep in mind that if the deer are panicked or particularly hungry, these barriers will be easily broken.

Another option is to fence individual plants. Young trees or very desirable plants can be protected with turkey wire fence (4x2 14 gauge welded wire fencing) This can be purchased in 50 or 100 foot rolls and cut to fit plants. Laying chicken wire or hardware cloth on the ground around plantings also seems to work at least temporarily-they don’t like stepping on the wire.

Repellants will sometime work at least temporarily to control deer damage. There are various repellant solutions on the market now. Deer Away and Tree Guard are two brand name products you might try. Follow label directions carefully when applying these products, keeping in mind that some are not labeled for use on vegetables and fruits—they are only to be used on ornamental plants.These products will have to be re applied after rains and as new growth appears-new shoots are usually the most desirable plant parts for deer.

You can make up a homemade solution using this recipe:
3 rotten eggs
One gallon of water
Teaspoon garlic powder
Teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix and apply with a sprayer or a watering can. Yes, it smells terrible, but the smell will dissipate in the garden.

Some other deer repellant recipes and products you might try are:
Blood meal
Milorganite-a composted sludge material
Bars of soap hung on trees
Human hair

There are also motion sensitive sprinklers or sprayers that are on the market to deter deer, as well as high pitched audio devices. These products may be impractical if you have pets of course.

If the deer continue to give you problems, you might want to modify your planting plans and practices. Give up on plants that are particularly appealing to the deer. These typically include fruit trees, roses (yes, even with thorns!), euonymous, lilies, hostas and tulips. Actually any plant that has soft leaves and a high water content will appeal to deer. Deer will typically feed in our gardens more in the early spring when wild food is less available and in late summer when they are foraging to fatten up for the winter.

Deer will tend to avoid plants that are extremely aromatic and that have fuzzy, pubescent leaves.

These controls will not ever be 100% effective. Some solutions may work sometimes; spending time in your garden, keeping the human scent there may be the most effective control. The overriding problem is that we are developing wildlife such as deer out of their natural habitat and therefore they have no other options but to feed on our gardens.