OT. Gardening and seeds *Jeanne

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I'm sorry you had such a shock at the garden shop! I know some Dominican

nuns who have a farm near here--mostly as a place that people visit, with " pet "

chickens, llamas and several cats... They also grow a couple of large vegetable

gardens that they are trying out more natural and " organic " methods on. I was

out there a couple of years ago and saw what they told me was their experiment

at deer " repellent " . They live in an area that is frequented by deer, and of

course, the gardens with vegetables is attractive to the wild critters.

 

Here's what they recommended for detering the deer: (If you aren't opposed

to cutting human hair, it might be worth a try). They hung little bags made of

cut nylon pantyhose filled with tennis-ball-sized wads of clipped-off human

hair. They hung the little bags on either poles pushed into the ground or along

a string hung between a couple of posts at about maybe waist-high(for adult

people), which is probably close to " nose-height " for deer. The theory is that

the deer will smell the human scent

on the hair in the little mesh bag and not want to go into the area. The little

bags are tied up around the outside of the garden, of course.

 

Now, I have never tried this with a garden, and it might be harder to do it

the larger the garden you have. I have heard of other " natural " (??)

deterrents that aren't gory or gruesome or animal-harmful like the " dry blood "

stuff. One was supposedly made of urine from either a dog or maybe some other

similar animal. (But I've never used or even seen THAT--I don't know if I'd

like to handle a liquid or powder that was made of urine, either!)

 

If you have an OLD, " don't want it anymore " audio-cassette tape or an OLD

(and also un-wanted) VHS tape, I have also heard of and have known people who

take the tape out and string it back and forth around the outside of the garden,

stringing it between poles. When the wind blows over the tape, it vibrates and

shimmers and that is supposed to " spook " the deer so they won't venture close.

 

I read about deer problems in magazines a lot and the silly animals must be

smart enough to keep people trying new things to keep them out of the gardens.

They really seem to like finding succulent freebies and it's amazing how often

the best of " repellents " seems to lose it's effectiveness after a while.

 

Please, Jeanne, let us all know if you have found something that really

works with deer! (I knew you wouldn't try the blood--it's just gross!) Maybe the

hair might work! I've wondered if little bags of dog and/or cat hair would be

good to use...MY cats are shedding tons of hair; I'd LOVE to send you some of

it, if you'd like!

 

Have a great time growing your southern seeds and plants! We actually have

lovely soil up here in central Illinois--very rich, dark and loamy--but right

now, it's awfully C-c-c-c-c-COLD! (We don't plant until May!)

 

Best gardening wishes!

--Laura B., in Illinois