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Garden Gate:  I give up :(  |
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clothedinscarlet
True Blue Farmgirl
1333 Posts
Siobhan
Battle Creek
MI
USA
1333 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 12 2010 : 08:31:51 AM
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I'm so sad today.  Can I cry on someone's shoulder? All season (since April when I started planting outdoors) I have not seen one deer or signs of any. Well, today, I go out to my garden to find a total massacre. All 32 of my beets (greens about 8-10" tall already)...gone. All of the baby peas that just started flowering....gone. All but one of my pepper plants...gone. All of my lettuce....gone. Half of my spinach...gone. And big hoof prints in the middle of the SFG. He walked right in. And not only that, but he left a big green diarrhea  ,after gorging himself, right in the middle of my lawn. All I can hope is that the one pepper plant that he left was because he realized his tummy didn't feel so good after the first cayenne pepper plant he ate. Darn deer - serves him right! Time to get a gun and camp out by my garden at night. I'm not an animal hater, but when I have worked so hard for three months (and even earlier for the things I started indoors) just to have half of it gone in one evening...GAH!!!!
Farmgirl Sister #1110
Siobhan - AKA Liza-Jane (my farmgirl name), wife to my best friend, Trent, and mommy to Camden (11/28/05) and Bennett (7/11/07). and Truman (7/28/09) |
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Fiddlehead Farm
True Blue Farmgirl
4562 Posts
Diane
Waupaca
WI
USA
4562 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2010 : 08:44:44 AM
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Siobhan, you can cry on my shoulder. I am so sorry for your veggie loss. I had that happen last year with rabbits, but put out some cayenne pepper around the rest of the plants that they did not get. You can buy some stuff called rabbit off that is made of dried blood meal, bone meal and cayenne pepper, it is expensive, but it works for deer also. I found that just pepper works too. I bought a big restaurant size jug at Sam's Club and just sprinkled that around the plants. Boy, it sounds like that deer was kind of a pig!!!! It is D still early enough in our zone to re-plant, you might have to buy some plants from a nursery though. Just make sure you pepper bomb them...one sniff and the deer or rabbits go running off sneezing. Don't give up my farmgirl friend!
Age only matters if you are wine or cheese.
http://studiodiphotosite.shutterfly.com/
farmgirl sister #922 |
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clothedinscarlet
True Blue Farmgirl
1333 Posts
Siobhan
Battle Creek
MI
USA
1333 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2010 : 09:02:03 AM
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Thanks for the shoulder, Diane. So, I should use powdered cayenne pepper sprinkled on it? I've heard of sprays with pepper in them, but they are kinda expensive.
Farmgirl Sister #1110
Siobhan - AKA Liza-Jane (my farmgirl name), wife to my best friend, Trent, and mommy to Camden (11/28/05) and Bennett (7/11/07). and Truman (7/28/09) |
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2010 : 09:27:37 AM
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My Mama uses the dryed, hottest peppers you can find, crushes them up and soaks them in hot water , puts in a spray bottle and sprays everything that deer love, plus more. Since she started doing this, she has lost "NOTHING" to deer or rabbits.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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Kerbear
True Blue Farmgirl
261 Posts
Kerry
Middle
Tennessee
USA
261 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2010 : 09:39:54 AM
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Siobhan, I am so sorry to hear about your garden. I wish I could send you some of mine! I hope there is still some left!
I heard that spreading human hair around your plants will keep the deer away. Is that true. If so maybe you could get some at a hair salon?
~Kerry Anne
Farmgirl Sister #975 |
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emsmommy5
True Blue Farmgirl
1547 Posts
Angie
Buckley
WA
USA
1547 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2010 : 09:48:53 AM
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So sorry about your garden. It's not the deer that has been getting ours, but the rain. It's so disappointing to get everything going just to have it taken away! =(
Do what you love, love what you do. |
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Roxy7
True Blue Farmgirl
1083 Posts
Robin
Denver
CO
USA
1083 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2010 : 09:58:00 AM
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Karrieann
True Blue Farmgirl
1900 Posts
Karrieann
Northeast
Georgia
USA
1900 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2010 : 09:58:14 AM
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...Teresa, Do you think the spray thing would also work on my tomato plants to ward off squirrels and other varmints?
Karrieann ~ Farmgirl Sister #766 (29 Sept 2009)
My Blog: ...following my heart, dreams and Jesus
...http://karrieann-followingmyheartandjesus.blogspot.com/
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graciegreeneyes
True Blue Farmgirl
3107 Posts
Amy Grace
Rosalia
WA
USA
3107 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2010 : 11:18:58 AM
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Siobhan - I am so sorry!! I have had deer problems off and on - once one walked right into the garden to eat some cabbage and I was sitting not ten feet away shucking corn. I yelled "hey" at it and it just looked at me. That is so frustrating losing everything at once.
Amy Grace
Farmgirl #224
"use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2010 : 1:44:26 PM
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Siobhan, darn. I am so sorry. What a horrible thing to have happen. I hope you do get it. Maybe it won't be back for a long time. By then you might be able to get a fence up around it. I have fences around my gardens but chickens can fly. They already got my first 2 ripes cherry tomatoes.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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natesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1735 Posts
angela
martinsville
indiana
USA
1735 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2010 : 1:57:48 PM
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Soibhan, I hang bars of Dial soap around my garden to keep them out. I also put hair from a local beauty salon and from a friends dog grooming shop in the garden to keep out coons and rabbits. The soap is hung buy string through a hole my husband drills in it. The hair has to be added every month or so, but it works for our place. My DH is ready to start shootin all of them cause they are such a pest. I think I'll probably let him since they seem to be ravaging the whole tree line and yard as well.
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2010 : 2:06:59 PM
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Karrieann, Anything that eats your garden will not eat with hot pepper spray on it.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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edlund33
True Blue Farmgirl
1515 Posts
Marilyn
Renton
WA
USA
1515 Posts |
Posted - Jun 13 2010 : 09:03:08 AM
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I'm sorry to hear about your garden Siobhan! Critters are adorable but they sure can make gardening a frustrating adventure! we work so hard to make everything grow healthy and happy, and they come along and treat it like a nice gourmet dinner.....
Last night the deer mowed my dad's strawberry patch to the ground after he spent all day weeding it! Then they waded through the bush raspberries and broke off a bunch of canes that had fruit ripening on them! Didn't even touch the roses that we planted at the edge of the garden for them to graze on if they wanted to visit. So, he's out installing row covers today.
Deer started chewing on my fruit trees last year. I hang out some irish spring soap in stockings on each tree. It works well when the soap is fresh but you do have to change it often. Last year we used egg spray (1 whole egg/gallon water) with good results but it has been so wet this year that we haven't been able to spray until now. Another product that we have had very good luck with is called Plantskydd - it's a dry blood product that you mix and spray and I think the odor deters the wildlife including deer and rodents. It dries waterproof which is a bonus here in the NW. If you mix the spray and apply it while it is fresh there is no noticeable smell after it dries. It was developed in Sweden to protect tree farms from grazing. It is supposedly safe to use on edibles but I only choose to use it when there isn't fruit on the trees.
I'm having a problem with Wabbits! I went to my garden yesterday to take a look. It has been so wet here this year that the only plants I have successfully sprouted from seed are corn and beans. We have a 7' tall fence with plastic netting around our garden to keep the deer, rabbits and racoons out. But somehow Peter, Bugs, and several of their buddies got under the fence and were happily chewing on everything that was up! There isn't a leaf left on my beans! I startled them and they took off running. I think I know where they got in and will get to repairing that first thing this morning. Then I will start planting all over again! Ughh. So frustrating! Think I'll try the suggestions and sprinkle some cayenne pepper around too!
Glad to know I'm not the only one fighting off the buggers....
Cheers! ~ Marilyn
Farm Girl No. 1100
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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Hosanna
True Blue Farmgirl
466 Posts
Hosanna
Alton
Virginia
466 Posts |
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texdane
Farmgirl Legend Chapter Leader Chapter Guru
4658 Posts
Nicole
Sandy Hook
CT
USA
4658 Posts |
Posted - Jun 13 2010 : 09:24:22 AM
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The rats with antlers strike again. Sorry Siobhan for what happened. I feel for you, Sweetie.
Nicole
Farmgirl Sister #1155
KNITTER, JAM-MAKER AND MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE |
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knead2garden
True Blue Farmgirl
359 Posts
Ashley
Spring City
TN
USA
359 Posts |
Posted - Jun 13 2010 : 3:50:11 PM
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I am also sorry to hear about your garden. The rain is getting mine this year. I hope you can figure something out. I understand wanting to give up, but don't!
~Ashley
"In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we have been taught." -Baba Dioum |
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Lida
True Blue Farmgirl
157 Posts
Lida
Rochester
NY
USA
157 Posts |
Posted - Jun 14 2010 : 03:31:29 AM
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Soibhan,
So Sorry about your garden. Hugs. I would have cried!
I live in a city and have a back yard garden. There isn't much wildlife here. For a few years there was something that burrowed in but didn't eat anything. Its holes were an ankle twisting hazzard and I kept filling them in. Maybe the critter got tired of digging out weekly and moved one.
This year I have a second garden at my mother's house in the country 4 hours from here. There are lots of Amish farmers where she lives. They all tell me that I don't need any fencing because the coyotes have taken care of the rabbit/rodent problem and the deer have plenty of food in the corn fields, so they don't bother the gardens. I am still worried about that garden being ravaged by some critter. I like the red pepper idea and will use it proactively when I go up to tend that garden on Saturday.
Lida |
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cgonyer
True Blue Farmgirl
220 Posts
Cindy
Petersburg
MI
USA
220 Posts |
Posted - Jun 14 2010 : 04:58:54 AM
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Siobhan - so sorry to hear about your garden and all of the hard work that you put in! Don't give up!
I live over on the southeast side of MI and have a ton of deer and rabbits around which is precisely why I don't have a garden this year. Haven't quite figured out how to keep them away. This post is helping though...
~Cindy
Farmgirl #1273 |
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Jun 14 2010 : 12:53:09 PM
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So, so sorry to hear about your garden and all of your hard work. Don't give up.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
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KathleenL
True Blue Farmgirl
84 Posts
Kathleen
Littleton
Colorado
USA
84 Posts |
Posted - Jun 15 2010 : 11:45:34 AM
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Siobhan, you can cry on my shoulder. I had the same thing happen last year. I put a low fence around the garden to keep out the rabbits and it went well most of the summer. Then one morning I went out to pick some kale for breakfast and it was all gone! The deer chopped it off right to the ground.
This year I've put a net over the entire thing and since I don't have much garden space this works well. I've also had past problems with the deer eating our shrubbery. Last fall I planted garlic all around the area by our back deck and it seems to be keeping out both the rabbits and the deer. I haven't seen any deer in the neighborhood though, so I can't be certain it's really the garlic. I know for certain it's keeping the rabbits away because the flowers there actually have blooms on them for the first time in years. This fall I plan to plant garlic around my garden area too.
I can't help thinking that if I were relying on my garden for all of our produce needs we'd probably be going hungry most of the time.
Kathy |
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laurentany
True Blue Farmgirl
3259 Posts
Laurie
Patchogue
NY
USA
3259 Posts |
Posted - Jun 15 2010 : 6:53:49 PM
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Oh Siobhan, I am so sorry- I can just imagine how you feel. Dont let it discourage you from planting more....
Good Luck,
Smiles,
Laurie
Farmgirl Sister#1403
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.. |
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ceejay48
Farmgirl Legend/Schoolmarm/Sharpshooter
13816 Posts
CeeJay (CJ)
Dolores
Colorado
USA
13816 Posts |
Posted - Jun 15 2010 : 9:42:40 PM
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Siobhan . . .I know just how you feel!!!!!
There are lots of good ideas here . . . some I've tried and used. I haven't tried the hot pepper yet. I have used the soap . . and it worked but it does have to be replaced.
What works best for our garden is putting dog hair right on the plants. Since I have to brush our dog out regularly it's not hard to replace it. That DOES seem to work.
I wish you the best . . . and I'm keeping watch on my garden goodies too!!
CJ
..from the barefoot farmgirl in SW Colorado...sister chick #665
From my Heart - www.fromacelticheart.blogspot.com
From my Hands - www.cjscreations-ceejay.blogspot.com
From my Hubby - www.aspenforge.blogspot.com |
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Butterscotch Grove
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Melissa
Fairbanks
AK
196 Posts |
Posted - Jun 16 2010 : 08:59:17 AM
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{{{Siobhan}}} I'm so glad we don't have deer here. We have moose, but they don't usually bother us in summer. Too much wild food available to come this far into town. Folks closer to the slough and up in the hills have to be pretty vigilant, though. Wish I had some advice for you, but all I've got is sympathy.
Melissa
My blog:
http://ButterscotchGrove.wordpress.com |
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clothedinscarlet
True Blue Farmgirl
1333 Posts
Siobhan
Battle Creek
MI
USA
1333 Posts |
Posted - Jun 16 2010 : 09:27:11 AM
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Trying something new today. I read online that deer hate egg and that you can mix egg and water in a spray bottle and spray it on the plants. So that's what I did today. hopefully between that and the pepper the little buggers will stay far away!
Farmgirl Sister #1110
Siobhan - AKA Liza-Jane (my farmgirl name), wife to my best friend, Trent, and mommy to Camden (11/28/05) and Bennett (7/11/07). and Truman (7/28/09) |
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maggie14
True Blue Farmgirl
6784 Posts
Hannah
Washington
USA
6784 Posts |
Posted - Jun 16 2010 : 11:00:23 AM
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I'm so sorry Siobhan!! We had the same thing happen last year when we had worked so hard and put so much money into it. But instead of deer eating it, it was Sheep! There was a break in the fence and all 4 sheep got loose.
Hope you get your garden back soon!
Hugs!
Channah
Farmgirl sister #1219
Just a small town country girl trying to live her dreams. :) |
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Garden Gate: I give up :( |
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I give up :(
