Do Deer Eat Tomato Plants?
If you ever tried growing tomato you probably know by now that it requires a lot of time, investment and care. Therefore, the thought of sharing your tomato production with the local population of deer is not such an appealing idea.
I have to admit that I completely hate the idea of seeing my beautiful veggies eaten or destroyed by the local wildlife, but do deer eat tomato plants after all? Read on to find out if your tomato production is at risk and how to protect it.
Do Deer Eat Tomato Plants?
A question that many newbie gardeners ask. To answer is the Extension Office of the Oregon State University, who claim that deer not only eat tomato plants, but they actually eat over 500 plants, many of which can be found in a vegetable garden.
Now, you might think that the statistics refer only to those gardens located in the countryside but you couldn’t be more wrong. In fact, a study conducted by the Texas University shows that deer are present in the urban landscape as well.
With this in mind, you might now wonder how to protect your precious plants from the deer “attacks”. Let’s see what other veggies deer eat and how to deer-proof your garden.
What Other Plants Do Deer Eat?
Deer love tomatoes, but other plants in your garden might also be at risk. Other favorites of the deer are the Swiss chard, strawberries, sweet corn, raspberries, and some varieties of beans.
In addition to these plants deer actually eat, your other vegetables might be destroyed by the deer who walk freely in your garden. Therefore, keeping the deer away from your crops is a must.
How To Keep Deer Away From Tomatoes?
One way to keep deer away from your tomato plants is, obviously, by building a tall and sturdy fence. However, if you would rather avoid building a fence but you still care about the integrity of your garden, here are a few alternative solutions.
1. Plant deer deterrents
If deer love some vegetables and herbs, they definitely hate others. Therefore, planting a few deer deterrents might be the best solution to keep Bambi away. Here are a few plants to consider:
- Rosemary
- Hot peppers
- Garlic
- Sage
- Chives
- Iris
- Yucca
- Foxgloves
- Bee balm
2. Spray repellents
Other effective solutions to keep deer away from your tomato plants are the repellent sprays. On the market, there are a few ready-to-use products you can buy, or you can make natural sprays by mixing water with other ingredients. You could use:
- Hot pepper spray;
- Garlic powder spray;
- Predator urine spray;
- Vinegar and ammonia spray.
3. Alternative methods
Other ways to keep deer away from your property include motion activated sprayers, that spray a cold blast of water when deer get close to your plants or ultrasonic devices that emit an annoying noise.
Final Thoughts
Even if there are numerous methods to keep deer away from your tomatoes, you will surely be able to successfully protect your garden by using one of the methods described above.If you have any questions, or if you want to share your method, please leave us a comment below.
