Deer eating pumpkins
Mcass50
9 years ago
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Comments (10)
frogged
9 years agozzackey
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Is there anything deer won't eat?
Comments (11)Too late for onions, maybe potatoes too though I still have a lot (storebought organic) sprouting in the basement. Too early for garlic - I'd like to get something going before the weeds. May try summer squash (always need more room for that) or pumpkins if you think they'll leave them alone. I've got 3 oregano plants growing in concrete blocks, may start some mint in there but I'm afraid of it spreading if I just plant it in the ground. But what kind of "bitter" herb are you thinking Dave, can you give examples? Something that won't spread? Is it too late for turnips? DH would like those. I know they'll go for beans (nibbled what grew outside the fence last year). 2 years ago they kicked my seed potatoes out of the ground so we fenced that area (where I put the beans last year). Don't know about kale - was thinking of starting some more for fall, already have some in house garden with the lettuce. And they do eat cabbage, so brassicas aren't necessarily safe. Was thinking it was about time for sweet potatoes, if I can get the slips ASAP, but since the leaves are edible (not toxic like nightshades) will they just munch them to the ground? Do sweet potatoes need a trellis? I can't do the fish repellent b/c of the bears and other predators that might start digging....See MoreOf pumpkins, deer, and other 'natural' garden elements
Comments (14)No large dogs roaming (that I know of!) though we most definitely have coyotes -- didn't hear them this summer (unusual) but have heard groups over the last few weeks. Would they eat pumpkins (if so, why??) The mouth "pad" in deer is most curious...do all ruminants have one, I wonder? That's what I love about this forum -- you learn SO much stuff you never even knew you didn't know!!...See MoreCan I eat a green pumpkin?
Comments (9)I have about 30 volunteer plants of what I thought was squash that washed down the hill from our chicken run. Tons of male flowers, lots of female flowers. I have fertilized them and taken care of them just as if I had planted them. Because they were very dense, I have cut back some of the foliage to let in the sunlight. Yesterday, I found several nice fist-sized squash, so I picked them and brought them into the house. I googled pics of small, round squash but could find nothing that looked like the ones I had picked. I was trying to find out when they should be picked - what they looked like, etc. Suddenly, it dawned on me that these were probably not squash (we feed our chickens leftovers and unsellable veggies & fruits from a local produce stand where I work on occasion), as I couldn't remember any time that we had fed the girls any small, round squash. However, we had fed them several PUMPKINS last fall! I quickly looked up pics of immature pumpkin and THERE THEY WERE! I felt badly that I had picked 2 of them so early, so looked it up to see if you could eat unripe pumpkin. YES! That young, you can prepare them like regular squash, which I decided to do so as not to waste them. THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!! I sliced them about 1/4" and sautéed them in coconut oil with just a bit of Himalayan pink salt and some freshly ground black pepper. That's all I did. I just couldn't believe they were so delicious!!! So for dinner, guess what I'm having . . . So all those plants up on the hill, I'm using for the huge yellow flowers and the small unripe pumpkin for a side dish. I had transplanted 4 of the seedlings earlier to a nice plot in my organic garden - so those I will let grow to maturity. I really don't need 30 plantings of ripe pumpkin! What a tasty surprise! You might want to try it . . . just cook them like you would in your favorite squash recipe....See MoreDo deer eat melons and squash?
Comments (19)Armymom, NONE of those little tricks (lifeboy soap, swatches of human hair, predator urine, white swatches of cloth, rattles, motion activated sprinklers, hot pepper sauce, etc.) work for long or at all I'm sorry to say. I've tried just about all of them. They might have worked way back when deer were shy and scared of humans, but those days gone. Some of the deer retardent scents (most of them smell like something dead) work only for a while, and have to be applied every couple of days or they will eat the new growth, plus they are not recommended for vegetable gardens. I wonder if floating row covers would work? It's a light weight fabric that keeps insects out. Does anyone have any experience with that to keep deer away? The only thing that will keep them out of the garden for sure is a high fence or a single wire of electric fence. The latter works amazingly well and is not that expensive or hard to install. There is a plastic deer net you can buy and use bamboo or similar poles for a temporary fence, but it has to be tall and perhaps lean in so they won't try to jump over it. Good luck with your garden! I hope you find a way to grow melons and squash. Keep us posted. Here is a link that might be useful: About floating row covers ......See Morezzackey
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