"Laur" wrote in message
m...
Dear fellow gardeners,
I have a small garden, and have had one every year for the past
couple of years. I've never had deer eat anything. One reason is
because I grow herbs in my garden, and deer don't like herbs. Also,
to keep bugs away from our tomato plants, I surround the perimeter of
the garden with marigolds. I hope that this helps.
Laurie

You've just been lucky. Deer get hungry enough they will eat anything
green. I had a 6 point buck and 2 does walk up to me within 15 yards
yesterday while cutting the grass with my self propelled (noisy) mower.
When my chestnuts start dropping nuts you have to throw stuff at them to
keep them away ;(
Frank

(Laur) wrote:

I have a small garden, and have had one every year for the past
couple of years. I've never had deer eat anything. One reason is
because I grow herbs in my garden, and deer don't like herbs. Also,
to keep bugs away from our tomato plants, I surround the perimeter of
the garden with marigolds.

There are many places deer have never been. However, once they find a
place they usually go back. Their favorite places are places that
either have fruit like apples or are green in the winter. Most herbs
have no fruit and aren't green in the winter. However when food is
in short supply, deer will browse even the most undesirable plants.

Deer do like some herbs such as:

Aegopodium podagaria - goutweed, herb gerard
Cherianthus - wallflower
Hosta - candy to deer
Hemerocallis - daylily
Pelargonium - geranium
Vinca minor - periwinkle
Viola - pansies & violas

They don't normally like:

Angelica
Anise Hyssop
Basil
Catmint
Chamomile
Chives
Comfrey
Dill
Fennel
Lamb's ears
Lavender
Lavender Cotton
Lemon balm
Mint
Mullein
Oregano
Parsley
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme

--
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http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

On 19 Aug 2004 10:53:38 -0700, (Laur) wrote:

Dear fellow gardeners,
I have a small garden, and have had one every year for the past
couple of years. I've never had deer eat anything. One reason is
because I grow herbs in my garden, and deer don't like herbs. Also,
to keep bugs away from our tomato plants, I surround the perimeter of
the garden with marigolds. I hope that this helps.
Laurie


Well, that depends. Last week deer cleaned out my Italian parsley.
Deer remember where all the tasty pickings are and will return.

The deer are especially very annoying. The government prohibits
hunting on their land ever since 9-11, now we are seeing deer in the
middle of the day, instead of just at night. And, in my small town
(pop 28,000) there is one deer-auto collision every day !

I read this somewhere and it has worked for me for 1 year in central Texas
to protect newly planted trees with bocu deer around. Take a bar of Irish
Spring soap, drill a hole in it for a piece of plastic clothesline rope and
hang one every 100 ft or less around the plants to be protected.

On Fri, 20 Aug 2004 07:02:42 -0500, "Fritz von Herbenfeller"
wrote:

I read this somewhere and it has worked for me for 1 year in central Texas
to protect newly planted trees with bocu deer around. Take a bar of Irish
Spring soap, drill a hole in it for a piece of plastic clothesline rope and
hang one every 100 ft or less around the plants to be protected.

But won't that cause a bunch of Irish guys to come around wanting to
take showers in your garden?

Seriously, the as far as I know, the only sure way to keep the deer
out of your garden is a 10 foot fence.

Hal

In article , wrote:

On Fri, 20 Aug 2004 07:02:42 -0500, "Fritz von Herbenfeller"
wrote:

I read this somewhere and it has worked for me for 1 year in central Texas
to protect newly planted trees with bocu deer around. Take a bar of Irish
Spring soap, drill a hole in it for a piece of plastic clothesline rope and
hang one every 100 ft or less around the plants to be protected.

But won't that cause a bunch of Irish guys to come around wanting to
take showers in your garden?

Seriously, the as far as I know, the only sure way to keep the deer
out of your garden is a 10 foot fence.

Hal



Funny how the smell-of-soap-repels-deer urban folklore usually is
restricted to the magical properties of Irish Spring -- perhaps because
it's got Irish fairies in it. Sometimes it's Lifeboy, Ivory, Coast, or
Dial has the magic properties, but the great majority of times it's Irish
Spring.

Often when this legend is alluded to as true, it will be stated without
citation that a university horticultural station proved only Irish Spring
works -- the university being variously identified as in California, in
Illinois, or Massachusetts. I've never been able to track down such a
field study, though I found an amateur study conducted by landscaper
William H. Frederick of Pennsylvania, who stated categorically the Irish
Spring soap had no effect on the deer. A University of Florida Warrington
College of Business market research study DID establish that people were
easily misled into believing Irish Spring cleaned better than other bar
soaps, based only on it having more perfume in it.

So I'm still willing to read that alleged field study if it actually
exists. The rumor of such a study seems to be based on a University of
Illinois Horitlucltural Extension's hand-out sheet on what to do about
deer. It was not a study on any level, but it did mention that deer
dislike strong unfamiliar smells & stuff that tastes awful, so that soap &
tobasco sauce applied to plants could be "moderately effective." No
special brand was mentioned, & it did not recommend hanging bars about the
property, but recommended making a nasty-smellikng nasty-tasting liquid to
paint on branches of shrubs & trees. Other horticultural statiosn have
expressed the opinion in their hand-outs that soap might have a very
transient effect until the deer figured out the smell was unimportant, but
again, no study.

My theory is this "Irish Spring repells deer" urban legend got started
this way: Hunters know that if deer in the wild smell hunters, they flee
lest they get shot, so hunters like to dump deer **** all over themselves
so that they will smell better than humans. A nice clean man who uses a
manly soap (Irish Spring the only soap ever marketed as a "manly" soap),
then the deer would smell the manly men from an even greater distance,
same as if they had spritzed themselves with their grandma's equally manly
cheap perfume, for Irish Spring has way more perfume than most brands.
Someone at some time must've used this as evidence that it was the Irish
Spring & not the hunters that repelled the deer in the woods. Therefore in
the garden, if you took a nice long shower using Irish Spring, then ran
outdoors & flapped your arms at the deer, the smell of the soap would make
them run away. The effect might not be quite so dramatic, however, if
you've merely got bars of soap hanging about the yard.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com

Funny how the smell-of-soap-repels-deer urban folklore usually is
restricted to the magical properties of Irish Spring -- perhaps because
it's got Irish fairies in it. Sometimes it's Lifeboy, Ivory, Coast, or
Dial has the magic properties, but the great majority of times it's Irish
Spring.

Often when this legend is alluded to as true, it will be stated without
citation that a university horticultural station proved only Irish Spring
works -- the university being variously identified as in California, in
Illinois, or Massachusetts. I've never been able to track down such a
field study, though I found an amateur study conducted by landscaper
William H. Frederick of Pennsylvania, who stated categorically the Irish
Spring soap had no effect on the deer. A University of Florida Warrington
College of Business market research study DID establish that people were
easily misled into believing Irish Spring cleaned better than other bar
soaps, based only on it having more perfume in it.

So I'm still willing to read that alleged field study if it actually
exists. The rumor of such a study seems to be based on a University of
Illinois Horitlucltural Extension's hand-out sheet on what to do about
deer. It was not a study on any level, but it did mention that deer
dislike strong unfamiliar smells & stuff that tastes awful, so that soap &
tobasco sauce applied to plants could be "moderately effective." No
special brand was mentioned, & it did not recommend hanging bars about the
property, but recommended making a nasty-smellikng nasty-tasting liquid to
paint on branches of shrubs & trees. Other horticultural statiosn have
expressed the opinion in their hand-outs that soap might have a very
transient effect until the deer figured out the smell was unimportant, but
again, no study.

My theory is this "Irish Spring repells deer" urban legend got started
this way: Hunters know that if deer in the wild smell hunters, they flee
lest they get shot, so hunters like to dump deer **** all over themselves
so that they will smell better than humans. A nice clean man who uses a
manly soap (Irish Spring the only soap ever marketed as a "manly" soap),
then the deer would smell the manly men from an even greater distance,
same as if they had spritzed themselves with their grandma's equally manly
cheap perfume, for Irish Spring has way more perfume than most brands.
Someone at some time must've used this as evidence that it was the Irish
Spring & not the hunters that repelled the deer in the woods. Therefore in
the garden, if you took a nice long shower using Irish Spring, then ran
outdoors & flapped your arms at the deer, the smell of the soap would make
them run away. The effect might not be quite so dramatic, however, if
you've merely got bars of soap hanging about the yard.

-paghat the ratgirl


I doubt any study exists on the effectiveness of Irish Spring soap as a deer
repellent, not that it matters, since everyone knows that anecdotal evidence
trumps science anyway. Anything with a strong smell may discourage deer
from an area, for no other reason that it interferes with their ability to
smell approaching predators. This tends make them nervous, and may lead to
them avoiding the area. Any strong smelling (deodorant) soap will work.
The reason that soap is used is because it is cheap, easy to get and lasts a
long time in the garden. Perfume would probably work just as well, if you
wanted to keep spraying it. As with all repellents, it works with varing
degrees of effectiveness. Being generally cheap, easy and safe I see no
reason not to at least try it.

Keith

"Fritz von Herbenfeller" wrote:

I read this somewhere and it has worked for me for 1 year in central Texas
to protect newly planted trees with bocu deer around. Take a bar of Irish
Spring soap, drill a hole in it for a piece of plastic clothesline rope and
hang one every 100 ft or less around the plants to be protected.

I used this on my rhododendrons for many years. Then one winter we had
several feet of snow. The deer are very plentiful and started attacking
anything green. I saw them actually bite the rope and yank it off and
spit it out so the soap wouldn't bother their dining on my
rhododendrons. That was the year I switched to deer netting. It works
great.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

(paghat) wrote:

My theory is this "Irish Spring repells deer" urban legend got started

Actually deer usually first detect their predators by their smell. Man
is their main predator as you mention. Any strong smell whether it be
soap, herbs, rotten eggs, garlic, or most anything dulls their sense of
smell and their ability to protect themselves from predators. Natural
selection has reinforced their natural reaction to this bad situation.
However, natural selection has also taught them that starving is also
bad, and that strong smells are not as bad as starvation.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

On Fri, 20 Aug 2004 15:24:55 -0400, "Stephen M. Henning"
wrote:

(paghat) wrote:

My theory is this "Irish Spring repells deer" urban legend got started

Actually deer usually first detect their predators by their smell. Man
is their main predator as you mention. Any strong smell whether it be
soap, herbs, rotten eggs, garlic, or most anything dulls their sense of
smell and their ability to protect themselves from predators. Natural
selection has reinforced their natural reaction to this bad situation.
However, natural selection has also taught them that starving is also
bad, and that strong smells are not as bad as starvation.

Ha! It is not unusual deer to stand within 20 feet of me, casually
munching on the grass. One came as close as 6 feet--all I can
remember are those huge ears! I have seen as many as 14 deer on my
front lawn. And this happens in the middle of the city. It doesn't
take long to take a shrub down to the ground. Many neighbors have
tried rotten eggs, tobacco infusions, human hair, fox urine, human
urine, Milorganite, etc etc without success. Fencing, a dog,
bow-and-arrow (although illegal) are very effective.

"Keith Copi" wrote:

Anything with a strong smell may discourage deer
from an area, for no other reason that it interferes with their ability to
smell approaching predators.

In some areas the deer have no fear of predators since there aren't any.
We have deer hunting and I solicit people to hunt on my land so our deer
still have a good fear of predators. However they aren't spooked by
strong smells when they are hungry, like in winter when snow is on the
ground.

--
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http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

In article , wrote:

On Fri, 20 Aug 2004 15:24:55 -0400, "Stephen M. Henning"
wrote:

(paghat) wrote:

My theory is this "Irish Spring repells deer" urban legend got started

Actually deer usually first detect their predators by their smell. Man
is their main predator as you mention. Any strong smell whether it be
soap, herbs, rotten eggs, garlic, or most anything dulls their sense of
smell and their ability to protect themselves from predators. Natural
selection has reinforced their natural reaction to this bad situation.
However, natural selection has also taught them that starving is also
bad, and that strong smells are not as bad as starvation.

Ha! It is not unusual deer to stand within 20 feet of me, casually
munching on the grass. One came as close as 6 feet--all I can
remember are those huge ears! I have seen as many as 14 deer on my
front lawn. And this happens in the middle of the city. It doesn't
take long to take a shrub down to the ground. Many neighbors have
tried rotten eggs, tobacco infusions, human hair, fox urine, human
urine, Milorganite, etc etc without success. Fencing, a dog,
bow-and-arrow (although illegal) are very effective.

People confuse the behavior of deer in the wilderness during hunting
season, with deer that have learned to live amidst human populations. If
the latter were worried about the myriad smells of people they wouldn't be
munching folks' gardens at all!

-paggers

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com

On Fri, 20 Aug 2004 09:38:02 -0600, wrote:

On Fri, 20 Aug 2004 07:02:42 -0500, "Fritz von Herbenfeller"
wrote:

Take a bar of Irish
Spring soap...

Seriously, the as far as I know, the only sure way to keep the deer
out of your garden is a 10 foot fence.

The clue for folk remedies is any discussion whatsoever. IF soap (of
any brand), or human hair or urine or chile solution actually worked,
there would be no discussion. It would be in all the FAQs. It would be
standard advice in gardening mags and newspaper columns.

I guess it's the appeal of magic. It's a lot more interesting to
imagine hanging up a cheap bar of soap would be the perfect deterrent,
than to accept that (expensive) physical barriers are the only things
that stop hungry wildlife. Same with rabbits, of course. And cures
for the common cold. :-)

Frogleg wrote in
:


The clue for folk remedies is any discussion whatsoever. IF soap (of
any brand), or human hair or urine or chile solution actually worked,
there would be no discussion. It would be in all the FAQs. It would be
standard advice in gardening mags and newspaper columns.

what you just said is: because discussion, therefore folk remedy,
therefore ineffective, which just isn't a logical conclusion.

Folk remedies can be effective - if only from the time they are conceived
to the time they transition to 'scientific' or 'generally accepted'
remedy. Obviously you've got a whole other class of 'science' remedies
that are necessarily broader in scope or more easily applied to order to
take advantage of economy of scale in a capitialist society. That does
not make them more effective or more applicable than folk remedies, just
cheaper in terms of money or competence. You can certainly claim
something 'works' because there is an observable result, and that
something else 'does not work' because it works specificly and you have
the wrong specifics.

For the soap remedy to work, it needs to induce a psychosomatic response
in the deer. This response can be conditioned or innate. Since probably
there is nothing intrinsically, unavoidably or lethally toxic to deer in
the soap, you'll have to do with some conditioned response, and as noted,
many deer no longer avoid unnatural/artificial smells. Also, most deer
to not like to lay down and die, so if they are hungry and there are no
alternative foods, then you are SOL. This also applies if what you are
growing has any psychotropic compounds enjoyable to deer.

If using the soap solely as a passive deterrent, given the current
population ratio of deer to deer predators in the US, the efficiacy will
probably be on the order of 'does not work' since deer are likely learn
that soap really isn't a concern (at least not comparable to starvation).
But that doesn't mean soap is not going to work for somebody that lives
near a relatively balanced ecosystem or near a kid* who carves slingshot
pellets from soap pieces.

* This message has not been approved by PETA