Gardening from the Kitchen

By Alice Osborne

Some of us love to garden - the fresh air, the aromas, the exercise, and the resulting satisfaction from the beauty we create are the big draws. However, at the risk of sounding like a whiner, I am ready to pull my hair out and forget the whole thing, thanks to the local deer. These guys think our yard is their personal Chuck-A-Rama. Roses, tulips, boxwood, etc. - it’s all just a handy smorgasbord to them.

But not to be outwitted by these darling little Bambies, I found some hope in a recipe my wonderful sister-in-law, Connie Osborne, gave me. I had no idea we could make a superb deer repellant using ingredients found in our kitchens. Gardening from the kitchen - who knew?

Curious to see if there were other repellant recipes out there, I checked the Internet, and by golly, just look at the assortment. One caution, if spraying anything edible, be sure to wash the food extremely well after picking. But you expert gardeners out there probably knew that...

Deer Repellent 1

From: Sister-in-law Connie (originally from Backyard Magazine, I think)

1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 Tablespoon of cooking oil
1 Tablespoon of dish soap

Add 1 gallon of water and shake well. Spray or sprinkle on plants every two weeks or after heavy rain.

Deer Repellent 2

From: Prus Family, Chapel Hill

1 cup sour milk, sour cream, or buttermilk
2 eggs beaten and strained
5 drops liquid dish soap
five drops cooking oil or dormant oil
20 drops of essential oil of cloves

Top off 1 gallon container with water. Shake well. Spray as a light mist. Respray every 2-3 weeks.

Deer Repellent 3

From: https://www.nj.gov/counties/mercer/community/wildlife/about.html

Mix together in a blender:
2 cups of water
5 cloves of fresh garlic
1 cup of chopped onions
5 Tbsp. powdered hot pepper

Pour into a covered container and let stand for 24 hours. Strain and mix with 1 gallon of water. Apply to plants with a sprayer.

Deer Repellent 4

From: https://motlowcreekgardens.com/deer_tips_and_advice.php

4 tablespoons ground cayenne pepper
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup peeled garlic
1 cup clear ammonia
1 cup Murphy's oil soap
1 bar Ivory hand soap (Optional)

Boil the cayenne in the vinegar for one minute and strain through a coffee filter. Puree garlic in 2 cups of water in a blender. Strain that mixture through another coffee filter. Combine the two liquids with the ammonia and oil soap in a 3 gallon garden sprayer. Fill the sprayer to the maximum level with water. Spray on areas you wish to protect. For extra stickiness, float a bar of Ivory soap in the spray and use it over several fillings. Reapply weekly and after rains.