I had an email this week from a lady who had purchased the plans for my Critter-Resistant Vegetable Garden, but realized that it wouldn't be installed in time to protect this seasons fruit and vegetables. That got me thinking as like some other gardeners, I have incorporated a few deer-resistant edibles such as rhubarb into my regular landscaping for their ornamental value in the past, so maybe I could offer some additional suggestions to help her this year? Knowing that many of you also battle with deer in your garden I decided to share those ideas here – with the disclaimer that I have not tried all of these myself, so I would love to hear your experience, good or bad. Do share by adding a comment below so others can benefit too.

General Principles

Deer tend to avoid those plants with strong fragrance, bitter taste, or prickly/hairy textures (yes, I know they eat roses – but in fairness they eat the flowers, not the thorny stems!) They also don't dig…more about that later.

Edibles rarely damaged

Asparagus Root vegetables e.g. carrots BUT they may eat the tops…..which means of course the carrots won't grow… Onions, leeks, garlic Cucumber Eggplant Globe artichokes Hot peppers Rhubarb Tomatoes Herbs Chives, dill, fennel, lavender, lemon balm, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme

Edibles occasionally damaged (take care to protect young shoots)

Bok Choy Brussels sprouts (clearly intelligent deer) Melons Okra Potatoes (the leaves) Radish Rutabagas Squash Herbs Basil, cilantro

Deer Caviar

That's right – don't even think about it… Apples Beans Beets Berries (most) inc. strawberries Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage Carrot (tops) Chard Kohlrabi Lettuce Peas Pears Plums Spinach Corn Turnip (tops) TIP: Try growing apples on an overhead arch, out of their reach. I do that with roses.

Tired of the Battle/ Guessing Game?

Read my blog post about my personal war of the parsnips and learn more about our critter-resistant vegetable garden design. Spoiler alert ; it even works for wallabies…