How to Keep Deer Out of the Garden and the Orchard

Written by: Luke Marion

Published on March 7, 2025

Updated on March 7, 2025

With over 35 million deer in the United States, it's common to see them around. Deer are beautiful, graceful and majestic animals, but they also find their favorite foods in the garden and orchard.

I don't want my flower and vegetable garden to be an all-you-can-eat salad bar for deer. Nothing is more disappointing than going out in the morning only to find your plants were eaten during the night.

This guide will help you protect your plants from problematic deer by teaching about deer behavior, natural methods for how to keep deer out of the garden, and a video about building the ultimate deer proof fence.

Sorry, Rudolph, you’re not getting in anymore!

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Preventing Animal Pest Damage In An Organic Garden

While we usually think of harmful insects causing pest damage, animals can also cause garden damage and crop loss. Organic gardening is about working with nature, not against it.

The aim is to find effective ways to keep pesky animals out of gardens and orchards without harmful methods. It is time to defend your garden from squirrels, rabbit-proof your raised beds, protect your crops from birds, and keep hungry deer from eating your plants.

Understanding Deer Behavior

In many places, deer populations are growing in established residential areas as urban development encroaches on their territory. In backyards, parks, orchards, and gardens, deer can find an ideal habitat with minimal predators and readily available food, water, and shelter.

It doesn’t take long for deer to acclimate to human activity and learn to take advantage of the safe green spaces we create. I want to co-exist peacefully with the deer by keeping them out of my garden. This way, I can enjoy a beautiful garden even with deer around.

Identifying Signs of Deer Damage in Your Garden

Deer are most active in the early morning and evening and often feed during the night. You may not see a deer in your garden during the day, but you can still easily identify deer activity.

Here are some common signs of deer activity to look for:

Hoof Prints - Deer tracks in the soft soil are the most obvious way to tell where deer have been.
Droppings - Deer droppings are shiny, dark pellets usually stuck together in clusters.
Missing New Growth - Deer like to eat the new growth of bushes, flowers, vegetables, and trees.
Damaged or Eaten Plants - Deer leave jagged or torn edges on stems and leaves on what they eat. You may see missing leaves cleaned from stems up to 6 feet high. Deer will eat almost any vegetation, even garden mushrooms and woody plants.

Natural Methods to Keep Deer Out

Here are some common methods people use to keep deer out of the garden, but do they really work?

Method	Effectiveness
Scare Tactics	Scare tactics like scarecrows or stringing up aluminum pie pans may be successful initially, but animals get used to them and begin to ignore them. The more they are used, the less effective they become.
Motion Sensor	Motion sensors detect an animal and then trigger a sprinkler or loud noise to scare it away. Like other scare tactics, this is usually only effective for a short time. (Read more on Why Animal Pest Deterrents Stop Working.)
Ammonia Soaked Rags	These are strong smelling and supposed to deter deer. The cons are that the rags don’t retain the odor for long and the smell isn’t pleasant for people either.
Deer Repellent Spray	Deer repellents can be effective but cost-prohibitive and short-lived because they wash away in rainfall or watering.
Deer Resistant Plants	Some plants, such as lavender, echinacea, rosemary, sage, allium, and bachelor buttons, are known to repel deer. Plant these around the garden's perimeter and next to the plants you are trying to protect. It won’t be 100% effective, but it may help.
Natural Barriers	Deer don’t like jumping into a confined, crowded space where they cannot see where they will land. Filling up the entire garden space and planting in all available areas can be somewhat effective for keeping deer out.
Fencing or Physical Barrier	Fencing and physical barriers are the most effective ways to keep deer out of gardens and orchards, as long as the fencing is tall enough that the deer cannot jump over it. Fencing can be expensive and time-consuming to install. However, after the initial investment, it should require little maintenance and be effective at keeping deer out for many years.
Strong Fish Line	A fishing line can be used to make a cheap and easy deer proof garden fence.

How to Keep Deer Out of the Garden or Orchard

I want a solution that can keep even the most daring deer out of garden beds and fruit trees, but regardless of what method of prevention I use, there is always a chance that a deer will get through.

That being said, using these three deterrents will greatly reduce those chances, especially when used together:

Fence Height - A good, tall fence is the backbone of deer-proofing a garden or orchard. Deer can jump very high so it takes a tall fence to deter them. It is estimated that an adult deer can jump 8 feet from standing still! They can potentially jump even higher when they get a run at it. Make sure that your fence is tall enough to keep deer out.
Psychological Fence - Use this tactic by implementing two separate fences about 3 to 4 feet apart. The secondary fence runs outside of the main deer-proof fence, and it doesn’t have to be strongly built. It can be as simple as a single line of highly visible electric wire. Deer have poor depth perception and this forces the deer to try to gauge whether or not they can jump the first fence without hitting the second fence. Many deer will not even attempt to jump a double fence design. Pro-Tip: You can also build your fence close to another border or barrier so that deer cannot get a running jump to clear your fence.
Aromatics - Deer have such a great sense of smell that they can smell a person from over 2,000 feet away! You can use that in your favor by repelling them with aromatics. The strong scent of Irish Spring soap is unpleasant to deer. Drill a hole in each bar of Irish Spring soap and tie one bar to each fence post.

You can implement these deterrents individually to build up your deer protection system “a-la-carte” or use all three together to drastically reduce the probability of a deer coming in.

Your Garden Can Thrive Despite Local Deer Populations

Don’t let pesky deer stop you from gardening. If you know how to keep deer out of the garden, your garden can be amazing, even with deer around! Now let's grow bigger!

A man standing next to a fence post.

Why are deer attracted to gardens in the first place?

Deer find gardens attractive because there is easy access to all their favorite foods with little predator presence.

What are the common signs of deer activity in my garden?

Signs of deer in your garden include hoof prints, deer droppings, and eaten fruits and foliage.

What are the best materials and methods for building a deer-proof fence?

Use strong, tall fencing like woven wire or electric fencing.

How do motion activated sprinklers work for deer control?

Motion-activated solutions detect deer and then trigger sprinklers or loud noises to scare them away. These devices usually stop working because animals get conditioned to their presence and are no longer scared by them.

What are the best plants for a deer-resistant garden?

Deer-resistant gardens should include plants that deer don’t like the smell or texture of, like lavender, sage, echinacea, and poppies.

What are some cost-effective DIY deer deterrent methods I can try?

I have heard of people using fabric softener strips or even human hair as deterrents, but I recommend using Irish Spring soap at regular intervals around the garden to deter deer.