From EcoReality

Oh deer! How will we live with our hungry bambi friends?

Salt Spring, like all of the Gulf Islands, has no natural predators for deer. The island has many many deer and for a gardener or farmer, it’s one of the biggest challenges to overcome. They love to eat vegetable crops and are very persistent with their break and enter skills. They can jump 2 metres (6 feet) easily. Adult deer eat between 3-4.5 kg of vegetation daily. They need protein so they prefer legumes and sweet plants in rich, well fertilized soil. Berries, grains & fruit are also favourites.

An effort to search for literature about food crops which are considered “deer proof” was less than fruitful. Some grains, herbs and wild native species (mostly berries or medicinal plants) are considered deer proof but every vegetable is considered dinner by deer. Also, many of the wild species do in fact get eaten at different times in the season and if deer get really hungry they’ll eat almost anything.

This presents a major challenge for EcoReality on the new property as there is approximately 20 acres of cleared land with no fence to keep the deer out. Fence is very expensive and once it’s installed it’s semi-permanent so where, when and how much fence we put up is an important decision.

There are some ways to keep the deer out of your garden:

• Physical barrier- Build a fence (this is a must). At least 8 feet high is recommended.
• Discourage jumping by filling in or obstructing any landing sites on the inside of your garden fence.
• Don’t leave cuttings or fruit out where deer can get to them. Or, keep a waste area away from your garden where deer can eat from the pile and not the garden.
• Be persistent - If deer get a good meal from your garden because you were careless one day it can mean that they’ll come back… and with deer friends!
• Plant deer friendly edibles on the edge of your garden so they can nibble through the fence (and not want to jump over). Common garden perimeter plants for this purpose are kale and clover.
• Build your fence so the deer still have natural trails to follow if they are used to walking across the property.
• Put some foul odours near your fence (soap, hair, garlic, rotten eggs)
• Keep a canine friend to bark at the deer.

We hope to live in harmony with the deer and keep enough wild habitat for them that they are used to in an effort to keep them away from our food crops.

Some resources for information about deer proof plants can be seen on the District Of Comox website.

—James Cowan, Program steward