Moving is not an option for me because I not only wanted a lot of land to plant I wanted privacy. I live in a suburban house and I just do not want to be that close to my neighbors. I had great neighbors but I love the privacy.
If you are willing to do a lot of work to deter the deer, groundhogs, rabbits, squirrels and still willing to lose a few buds here and there it can be done. Just as others have told me a hungry animal is going to eat no matter what.
Everyone told me you have to train them not to come to your yard for food. Once they do not like what you have they do not come as often. My property was vacant and there is a orchard so they knew food was here and they were free to roam.
Start spraying early....as soon as anything peaks out of the ground. Spray every week. It really is not expensive if you make your own mixture.
I purchased...
Wolf urine that I put in a spray bottle and Spray that occasionally on grocery store plastic bags and hung them on the fence where I see they may have been by the poop evidence.
I put some of the Sweeney's Deer Repellent gadgets. They are covered containers that you put on a stem. That is suppose to trigger flight response to the deer. I suspect it is a wolf urine concoction. Home Depot purchase.
Homemade spray. Onion, Garlic, hot sauce, wolf urine, egg, mixture. (if you want my recipe I will post) I am on 4 acres and this mixture does not cost more than $10 for a season.
Biondi Deer off work for my deer. I tried every one on the market. Every area deer are different. I do think you have to try them all to see which one your deer do not like.
Nite Guard system. It is a flashing red solar light to fool the deer that they think danger. Of course near that area I spray the wolf urine. So it is a site and smell fix I am using.
I have herds of deer not an occasional walk through deer problem. When I see deer it is 10 or more. I have had as many as 20-50 deer in the front yard at one time.
I have also sprinkle Millorganite 3 times a year.
Finally, there path I have picked up pallets from the grocery store for free. They have trouble walking on these because their feet go through the slat space and fall down. I have watched them limp away after falling down when they step out of the woods heading for a meal in my yard.
As you can see I have done everything short of a gun. So far for 5 yrs of growing seasons only one hosta has been eaten I have 100s. So I am not sure if that was deer, rabbit, groundhog, etc. since it was only one hosta.
