fisherman34 wrote:

I live in zone 5b near the Illinois/Indiana border--the whitetail deer
here are prolific, and I was wondering if the deer will eat the foliage
of the watermelon and muskmelon plants that I am about to transplant
into a garden plot. The garden plot is on a farm in a spot that was in
field corn the previous year. I know I might need to watch out for
cucumber beetles, but wan't sure about the deer.

thanks,
AP


Yep they will eat it all and knock on your door for seconds! Where
there are deer there are likely wild rabbit and racoons so you will get
a double whammy. I've had good success with a motion activated sprayer
for rabbits. Mothballs scattered around the perimeter help if you can
stand the smell. I haven't had to deal with deer yet but they are in
the area. The motion activated sprayer is said to be effective for
them. You might need a couple to fully protect your gardens. You could
try electric fencing. I know that is effective for racoons around ponds
and will work for skunks and rabbits. I'm not sure about deer. I think
the only true, effective treatment for dealing with deer is high fencing.

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