How do I keep deer out of my flower beds?

I have heard that putting soap around the plants will keep the deer from eating them. What are some non-toxic things I can try?

How do I keep deer out of my flower beds?
I put stakes (Green one you can buy anywhere; Lowe’s, Walmart, Home Depot etc} in the ground around my beds and tie two rolls of 50lbs test fishing line, one about 12” and the other 36” from the ground. The deer cannot see the line and when they touch it, it scares them and they run away. I been using this for years and it works. The other thing you can do is to tie some line in the woods from tree to tree, thus; no more deer in the yard from the woods that is. They now come up my driveway, but that’s when the stakes do there job. The nice thing about this is you don’t hurt the deer and you save them for the hunters.
Reply:Moth balls. The old style made from napthalene. They work on bats too.
Reply:Get a dog??
Reply:Believe me this is very difficult to keep deer out of flower beds. I have three flower beds and have tried everything from human hair to coyote urine to fishing line around the outside diameter. What I have done in one of my beds is to plant flowers that deer do not like. I look at the garden catalogs and the plants that deer do not like, I buy. Next year I will be doing the other two gardens with different plants.
Reply:Hunting stores have these things called guns, they work well with all sorts of animals
Reply:Put coffee grounds in your flower bed.
Reply:Electric fencing, my neighbor uses it and she's had no problems.
Reply:There are natural repellents that you can get from a pest control store.


A neighbor saw me brushing the dog %26amp; asked for the hair.


Swears it keeps deer away.
Reply:human hair - the dirtier and smellier the better. visit a barber or beauty shop and ask for "sweepings". deer hunters [i am one] use scent eliminating soaps and scents that mask human odor to avoid the sharp sense of smell of deer. they will avoid anything that smells too much like us predators.
Reply:Hunting stores have something called bobcat, or coyote, or fox urine (yep, it sure is). This is a powerful deterrant to something that doesn't want to become dinner. You just apply it according to the directions and they will sniff it out pretty quickly.
Reply:Dryer sheets are supposed to work well. Tie them around some of the plants and you can collect the old ones and put new ones out every week or so.
Reply:Marigolds...lots of them around the edges. Deer hate them.
Reply:Dryer sheets blow away, human hair quickly loses it's scent, the soap (irish spring works best) works until it's washed away. The BEST product that I have tried is a fertilizer that is made from human waste called milorganite. It is very inexpensive and readily available. I liberally sprinkle around the desired plants and no more deer. It does not burn the plants when applied directly on top. I write from this from experience. There are many deer here in Minnesota.