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nc_crn

Deersaster...

nc_crn
10 years ago

Deer...entire crop gone...fun times.

I can't even...

Just wow...and sigh.

They took a slew of plants a few weeks ago...stayed away for a few weeks...returned to finish off the crop sometime between yesterday afternoon and this afternoon.

The biggest disaster for me is they took my seed crop...one for a re-population of my sweet pepper and another for an extension of another breeding project I'm working on. Luckily, I have the breeding project seed scattered in a few grow-outs from friends all over the county, but I've lost my sweet pepper seed crop as well as my eating peppers. It's too late in the season here to replant.

I'm not looking any deer solutions...I have more than a few...and it's usually not an issue...I just didn't apply as much care to the issue as I should have, evidently.

...just venting.

I hate deer...so much.

Comments (15)

  • sunnibel7 Md 7
    10 years ago

    The bastards.

    That's all there is to say about that. So sorry.

  • judo_and_peppers
    10 years ago

    if you don't own a rifle, go get one. it'll make you feel better. I'd loan you mine (no deer here) but you're kinda far away.

  • mctiggs
    10 years ago

    Bambi's mom had it coming!!

    So sorry to hear that. Nature is a cruel mistress.

  • nc_crn
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I live on 0.16 acres in the city (and make use of every square inch of it) tightly surrounded by neighbors. I'd have about 10 cops here in 5 minutes if I fired a rifle in this neighborhood at an animal along with a bunch of pissed off neighbors because we're so tightly packed in here.

    Technically, it's illegal to fire a rifle anywhere in the city limits unless you're protecting yourself from danger or you're in a designated shooting/hunting area.

    We've had a bad "deer year" around this part of the city (just outside of downtown) because of new construction in previously heavily wooded areas to build slews of new apartment buildings we don't really need. Development happens...*shrug*

    I put up some reflective streamers on string in one part of the garden, but I'm unable to put up anything like that people can see from the street thanks to our wonderful (not) HOA. We had to do enough fighting with them to keep our front yard garden. Luckily our immediate neighbors love it and we keep it rather clean...as well as the effect it's had on other neighbors on our street putting flower/vegetable gardens in. Our entire street looks so much different (and colorful) compared to the rest of the streets in our HOA coverage area. The neighbors "went to bat" for us and they left us alone.

  • SgtPepper
    10 years ago

    I get upset over caterpillar and worm holes in some peppers. I guess I should be more thankful...

  • judo_and_peppers
    10 years ago

    bow and arrow? rent a bear?

  • kuvaszlvr
    10 years ago

    You need a Kuvasz or a Pyrenees. So sorry for your loss, what a bummer.
    Pam

  • nc_crn
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Rent-A-Bear (tm) is out of bears, currently...they offered me a badger, but I don't need no stinking badgers.

    When I save up enough loot to move (hopefully to CA/AZ/HI) I'm going to have a backyard...with a fence...and a dog...and full sun (unlike 90% of the backyard I currently have).

    This is the first year deer have been an issue here. At least they're roaming rather than setting up shop or the entire front yard would be "mowed down"/eaten flowers. I think they went for the peppers because it's easier to move around that part of the yard and they're probably tastier plants than some of the other more densely planted ornamentals.

  • woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
    10 years ago

    Sorry to hear that nc. However, it makes me feel a little better knowing that even the pros have home gardening challenges that test one's patience.

    :)

    Kevin

    This post was edited by woohooman on Fri, Aug 23, 13 at 0:22

  • nc_crn
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Deer can wreck a garden in a manner of minutes...especially if you get more than 1 of them and they're doing more than just nibbling. A lot of deer wander and nibble, but around urban areas (where I'm at) you tend to see a lot more feasting because food is less bountiful and less safely acquired.

    The funny thing is if I was growing super-hots rather than sweets and anaheims/cubanelles/etc I would probably still have my plants because they wouldn't want to screw with the super-hots.

    The plants I have were nibbled down to woody stubs sticking out of the ground. The sweets got hit especially hard. A lot of the fruits were knocked off or nibbled on...the leaves/plants were feasted upon.

    It looks like I had more than 1 deer visit...or one extremely hungry deer.

    It will probably take another month to produce new stems/flowers and if weather plays nice with a warm fall I'll have some harvestable green fruits in late October...but ripe fruit is a longshot at this point. Even in our warmest fall weather it's all but over by very early November with freezing nights starting to move in. The sub-40s nights usually start in late October in "normal" years. Peppers in this area slow down severely around early/mid October when nights start to dip into the low-50s and 40s.

  • kuvaszlvr
    10 years ago

    Like I said, need a big white livestock guard dog. ;-) We have deer all over the place (I live in the country, although it's a very populated area), in the evening it's rare to go out and not see at least a couple. The only time I've seen them in my yard, or pasture is when they are cutting across, they never stop, 6 big dogs, marking all the fences, I don't think our place is very appealing. ;-)
    Pam

  • vermiman
    10 years ago

    Spray the foliage with hot pepper spray.

  • nc_crn
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I wish I would have sprayed the foliage after the 1st visit at this point.

    The damage was rather minor a few weeks ago the 1st time there was a visit and I assumed (wrongly) any returning deer returning would be a rare occurrence.

    I put up a back barrier, but at this point I believe it actually herded my visitors after they entered through the unprotected front in order to feast.

    We usually don't get deer...recent construction has evidently messed up their breeding + roaming grounds and they're branching out into new territory.

  • ottawapepper
    10 years ago

    Oh wow. I thought my groundhog problem was bad. Loosing an entire crop is just devastating.

    Since (like me) you can't shoot them, have you ever thought about stringing up an electric fence? think 220v should do the trick.

  • naturemitch
    10 years ago

    Sorry about your plants.

    Know what you mean when you say you needed to be a bit more diligent. I usually hit them early with some liquid fence (although I do not spray directly on the pepper plants, new foliage is sensitive to it), and the deer learn to stay away. Haven't sprayed in weeks and weeks....think with your late experience, I will go and spray the perimeter again :)

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