Not in My Garden You Don't ... Deer (and Other Safe, Frugal Forms of Pest Control)

How upsetting is it to do all the back breaking labor and go to the expense of putting in a flower or vegetable garden or plant trees only to have our furry friends to come and destroy it?

Here are a few non toxic tips on how to repel and detract these critters without harming the cycle of life in the animal kingdom or putting our kids and pets at risk.

This picture was taken in my Father's front yard in South Central Kentucky.

Step 1: For a Bambi Free Zone

To repel Deer:

You will need:
An old flower pot, plastic or clay
An old sock or the foot part of a pair of hosiery
String, Twine or anything you can make a tie and hanger with

Any ONE of the following:

Strong smelling deodorant soap like Irish Spring
Baby Powder
Raw Garlic Cloves
Athletes Foot Powder
6 - 12 Cotton Balls soaked in Peppermint Oil

Step 2: Make Your Repellent

Fill the foot part of the sock or hose with any of the mentioned items in step one and tie a knot in it. Attach the string or twine below the knot making a loop large enough for hanging and run it through the hole in the flower pot bottom. Hang from a tree branch, fence post or tie to stakes and place around the area you want to keep deer out of.


The flower pot keeps the rain from washing away your deer deterrent and can last up to a year depending on climate conditions. If you notice the deer returning it's time to refill your socks.

Step 3: Got Kids, Pets and ANTS? Try a Safe and Cheap Cure to Get Rid of Them ...

Get rid of the ants I mean, keep the kids and pets but keep them safe while you get rid of the ants with a non poisionous extermination.

This works very well, especially on fire ants which we get here in the So Cal region with a vengence.

The best way to rid yourself of ants without putting kids and pets at risk is Grits.

Just take some plain old dry Grits and sprinkle them around your ant holes. The little biting monsters go crazy for them, carry them back to the nest where the other ants eat them and then the grits swell in thier stomachs and they pop!

The big plus is of course if your kids or pets get into it there is no worry or harm to them.

Step 4: Groundhogs, Woodchucks and Other Burrowing Animals

The safest non toxic way to get rid of groundhogs is by sprinkling a 50/50 mixture of Red and Black Ground Pepper in your flower or vegetable gardens, the smell drives them out of your yard but won't harm your plants, kids or pets.

(I couldn't get the peppers to show up in my pictures so I had to use one of them in bowls)

Step 5: Birds

An easy way to keep birds away from your garden, out of your fruit trees and off your patio furniture is to take a disposable aluminum pie tin, punch a few holes and thread them with string or twine and hang them from the trees or fence posts, or hang one on your car antenna. The shine and movement of the tins sends them on their way.