Imagine you’re taking a stroll around your yard and stopping to admire your gorgeous cabbage patch. You look up to see a deer casually devouring your prized vegetation. It’s a cute sight to see, but you shouldn’t feed your cabbage to it. Do these findings imply that deer share our penchant for crisp cabbage salads? What is it?
- Name: Golden Acre Cabbage | Type: Heirloom
- Size at Maturity: Up to 3 Pound Head | Days to Maturity: 65-75 Days
- Light Requirement: Sun/Partial Shade | Planting Time: Cool Season
- Sowing Method: Indoor Sow | Planting Depth: 1/4″ | Plant Spacing: 24″
Understanding Deer Diet
The only way to tell if your cabbage is safe from deer is to learn what they normally eat. Opportunistic feeders are a common term for deer. When hungry, they’ll eat pretty about anything, hence the fancy moniker. A variety of leaves, twigs, fruits, and nuts is the perfect diet for them. They may also graze on grass and acorns, depending on the season. Our cabbage, however, is in peril. I was wondering if they enjoyed it or if they just ignored it. The answer to this question requires some exploration of their relationships with garden vegetation.
Deer and Garden Plants
For deer, a garden can be a veritable buffet. They just walk in and grab whatever plants look good to them. And it doesn’t matter if you’re growing cabbages, tomatoes, or roses; they’ll eat whatever you’re growing. Garden plants are basically fair game for these exquisite animals, which is bad news for us gardeners. Find out how much deer enjoy cabbage and how to protect your greens from becoming deer chow in the following sections.
Do Deer Eat Cabbage?
The short answer is that deer can and do eat cabbage. They may not normally eat greens, but when they have no other option, they will happily devour these. Our canine companions don’t appear to be discriminating eaters when it comes to fresh vegetables from the garden! Therefore, if the deer are hungry and your cabbage patch is easily accessible, they may help themselves to a bite or two.
Protecting Cabbage from Deer
If Bambi keeps eating your cabbages, what can you do? Even though fencing might not be the most aesthetically beautiful option, it is a practical one. You can also use deer repellents, which release an odor that turns deer off. Another method is to surround your garden with plants that deer avoid, such as marigolds or garlic. Finally, planting your cabbage inside a “shield” of less desirable plants can be enough to deter the deer from browsing on your harvest.
- Proven to Repel Deer – The repellent station contains 100% dried blood, a scent that triggers a flight response in deer, causing them to flee the area
- Odorless to Humans – Though the scent is easily detected by the heightened senses of deer, the repellent scent is not detectable to humans
- Weatherproof Housing – The rugged housing is specially designed to keep water out of the station while allowing air to travel through and spread the scent
- Safe for Vegetable Gardens – The repellent is contained safely inside the housing, allowing for placement anywhere outdoors. Hang them from branches or stake them in gardens
- Season-Long Protection – Apply the repellent stations once for season-long protection against deer. One 6 pack covers up to 192 sq ft
Conclusion
Even though seeing a deer in your garden may make for a cute story, the deer’s diet might be bad news for your cabbage plants. The deer in your yard won’t think twice about munching on your cabbages because of their picky palates. But if you use caution and the appropriate barriers, you may preserve your cabbage for yourself and your family. After all, harmony between human demands and those of nature is the key to productive gardening. All the best with your gardening endeavors!
