Maine Potato Farmer

[Reinbeau]

This year I'm trying something new. I planted potatoes in our garden up in Maine. We don't use that garden, because there are too many deer, but I found out they don't eat potatoes! So, we're giving it a shot. If it works out I'll be a Maine Potato Farmer every year, I love fresh, homegrown potatoes! I've got an assortment up there, reds, blues, Yukon Gold, Swedish Peanut, I can't remember them all. Down here I've got Banana Fingerlings, French Fingerlings (I love fingerling taters, they are delish!) and Yukon Golds. Hopefully next season I won't take up garden space here with potatoes.

Here's a shot of the garden, and me planting the potatoes:

Greg keeps the garden open just because. I brought up some other plants I'm hoping won't be deer salad, I think the Borage they'll devour, but the bees love it - and Datura, they love that, too - I don't think the deer will like them, but we'll see! There's a lot of room up there, but the long-legged forest rats are thick up there!

 

[Greenthumb18]

Wow !! thats going to be a lot of potatoes you'll harvest. At least you dont have to worry about the deer, why dont you just put up a fence to stop the deer?

Good Luck

 

[Rosalind]

Crikey, you must eat a lot of fries and hashbrowns. Deer definitely do not eat potatoes, I had some in my current garden long before I had appropriate fencing.

Happy mulching and digging!

 

[Texan]

This year I'm trying something new. I planted potatoes in our garden up in Maine. We don't use that garden, because there are too many deer, but I found out they don't eat potatoes! So, we're giving it a shot. If it works out I'll be a Maine Potato Farmer every year, I love fresh, homegrown potatoes! I've got an assortment up there, reds, blues, Yukon Gold, Swedish Peanut, I can't remember them all. Down here I've got Banana Fingerlings, French Fingerlings (I love fingerling taters, they are delish!) and Yukon Golds. Hopefully next season I won't take up garden space here with potatoes.

Here's a shot of the garden, and me planting the potatoes:

http://annzoid.com/Gardens/sm-maineveggiegarden.jpg

Greg keeps the garden open just because. I brought up some other plants I'm hoping won't be deer salad, I think the Borage they'll devour, but the bees love it - and Datura, they love that, too - I don't think the deer will like them, but we'll see! There's a lot of room up there, but the long-legged forest rats are thick up there!

I need to be smart enough to plant stuff for the bees next year. Or I need to get me some bees

 

[obsessed]

How are you going to hill that big of a garden?

 

[digitS']

Beautiful soil, Ann.

I gotta say I have had deer "sample" my potato vines. They've also been darn hard on the tomato vines . . .

Still, it is well worth a try - especially considering that venison stew with lots of potatoes is really good!

Steve

 

[Reinbeau]

How are you going to hill that big of a garden?

There's only one row of potatoes in there, and I hilled them yesterday. We aren't planting anything else this year, this is a trial balloon. I really want to figure out some deer-proof veggies I can plant up there that'll take biweekly watering (watering is a big issue).

The potatoes have leaped out of the ground, I was amazed. Hopefully we'll get a good harvest out of that test patch!

 

[miron28]

good luck

 

[Mackay]

I just came across these ideas to keep deer away from the garden but I agree, a tall fence is probably the easiest.

Don't know which ones work!

Step
1
Grate a strong smelling soap around your plant beds. Some people will also tie soap bars to trees and bushes to keep deer away from a specific plant.

Step
2
Sprinkle a mixture of red and black pepper, garlic and curry powder on and around plants deer like to eat to keep them away from your garden. Since this mixture will disappear when it rains, be sure to spread it out again after rain storms or after heavy watering sessions.

Step
3
Try mixing a beaten egg with water and spraying on plants and around flower beds to keep deer away from your garden. Again, this will have to be reapplied after rains or heavy watering.

Step
4
Use a commercial deer-repellent such as Deer-Off or Deer-Away. You can also try drops of animal urine such as coyote in your gardening beds.( I can see us now trying to catch some coyote urine! ) But then I just found this: Predator Urine: Wolves are the natural predator of deer. Wolf urine can be purchased at the local garden centers and I have great luck with it. It will make your garden smell like a dog kennel though.Some people report that human urine can work as well. Maybe just having a fierce dog around to chase them off?

Step
5
Plant plants deer won't eat such as Lady's Mantle, Butterfly Weed, Foxglove, St. John's Wort, Lavender, Daffodil, Poppy and most pungent herbs.

Step
6
Sprinkle human hair around your planting beds. Ask your hairdresser or a barber to save you a large bag next time you go in for your hair cut.

Step
7
Put a fence around your property to keep deer out. Some people have luck with tying white plastic shopping bags on the fence every couple of feet. The noise and movement of the plastic bags seems to scare deer and keep them away. A variation on the fence is to try a deer protection net. These nets are less obvious than a fence and may be more aesthetically pleasing to your garden.

 

[jamespm_98]

I have successfully used the plastic bag trick, however it is not very pretty. In fact if you look on my page at my garden pics back in 2006 you can see the plastic bags hanging on some string around the garden.