Rural Water

Winelover

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
Cindy grows only a few cherry tomato plants (in front of the house) and some herbs that the deer won't consume. She planted some okra, this year............within ten yards of the food plot. We'll see if they survive the deer herd.
 
Winelover

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
Our deer won't touch chives, rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil or lemon balm. Surprisingly, they do like dill weed. This year we started using liquid fence on the coneflowers, milkweed and butterfly weed along with some other vegetation we don't eat and don't want the deer or rabbits to eat. Seems to be working, the last two weeks. Normally the butterfly weed flowers are consumed just when they are starting to bloom. They been untouched, so far.

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Just took this photo out the kitchen window. Couple evenings ago seen two deer within ten feet of this plant.
 
R

richhodg66

Well-Known Member
Deer don't eat squash? Good to know, I love squash.

Keeping critters out will be a problem. Part of living out here is enjoying the wildlife. I walked out the side door to the house last night at dusk and there's a BIG bobcat sitting there calmly looking at me. Stayed for a couple of minutes and wandered off. A few years ago, I'd have tried to get a gun and kill it, but I'm not raising chickens and don't have an outside cat at the moment, so couldn't see a reason. Had it been a coyote...

Zuchini I've heard is real easy to grow and most people end up with a bunch they can't give away. I like it and it seems to be a pretty nourishing vegetable so it's on my list of things to start on.

This whole thing is three or four years out, but I should probably be prepping the plot and learning more about it.
 
R

richhodg66

Well-Known Member
There's a Chinese buffet place in town, took over the Shoney's building about 25 years ago and has been almost the only non-fast food chain place to stay in business more than just a few years.

Anyway, they have breaded, fried zuchinni slices on that place most of the time, first item I head to when we go there. That stuff could get addictive real easy.

I love squash, just about any type and any way you cook it, so does my youngest boy. Wife and oldest boys are so damn picky I can't understand sometimes how they managed to grow to adulthood and nither will even try it. I'm gonna grow a bunch of it anyway.
 
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Ian

Ian

Notorious member
as far as I know, deer won't eat any kind of gourd plant or fruit. I sure will though, from watermelon to pumpkin, patty-pan to acorn squash, "yaller", butter, zucchini, all good. I slice and grill yaller squash with an olive oil wash and salt/pepper. Squash takes a lot of water, only drawback. Mulch with hay to keep the gourds off the dirt and moisture in, best if partial sun so plant around the base of your fruit trees.
 
JonB

JonB

Halcyon member
My veggie farmer friend grows about 2 acres each, of watermelon and winter squash.
The deer in his part of MN will eat young immature squash, but they leave the watermelon alone...also they leave the mature squash alone.
I will have to get some photos this summer, if ya' all don't believe it.
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
water melon,, i wish.
i did finally grow one vine after 3 years of total concentration on making it happen, and got 2 edible melons that were pretty good actually.
i don't even like water melon, i'm just stubborn.

just cause Deer won't eat something, doesn't mean something else won't.[raccoons]
i have to watch the birds here, they'll eat all of the berries i grow, peck at the apples and cherry's etc.
 
Winelover

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
Pumpkin is a squash. Deer will eat pumpkins. I watched them eat the ones I put out back after Cindy's done using them for Halloween decorations. Did the same thing in Michigan.
 
Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Ours get eaten every fall. Saw once buck eat a small gourd whole.
 
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