I wouldn't think sevin would keep animals away from your plants. It may be racoons bothering your potatoes or wild pigs or even armadillos. Around here Animal Control will come out and set a have-a-heart trap to see if they can catch whatever is causing the problem.

Look up Deervik. It's a product that you dip sticks into (it comes with some sticks, but you may also use your own sticks or small branches). It is the ONLY THING that works on the rabits and chipmunks in my Mother's garden (she does not have deer). The only drawback is that it doesn't seem to work when temps dip below 50.

GGG

If it's ok to use blood meal around vegetables, you might try that-supposedly deer don't like the smell. Dogs do, though(don't ask) so that may be a consideration for you.

I tried the sevin dust and it has appeared to thwart the animals at least over the last couple of nights. I am guessing it probably tastes bad, therefore they left it alone. I read up on the stuff and it is not a highly toxic substance but I don't think I would use it for a long period of time. It is mostly used as a flea and tick control product for chickens and dogs and may be useful for ants and aphid control. I bought some blood meal and since I am harvesting the potatos next weekend anyway, will try it around those first. Nothing is digging into the beds, just eating the leaves.

We do have armadillos and possum. Armadillos eat grubs and aphids and although I think they are the nastiest critters, they do keep the ant population down as they are continually digging in their mounds. I figured it was deer eating the vegetables because they are snapping off the bean leaf from the upper runners, about 4 feet off the ground without pulling them down.

As far as animal control goes they will only come out for dangerous animals and then only if they are threatening, we have pit vipers (rattlers, cotton mouths etc.) out here in abundance which is probably why we have few problems with small animals. I've not encountered one mouse or spotted one rabbit on our property. We did have a mole in early spring. I discovered though that moles are actually helpful. He tilled my soil for me before I planted. I only had to hoe behind him and lay my bedding soil. I found out by accident that those spinners you put in your garden that move when the wind blows may be helpful in keeping moles out of your beds after planting, it seems that moles don't like vibration. After I planted I bought 4 of those things, 1 for each bed (I thought they were cute). He burrowed all around the outside of my beds but not in them.

I appreciate everyones response. I hope I gave back something of interest.

I have my garden fenced BUT they could jump it with ease.
2 sides are guarded by dogs but I have 2 sides that do not. I have taken some computer CD rom disk and tied them all over the garden. The flip around in the breeze and shine like mirrors. Often times they flop around and bang and make some noise depending on where I have them tied. I also have a wind chime for noise. I have no idea if this will work, but I gave it a go. This is my first year at gardening and it all looks so good. It would make me ill if the deer got in, but I know it can happen. I also plan to cut some hair off the dogs and spread it around near the fence. Best of luck, I know how frustrating it must be.

I have my garden fenced BUT they could jump it with ease.
2 sides are guarded by dogs but I have 2 sides that do not. I have taken some computer CD rom disk and tied them all over the garden. The flip around in the breeze and shine like mirrors. Often times they flop around and bang and make some noise depending on where I have them tied. I also have a wind chime for noise. I have no idea if this will work, but I gave it a go. This is my first year at gardening and it all looks so good. It would make me ill if the deer got in, but I know it can happen. I also plan to cut some hair off the dogs and spread it around near the fence. Best of luck, I know how frustrating it must be.

I have my garden fenced BUT they could jump it with ease.
2 sides are guarded by dogs but I have 2 sides that do not. I have taken some computer CD rom disk and tied them all over the garden. The flip around in the breeze and shine like mirrors. Often times they flop around and bang and make some noise depending on where I have them tied. I also have a wind chime for noise. I have no idea if this will work, but I gave it a go. This is my first year at gardening and it all looks so good. It would make me ill if the deer got in, but I know it can happen. I also plan to cut some hair off the dogs and spread it around near the fence. Best of luck, I know how frustrating it must be.

I know this problem well. I finally put up an electric fence and that seems to help with the deer. However, the rabbits have finally completed the meal with all of my 3 foot high sunflowers. I am sick as my dad had given me seeds from his garden. I know it is a rabbit because I seem it hopping around here. With deer, I find nothing helps but electric fencing...and even that sometimes doesn't. I am going to get the Deevik today alond with some steel post,chicken wire, and a BB Gun.
Debs

Hi, NightFolly! I'm still learning myself after having many baby plants disappear but have been informed by an expert that a real key is to stop them right from the getgo before they get used to coming to your garden. Before that a lot of stuff may work okay and some very well; after that apparently only fencing and some very expensive chemical repellents are effective.

Also, apparently studies have shown that, when they specifically want in your garden, scary or unpleasant stuff will work about three times (!) before they start ignoring it. So much for the expensive motion-activated sprinklers our son bought me. We wouldn't have minded forgetting and walking into them so often ourselves if only they'd worked. And I've stopped asking my husband to go pee outside, too.

To keep deer from getting used to coming in and browsing its baby plant collection, our new local arboretum is using a low-voltage 2 or 3-strand electric fence, with frequently renewed peanut butter smeared in foil hanging on it to encourage them to come experience it. They could jump it easily, but the peanut butter thing apparently keeps them from getting around to realizing that.

They also usually won't jump over barriers when they can't see where they're going to be landing. Since I'm on a hill, my eventual plan is to plant some large clumps of very dense shrubs around my intensive garden near the house and once they grow together connect them with stretches of picket fence--with the outside downhill slope also covered with lower dense shrubbery. The rest will be shared with the deer. That's the plan anyway! Best wishes, Rosie

I also wondered about a "living" fence if that would work. Say for instance the Leland Cypress or a very thorny 8' rose plant.