Why Are Deer Eating My Tomatoes?

[ChrisHaycox]

I thought tomato plants were poisonous but the deer that come through my garden eat all parts of my plants. what's that about?

[DoubleDogFarm]

Not sure. My ducks ate a flat of tomato seedlings. 18 plants about 6" tall with no ill effects.

Eric

[rainbowgardener]

That's mostly a myth. Tomato plants have a mildly toxic alkaloid in them, tomatine, but mainly it's insecticidal. Part of the plant's way of protecting themselves from insect pests. Obviously it doesn't harm the deer. Here's an article about it, that says: a controlled study in Israel in 1996 showed no ill effects when cattle ate tomato vines for 42 days.

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/29/dining/29curi.html?pagewanted=all

this guy cooks with tomato leaves and says the tomatine may actually be anti- carcinogenic and beneficial to the immune system.

When I used to have deer in my garden, at my previous location, they mostly only ate the tomatoes though, perhaps with a bit of the greenery around them. They never bothered my tomato plants until they had tomatoes on them. Perhaps you have extra hungry deer!

[CharlieBear]

Unfortunately there is no such thing as a deer proof plant that anyone knows of. There are plants that deer aren't very fond of, but if they are hungry enough they will eat almost anything as the forest rangers in the maritime NW found out one year when food was in extremely short supply for the deer. Needless, to say the legistlature reconcidered dropping in hay.
In many places people simply have to put up fences around their gardens to keep the deer out. It can be simple like wildlife netting tied to stakes up to chain link. Sometimes, planting things they really like around the outskirts of the property will on the side away from the garden will help, but not always.

[DeborahL]

Here comes a question I hope doesn't alienate anyone.
I understand that deer can destroy a garden and the food we need. Does anyone feed deer purposely to keep them from eating crops? Or would that just plain be too expensive to get hay or something?
I once saw on the news, helicopters dropping bales of hay for starving deer. It made quite an impression on me.

[TheWaterbug]

a controlled study in Israel in 1996 showed no ill effects when cattle ate tomato vines for 42 days.

True, but keep in mind that nontoxic to one animal doesn't imply nontoxic to other animals. Chocolate's not toxic to me, other than making me fat

[Gary350]

Tylenol is deadly to a lot of animals especially dogs.

[lakngulf]

I agree that deer will eat anything when push comes to shove, or they get hungry enough. I have seen them strip tomato plants---I came up one unexpectedly one day and the doe and I were eyeball to eyeball. She bolted.

When the deer stripped my okra plants of all leaves one year I concluded "they will eat anything"

I have also heard about feeding them to keep them from the garden. A fence is less expensive in the long run.

[lakngulf]

These guys stripped some okra plants on Saturday night

[img]https://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/lakngulf/001-mcl-2011/PICT0036.jpg[/img]

[rlc]

I have heard, but not proven, to keep deer away, go to your hair dresser and sweep up some hair an drop it around your garden, they don't like the smell of hair or humans

[ruggr10]

It's just too bad the US banned land mines... they would take care of em!

[treehopper]

I have had excellent protection using those "scarecrow sprinklers" w/motion detector built in...however, the deer will come and test every night, and the first battery failure (9v batteries do not last for weeks) it's "game on" and usually I lose...

[Yellowsnow]

Deer will browse on just about anything, but I've never had a problem with tomato plants.

The best way I have found to keep the deer away is Milorganite. I will hang small cotton bags of it on the rabbit fence around my garden. It's a trick that is used in the fruit orchards around here. It is a natural fertilizer that deer do not like. Seems to work pretty well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milorganite

[RickRS]

My aunt reports good results using clear fishing line around the garden: two strands about knee high and chest high. It spooks the deer when they can't see what touching them.

[dustyrivergardens]

7mm rem mag works wonders for me... lol nothing I know really works but really tall fences and remembering to shut them. I don't have deer problems but at my daughters we have elk and javalina problems the javalina will dig up all your root crops and the elk take care of the above ground greenery.

[GardenGnome]

I'm doing a double fence of twine 3 feet apart from each other. I bought solar lights for a dollar each and have them by the fence so the deer won't walk into them. You think they will just walk threw it? Also they say if you get an irish spring soap from the dollar store.
And out it in water and spray your plants the deer won't. Eat them I've had deer eat grapefruit sized pumpkins.