For Mother’s Day the kids built me a raised vegetable garden on the side of the house.
I have wanted a vegetable garden for quite some time now and obviously I can’t have a vegetable garden in the backyard because the dogs would pee all over it.
The side of the house is perfect for my garden. It gets plenty of sun and the dogs don’t have access to it.
The kids planted me regular beefsteak tomatoes, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes. I added green pepper plants in for Gibby.
I have been taking such good care of my garden.
I water it everyday and I even pull the weeds in it.
I don’t pull the weeds outside of the garden but I pull the weeds inside the garden. I don’t want to overdo it and cause my hand to get a cramp. You know what I mean.
My garden has been doing awesome.
My tomatoes plants are about as tall as me and I had my first green peppers the other day.
I was so proud of the peppers that I cut them up and served them at my party last weekend.
I served them in little dixie cups that had dip at the bottom. This way instead of having a veggie tray where everyone was double dipping, each person had their own little cup of dip and they could double dip as much as they wanted!
I cut the other pepper up for Gibby. He loved it.
Anyway, the other night I went out to water the garden and this is what I saw:
Something ate both my pepper plants!
I know who it was.
It was her.
I know it was her because she has been hanging around the house lately with her little entourage.
She usually eats my neighbor’s trees, which is fine with me, but now she’s in my territory. She’s not just eating the pepper plant, she’s also munching on the cucumber plants and I’m pretty sure she took a bite or two out of the tomato plant.
She may be pretty, but I have a problem with her.
I was willing to let one pepper plant go, but not two, and I will not sacrifice another plant to her.
So how am I going to stop her from ruining my garden?
Good question.
Here is what the experts say:
Get a dog. Deer are said to be afraid of dogs.
Awesome. I have 3 of them, but 1 will do.
Now what? Keep him in a sit and stay for the rest of the summer?
Several sources said that a dogs scent is a natural repellent for deer, so what I have been doing is walking the dogs in front of the garden several times a day.
I have also been letting them pee around the garden.
Not pee IN the garden, that would be gross. I have been letting them pee around the perimeter of the garden. Many sites stated that coyote urine will repel deer. I don’t have a coyote but I have dogs.
Close enough, right?
We’ll see.
I even left a bowl of dog pee sitting right outside the garden.
Yes……I had Leroy pee in a bowl.
He didn’t mind.
Pretty ironic that I wanted a garden somewhere where the dogs couldn’t pee on it and now I am using their pee to warn off deer.
Sorry if that was too much information.
Anyway, I also put a pinwheel in the garden and a nightlight motion detector.
Pretty scary right?
We’ll see.
I’ll let you know next week how this all works out for me and the deer, maybe sooner if she eats the rest of my garden!








Jodi says:
OMG you made me laugh, you really had the dog pee in a bowl? You are even crazier than I am! LOL
That first picture, with the way his leash is hanging, it almost looks like you have padlocked him to the stakes.
Jen says:
Yep. I had him pee in a bowl. He’s use to it, I cjeck his urine all the time at work because I am paranoid! My neighbor was out when I was doing it and she was like, “What are you doing?” Yeah-she thinks I”m nuts!
Jodi says:
Oh and I forgot to mention, what a great idea to have the dip in the bottom of the cups, I am always watchful around dip….:-)
Jen says:
Ha-ha! Thanks! My mother-in-law gave me the idea!
Christie, Describe Happy says:
Hahaha, I’m laughing so hard. Welcome to gardening in the woods. Or atleast in deer territory. I feel ya. We have a few that regularly hang out and graze on the property. I wanted to recommend Liquid Fence to you. You can get it at Home Depot for a few bucks. It’s a garlic-rotten egg spray that dries to no smell (for humans) and keeps the animals away. I’ve used it with good success even with all our chipmunks and woodchucks and rabbits and deer and feral cats. You get the idea. Happy gardening!
Jen says:
Thank you for the tip Christie! I will have to get that spray the next time I go to Home Depot! Maybe this weekend!
Pamela says:
Bwa ha ha ha! Yep, you’re crazy. But not as crazy as my friend trying to keep woodchucks out of her rural garden. She had her husband and sons pee on the garden. And when it didn’t seem to do the trick, she joined them.
At least the deer is eating your pepper plants. The squirrels just dig in my bed looking for compost scraps and leave the upended plants in their wake. It’s heartbreaking. I’d rather they ate them.
Jen says:
I have heard that human urine works too! For some reason I can’t see my husband peeing around the garden, especially because my neighbor is always sitting outside!
That stinks that the squirrels dig up the plants and just leave them! That would make me so mad!
Lana says:
My question is *How* did you get Leroy to pee in a bowl!? Hahaha! I think dogs do a pretty good job of keeping the deer away from a garden. We used to have a huge garden and the deer never ate it. My dogs on the other hand did eat it….their favorites were green beans and tomatoes. I’ll never forget the first time I saw my two huge Golden Retrievers walking back and forth down the rows picking all the green beans.
Jen says:
LOL, it one of my very few gifts that working at a vet clinic has given me! The ability to catch urine in a bowl, laddel, cup, you name it!
I bet if I would leave Leroy out by the garden he would have it gone in no time!
caren gittleman says:
first, I just pinned your idea of serving peppers in dixie cups with the dip at the bottom!! Genius!!
I feel so bad about the deer eating your plants but yes, she IS sooo pretty!
I am hoping that the mighty Leroy’s scent keeps her away for good! Looking forward to updates
Jen says:
LOL, thanks for the pin Caren! I have to give my mother-in-law credit for the idea! I think she read about it in a magazine:)
The deer is beautiful, but not as beautiful as she was when she eating the neighbor’s trees:))))
Two French Bulldogs says:
We love your garden. There is nothing better than fresh veggies
Benny & Lily
Jen says:
Thank you and your are right! I had my first cucumber from the garden the other day and it was so good!
Phantom, Thunder, Ciara, and Lightning says:
Great idea about the little cups for dip and veggies. Perfect for little kids parties too.
We have heard that scattering dog fur will ward off rabbits and deer, and you know that both you and we have lots of that:) But so far Mom says it does little to deter the little rabbits from our yard – they are just plain dumb.
Good luck with the garden – nothing beats fresh grown veggies.
Woos – Phantom, Thunder, Ciara, and Lightning
Jen says:
Thank you! The kids were the main reason for doing it, they are always double dipping, now I just need to figure out what to do with chips and dips!
I may have to try the hair thing, it’s not like that is hard to come by!
I’m going to have to keep my eye out for rabbits to, I know they are lurking too!
Brenda says:
I had issues of deer coming up into my yard. Freaked me out cause we’d put my pittie outside at night and even though we have flood lights, BOOM there’s a deer. A friend told me cut up (slices) some Irish Spring soap. Others said human urine. So, yes I PEED in a jar and made a barrier where the deer were coming in. Then I sliced up a few bars of soap and laid that on top the pee barrier. Trust me, it WORKS!
Last for about a month, then repeat.
Good luck!
Jen says:
Irish Spring soap! I have that! Thanks for the idea! I did read about the human urine too, not quite sure if I can bring myself to do that…..yet:)
Crystal says:
That pinwheel sure is scary!
And, my mom’s garden gets eaten by deer, whether she has a dog or not. The deer come at night. At night, the dogs are sleeping happily in the house, and aren’t about to get up and chase deer. The deer do not seem to care in the least about the dog smell. (Both of my dogs, however, have been trained to chase deer, thanks to many visits to the mom’s house where she encourages this behavior. Not so helpful when hiking, however.)
Jen says:
LOL! I know! I put it in the garden and thought, geesh could it look any cuter, maybe I should paint it!
The only thing I am thinking about the dog scent-urine is that Sherman and Leroy are intact so it will have a stronger smell.
So how do you get them to not go after a deer when you are hiking? That’s got to be tough!
Stefanie says:
Oh my goodness! Pee in a bowl! That is hilarious!!! I also want to know how you got him to pee in the bowl.
I know it may look ugly – but sometimes netting will work too. I don’t have a deer problem – but I do have a rather fierce looking bird that will dig up my plants and destroy my garden if I don’t have the netting to stop it. War with nature – gotta love it. On the one hand – I love nature and all the creatures – but not so much their sometimes destructive tendencies. Especially on a beautiful garden that you work so hard to maintain!
Jen says:
My neighbor told me about the netting last night, it might have to come that if the deer don’t deter!
Leroy doesn’t pay attention when he pees, as long as the bowl doesn’t tough him he has no idea! Working at the vet has given me lots of practice, it’s a hidden talent:)
sprinkles says:
Guess I’m pretty lucky in that we don’t have deer here. Well, we do. But I live in the middle of town and there’s no deer walking the streets here.
I hope your plan works!
Jen says:
You are lucky! We live on a pretty busy street but we have woods in the back and across the street!
Bassetmomma says:
Ha!Ha! I can’t believe you have a bowl of pee by your garden! That’s hilarious! You’ve got to admit that Bambi is pretty cute though. I love the veggie and dip in glasses idea!
Jen says:
I know, but I had to do what I had to do to protect the veggies:)))) Bambi is pretty, but she is a problem!
2 brown dawgs says:
I am laughing a Leroy peeing in the bowl. I guess it is a big bowl. Let us know how the dog pee works.
When my sis used to garden, it seems to me she used dried blood or blood meal to keep deer out. Of course I could be remembering wrong too.
Jen says:
The bowl isn’t as big as you would think:) Lucky for me he is a marker and has good aim:)
I checked the garden this afternoon and no sign of a deer intrusion! I did the same thing again tonight with the boys!
I read about the blood too!
houndstooth says:
I’ve heard that lining the garden with dog hair that they’ve shed will help deter the deer, too! Also, tying pie tins to the tomato cages with some twine might help, too. Those deer are tough to scare off!
Jen says:
I heard that too, and too think I have been throwing all that hair away! The pin tins is a good idea too, the only think I keep thinking about with that is the garden is right under Gracie’s window and if those pie tins start banging in the middle of the night she is going to freak out!
kristi says:
I have no comment other than I seriously don’t think we are related.
Jen says:
Excuse me, aren’t your free roaming sheep or goats eating your garden and MY pumpkins? Pretty soon you are going to be begging me for some of Sherman or Leroy’s pee!
Julie says:
Next time I think you should include a video of “how to get a newfie to pee in a small bowl”
We had deer that ate our entire garden. I tried everything!! Putrescent egg spray (ugh, it was horrible!), soap, all those silly things that the internet says, but never dog pee . . and that would have been so easy! I hope it works!
Jen says:
Let me just tell you, it is not a very pretty site and there is usually a bit of spillage!
Jessica @ YouDidWhatWithYourWeiner says:
I have heard of beer for slugs but dog pee for deer…that is a new one on me
Makes sense though. I am amazed that you got Leroy to pee in the bowl though.
And great idea on the peppers and the Dixie cups.
Jen says:
My Neighbor told me to put beer in my garden to keep the slugs away! So far I haven’t seen any slugs, but I might try that!
Misty Shores Chesapeakes says:
Love this post, your words not the deer intrusion
Made me laugh at how you told the story.
I hope the pee works!
What a great idea on serving the peppers, I hate double dipping
Jen says:
Thanks! The pee does seem to be working!
Kristine says:
This is all very interesting but it’s the pee in the bowl that I find the most fascinating. How did you get him to do that? Does he urinate on command? Do male dogs really just pee everywhere?
Also, those vegetables look so crisp and delicious. I would have been so proud as well. I hope you can convince thoses deer to find their snacks elsewhere.
Jen says:
No he does not pee on command, I wish. and yes my male dogs pee everywhere and everywhere:)
I hope I can convince the deer to go back to snacking on my neighbors trees!
Nichole says:
I was LOL reading this post… and that okay, since you and I have privately shared your pain in this…
Here’s hoping the “natural” deterent does the trick! And thanks for the AWESOME tip on the peppers and dip – LOVE that idea of individual little cups with dip already in them! Genious!
Jen says:
I bet you don’t have to sprinkle pee around pots! I thought about you during this!
Pip says:
My mother-in-law swears by pepper (as in black, cayenne, etc) water. She sprays it around her plants and the deer won’t come near it.
Jen says:
Oh, that’s a good one! Thanks Pip!
Kari says:
You trained your dog to pee in a bowl??????
Stop on by for a visit
Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com
Jen says:
Explanation coming tomorrow:)))
Roo says:
OMD! BOL! Oh Mom and I are just ROLLIN! Hahahahhaha! We started smilin when we saw your Mom’s Day garden. It’s sooo wonderful! And our smiles got bigger when we saw your harvest in a cup for your guests then we started to chuckle at the ‘go ahead and double dip’ design, then we fell out when you started paradin Leroy and Sherman in front to the garden to get their scent around it BOL! and then have them pee OUTSIDE the garden (k, on the floor now) BUTT you sent us into true fits of laughter when you put the BOWL of PEE in the Garden BOL! OMD! HILARIOUS!!! Still laughin here
We just luv you
Waggin at ya,
Roo
Jen says:
Thanks so much Roo! I am glad I could make you and your mom chuckle!
bichonpawz says:
Holy Cow Jen! You really are my hero! You taught Leroy to pee in a bowl???? OMG! You make me laugh!!! Sure do hope it works for you!! xo
Jeanne
Jen says:
LMAO, You guys are making me laugh! I didn’t teach Leroy to pee in a bowl, I swear! He has no idea that he is peeing in a bowl, I’ll explain tomorrow!
Jen K says:
lol! Trying to coordinate Leroy peeing in a bowl must have been hilarious! “Are you testing me for steroids? I swear I’m clean!”
Too funny.
I’ve never tried planting a vegetable garden, but I do plant flowers and the bunnies eat them. It is frustrating. I always plant a perimeter of marigolds because they are rumoured to deter rabbits. This is at least partially true, because the rabbits don’t touch them, but will still crawl around and munch on my daisies.
I’ve heard human hair can also deter deer – anyone in need of a trim?
Jen says:
Leroy’s little pee-pee dance is what makes it tough!
This is my second year at a veggie garden, last year was kind of a trial run. I have heard that marigolds help with bugs too, I was going to plant them this year and then I forgot.
Human hair around the garden grosses me out, dog though is doable!
jet says:
Hey Leroy, Hey Sherman, Jet here. Hi Miss Jen.
As we scrolled down at first we had big smiley faces, as sweet red peppers are one of my favorite foods. Then we frowned when reading about dear Bambi stealing Miss Jen’s precious agriculture. Then we giggled when we read the clever measures Miss Jen is using to ward Bambi and entourage off!
Jen says:
Sweet red peppers are my fav too!