Here’s how to make a natural deer and rabbit repellant that will keep rabbits and deer at bay—without adding harmful chemicals to your garden…or your diet. [Note: it won't cause any permanent damage to the pests, either. It just gives them a rather hot mouth for a little while!]
Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups water
2 Tbs. hot sauce
2 Tbs. ground red pepper
2 Tbs. garlic powder
Instructions:
Mix the above ingredients and let the sauce sit out for two days. (Note: The mixture will smell like rotten eggs and garlic, so either keep it covered or set it outside.)
Pour natural repellant into a squeeze bottle. (A clean, recycled mustard or ketchup bottle will do nicely.)
As soon as plants emerge from the soil, squeeze a small amount of the natural repellant on each one. There’s no need to reapply after a rain storm, since the egg will make the hot sauce, garlic, and peppers stick to the plant.
The hot sauce won’t hurt the growing plant, but it will deter pests from eating the entire crop. An added benefit is that bees don’t seem to mind the smell, so they’ll still pollinate the plants.
I store any remaining natural deer and rabbit repellant in a sealed canning jar, like this one.
Note: You want to apply this to the plants as soon as possible, before any blooms appear. I don’t recommend putting it directly on the part of the plant you plan to eat. The good news is that the deer especially have good memories. Once they taste the hot sauce, they probably won’t be back, thanks to the strong, pungent garlic smell.
Does the repellent stink to us as well? What if I am growing strawberries and don’t want my strawberries to taste like rotting eggs and garlic?
Hi, Deanna. Yes, the repellant stinks to us as well, and I would definitely not put it directly on the fruit or vegetable you’re trying to protect. Instead, I apply it to the plants when they first sprout, before any blossoms appear. The animals have a good memory, and after they taste the repellant once, they will probably not come around again, thanks to the strong garlic smell.
I tried the repellant after some deer chose to munch my day lilies almost to the ground. They never took another bite in the nights to follow. I have applied it to all my shrubs (which the deer also seemed to enjoy) and they then left them alone. My neighbor tried to grow hostas, but as someone has said, “Hostas are like candy to deer” and they were enjoying their sweet dessert night after night until I applied the repellant, after which the hostas were able to thrive.