Forgot the Irish Spring . . .

[Steve Foss]

. . . and the deer munched my carrot tops for the second time this season. So I just harvested them today. With cropped tops, it would be robbing from the roots to rebuild vegetation. Some carrots were fully developed, most about 3/4. They were Danvers Half Long.

In other years I'd slice Irish Spring soap bars and lay them among the carrots and had no deer issues. Funny how you only have to let your guard down for a little while!

Betweeen that and cold soil temps in June (poor germination with much later reseeding required), I only ended up with 9 pounds of carrots off 40'. Oh well, they'll get sliced, blanched and vacuum packed for freezing.

Next year!

[flipper]

I may have to try that soap next year in our beets. The deer wiped out 4 separate beet plantings. No beet pickles this year.

[Big-Al]

That is not a good deal at all Steve! I have been lucky with deer this year. It seems they have come just to sample a few things and have not any real damage. They chewed off about a foot of my row of carrots about a week ago and I figured I was in for it but they left them alone. About the same time they sampled my second planting of peas and then they left them alone. Next will probably be the asparagus. My biggest worry right now is coons in the corn.

I used to freeze some carrots but never really was very fond of them. Now we just wash them up and throw them in the fridge in perforated plastic bags and they keep just fine well into January or February. Problem is I have got rid of the old energy sucking fridge in the garage so don't have all that storage space anymore. Might just have to try and freeze a few again.

[Steve Foss]

You have to take out the old slices and replace them every two or three weeks for the Irish Spring to keep doing the trick.

We've found that blanched and vacuum packed garden carrots are excellent when thawed. We'd keep them refrigerated as well but, lake many others, don't have that much fridge space.

[Gordie]

Thanks for that tip Steve I have a deer or deer eating the tops of my yellow and green beans they havent hurt the harvest but a few other things were destroyed.

Funny thing is there is a dog kennel very close to the garden the dogs are not in it all the time but it doesnt seem to bother the deer.

With my carrots and those were destroyed this year I usualy let a row go until late fall then cover them up with grass clipping and leaves from the fall drop I mean cover them thick like a couple feet thick and in the de3ad of winter go out and un=cover what I need and harvest ... They are the juciest carrots I have ever had. One year I even went as far as using a part of a concrete frost blanket for protection but the following spring it got tossed but it did help and havent had another to use.

I've had over three foot of leaves on top of them so they wouldnt freeze out and talk about saving freezer space this is it.