A viral gardening tip is giving homeowners a low-cost way to protect flowers, herbs, and vegetables from hungry wildlife.
A content creator says a deer-and-rabbit repellent can be made from common kitchen ingredients, offering a much cheaper option than store-bought sprays.
What's happening?
In an Instagram Reel, a content creator said, "So many of my clients have a problem with deer devouring their gardens, but there's such an easy organic hack to keep them from doing this."
Plants are sprayed with a homemade mixture of two uncooked eggs, a gallon of water, raw garlic cloves, and a tablespoon of chili powder, shaken together in a spray bottle. One commenter echoed the advice by writing, "We do this too! It works!"
The video presented the DIY recipe as costing less than $1 to make, compared with commercial deer repellents that can run $20 or more per bottle.
Why does it matter?
Deer and rabbits can wipe out weeks of work in a night or two, and a budget-friendly repellent can help protect that effort.
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Gardening already comes with a long list of benefits for consumers. Growing produce at home can lower grocery bills, provide access to fresher, often better-tasting fruits and vegetables, and support mental and physical health through time spent outdoors and regular activity.
When pests destroy a crop, those benefits can disappear quickly. Losing lettuce, berries, herbs, or rosebuds means losing food, money, and the satisfaction of harvesting something you grew yourself.
Many gardeners are looking for ways to manage pests without relying on harsher chemical products, especially around edible plants and family gathering spaces.
What can I do?
If you want to test the method yourself, add two uncooked eggs, raw garlic cloves, and a tablespoon of chili powder to a gallon of water, shake it in a spray bottle, and apply it to your plants.
The creator recommended using it on a regular schedule, saying, "Do this every one to two weeks and the deer will not touch them. That's it." The caption also claimed, "And no, it doesn't smell."
The best results typically come from staying consistent and paying attention to which plants are being targeted most often.
If you're interested in more ways to protect your backyard harvest, there are plenty of cost-effective ways to control pests without chemicals.
"Perfect timing for this post. Just found several devoured dahlias today…..prime suspect: the groundhog next door. Hope this works," one commenter said, while another wrote, "I will try this ASAP thank you."
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