Yes, deer eat turnip plants with enthusiasm and will strip your greens clean in a single night. They go after the leafy tops first and then dig up the roots in fall and winter when their other food runs short. If you live near woods or open fields, your turnips are at serious risk without some form of protection in place.
I found this out the hard way one October morning in my deer turnip garden plot. I walked out and saw nothing but bare stems where green tops had been the night before. A small herd had jumped my 4-foot fence and eaten every leaf off three full rows of turnips. The roots were fine since they hadn't dug those up yet, but without leaves the plants stopped growing for good. That was the day I decided to upgrade my fence to something that could keep them out for real.
Deer love all Brassica family plants, and turnips rank high on their list. Hunters and wildlife managers plant entire food plots of turnips on purpose to draw deer during hunting season. The high sugar content in fall turnip greens and roots makes them a top choice for deer looking to bulk up before winter. If hunters use turnips as bait, that tells you just how much deer crave this crop.
The only way to protect turnips from deer with full confidence is a fence that is 8 feet (2.4 m) tall or higher. Deer can clear anything shorter with a running jump. That height sounds extreme, but standard deer netting comes in 8-foot rolls and goes up fast with metal T-posts every 10 feet apart. I spent one Saturday morning putting up a netting fence around my veggie garden and haven't lost a single plant to deer since then.
A tall fence may not work for every yard or budget. Several other methods can cut down deer visits to your beds.
Motion Activated Sprinklers
- Coverage area: Each unit covers about 1,000 square feet (93 sq m) of garden space with a burst of water and noise.
- Placement tip: Aim the sensor toward the path deer use to enter your yard for the fastest response time.
- Downside: Deer can get used to them over a few weeks, so move the unit around your garden to keep them guessing.
Repellent Sprays
- How they work: Bad taste and smell keep deer from chewing on sprayed leaves, but you need to reapply every 2 weeks or after rain.
- Best products: Egg-based sprays tend to last longer than garlic-only types and the smell fades fast for humans after drying.
- Timing: Spray in the evening when deer are about to start feeding and the product has all night to dry on the leaves.
Companion Herb Planting
- Strong scents: Lavender, sage, and rosemary planted around your turnip bed can confuse deer noses and mask the crop smell.
- Spacing: Ring your turnip rows with herbs every 12 inches for the best scent barrier around the edges of your beds.
- Limits: Herbs alone won't stop a hungry deer in winter, so pair this method with sprays or fencing for solid results.
Mix two or three methods together for the strongest defense against deer in your garden. A fence plus a spray gives you backup if a deer finds a gap in the netting. Motion sprinklers work great in summer but can freeze up in the cold months. I run fencing and a repellent spray during fall and winter when deer pressure is at its worst.
Your turnips are too good to give away to deer every season. Pick the defense that fits your space and your budget and put it up before your greens get big enough to attract attention. A deer can spot a lush turnip patch from a distance, so don't wait until after the first raid to take action. Protect your crop early and you'll keep every leaf and root for your own table all season long.
Read the full article: Growing Turnips: A Step-by-Step Plan
