Skip to Content

Do Deer Eat Watermelon, Cucumbers, Celery & Raspberries?

Deers living in the wild prefer to consume food such as grass, nuts, forbs, and many more plant-based foods. These provide them with the nutrients necessary to keep them healthy.

Similarly, if you own a deer, you should feed them food that they enjoy and are also beneficial to their overall health.

Do deer eat watermelon?

Deers love eating watermelons, especially when the fruit ripens fully. They will actively seek it out because they enjoy eating the Lycopene of watermelon. They reach it by making holes in the rind of the watermelon, then scoop out the crimson flesh and eat it by chewing.

The Lycopene is located in the center of the watermelon, it is normally very sweet and juicy which makes it such a favorite food among deers.

And the best part is, watermelons are a great source of vitamins such as vitamin A, B6, and C along with antioxidants and amino acids. All of these are very beneficial for deers.

Do deer eat watermelon rinds, watermelon vines, plants & leaves?

Deers avoid eating watermelon rinds. They just make holes in the rind to reach the Lycopene but almost never eat the rind as it is tough which makes it hard for deers to chew it and it also lacks any sort of taste.

Deers will munch on watermelon vines, plants, and leaves with no qualms if they are hungry and unable to find any ripe watermelons nearby.

How to keep deer from eating watermelons?

As deer love to eat watermelons so much, it is easy to imagine what will transpire if they stumble upon a watermelon patch while they are wondering about it.

Even though they don’t damage the plants as much as coyotes while eating the fruit, it is still best not to encourage them. So, here are some tips that might come in handy if you are trying to protect your watermelons.

Irish Spring soap:

Deer dislikes the smell of Irish Spring soap. So, if those are available, you can put them inside small bags made of any mesh or net material and attach the bags to sticks.

Now, drive those sticks in the ground where the watermelon patch is, you will probably have to place a few of those to keep them away.

Irish Spring Men's Deodorant Bar Soap, Original Scent - 3.7 ounces (24 Count)

Put a fence:

In case there are too many deers around, the best solution would be to put a fence around your watermelon patch. It should be sturdy and tall enough to stop the deers from jumping over the fence.

Feitore Deer Fence Netting, 7 x 100 Feet Bird Netting Anti Bird Deer Protection Net Reusable Protective Garden Netting for Plants Fruit Trees Vegetables Against Birds, Deer and Other Animals

Do deer eat cucumbers?

Deer are not very fond of cucumbers and will avoid eating them usually. As they don’t like to consume food with prickly peels such as cucumber. They might eat cucumbers only if they are very hungry and absolutely no other food is available at that moment.

Deers are known to enjoy eating a great variety of different fruits, vegetables, and nuts. But the hairy texture of cucumber peels, along with the thorny vines and leaves make it such an unappetizing food for deers that they avoid eating it even when it is available in abundance.

Do deer eat cucumbers vines, plants & leaves?

Deer don’t like to eat cucumber vines, plants, or leaves along with cucumbers. But chances are they will rather eat cucumber vines, plants, or leaves rather than eating the cucumber itself as they don’t like it at all.

How to keep deer from eating cucumber & cucumber plants?

Deers don’t usually like to eat cucumber or cucumber plants. But if you notice the deers in your area entering and eating the cucumbers you are trying to grow, then there are a few safety measures you can take to stop it.

The smell of egg:

There are few scents and tastes which work like a charm in deterring deers completely. One of them would be the smell of egg or any egg-based products.

This makes Deer Away, Bobbex, and Liquid Courage such great products when it comes to keeping deers away from your cucumber patch.

Cucumbers are a deer repellent:

Cucumbers are a deer repellent in itself, due to the thorny peels and leaves but the best way to keep the deer away is by using physical protection.

That means any sort of covers or fences such as plastic netting, which is very helpful at keeping deers away.

Do deer eat celery?

Deers eat celery without any problem or much prompting. And since it has a ton of nutritional value, it can be very beneficial for the deers. Therefore, adding celery to your deer’s diet can be a good thing as it will help their overall physical health.

Even though it can be beneficial for them, try not to feed them celery in large quantities. Food like celery causes us, humans, to lose weight and it will have a similar effect on deers too. So, constantly feeding them celery and nothing else can cause their untimely demise.

Do deer eat celery tops/leaves & celery plants?

Deers eat every part of a celery plant such as the leaves at the top and also the plant itself. In fact, they are known to raze celery plants to the ground. So, to keep the celery plant safe, it is best to find ways that will deter the deers from ravishing them completely.

How to keep deer from eating celery plants?

You need to discourage deers from going wild in the garden with celery plants, not only to protect the celery but also the deers. As there can be detrimental effects if they consume too much celery on a daily basis.

And to keep them away you need to take some safety precautions that will help both the celery plants and the deers.

Opaque fencing:

Opaque fencing can come in handy to keep deers away from the celery plants, this especially works because the deers can’t see the celery plants due to the fencing being opaque.

Therefore, they don’t even feel encouraged to leap over it or enter through any possible gaps.

Ohuhu Garden Fence Animal Barrier, 4' x 100' Reusable Netting Plastic Safety Fence Roll, Temporary Pool Fence Snow Fence Economy Construction Fencing Poultry Fence for Deer, Rabbits, Chicken, Dogs

Scare tactics:

Scare tactics work exceptionally well in keeping deers and any other animals away from the celery plants.

You can invest in motion-activated sprinklers for your garden, not only will they scare the deers away as soon as they sense them approaching but also it is an easy way to water the plants.

Redeo Solar Outdoor Cat Repellent Ultrasonic Animal Repeller Deer Deterrent Dog Repellent for Lawn&Garden Yard with Motion Sensor - Scare Birds Away (Green)

Do deer eat raspberries?

Deers are known to love eating raspberries and also blueberries. They especially enjoy eating them when the raspberries are newly grown since they tend to be tender at this stage. So, basically, deers are fond of the first-year canes of raspberries as opposed to the fruiting canes.

Since they enjoy it so much it would be a great addition to their diet.

But the best part is while being sweet and delicious, raspberries carry a lot of good vitamins such as vitamin C, K, E, and also iron, potassium, and manganese, which all work together to improve the deer’s health from within.

Do deer eat raspberry leaves and bushes?

Deers will eat raspberry leaves and bushes while also enjoying the actual fruit. However, in tough times they are known to munch solely on the leaves and bushes even if there are no raspberries growing with them.

And since the raspberry bush is close to the ground, this makes its height ideal for deers to reach and eat to their heart’s content.

How to keep deer from eating raspberry plants?

It would be a great idea to feed your deer raspberries and even blueberries as part of their diet.

But if you are someone who also grows raspberries in your garden, it wouldn’t all that great if the deers found their way into the garden and began to eat your raspberries with the leaves and all. So, the good news is, you can use tricks to keep them away from the raspberries.

Coffee grounds:

A cost-effective way to keep deers away from your raspberry plant is by spreading spent coffee grounds where you are growing the raspberries in your garden.

So, because deers are so sensitive to smell, it will help deter them because the coffee might trick them into thinking humans are nearby.

Sound:

If you can’t afford to invest in motion-activated sprinklers or light, another great way to keep the deers away would be by sound. You can attach plastic bags on poles around and in the perimeter where the raspberries are grown.

These will make different sounds when the wind blows and can easily startle deers away.

Final Thoughts:

Deers enjoy eating watermelon and raspberries, sometimes they will even eat their leaves, stems, or bushes too if they are too hungry. However, even though they don’t quite like celery and cucumbers the same, they will still eat them if they are in a dire situation with no food available.