Do deer eat green beans? Absolutely! Deer love munching on green beans and just about every other type of bean, leafy, green veggies, etc., in your garden. They have a voracious appetite and can treat your lawn with its fresh and lively vegetation, fruits, and veggies as their buffet, which is certainly not ideal for your gardening aspirations.
Read on to discover how to protect your green bean foliage from deer!
Can Deer Eat Green Beans?
Deer love to devour green beans, but they will not just eat the beans sprouting on the plant. They will also eat the plant itself, including the leaves, stems, and flowers. If your plants appear to have lots of leaves and stem missing on the upper side of the pole beans, a deer likely munched on them.
Read Also: Do Deer Like To Eat Red Kidney Beans?
Are Green Beans Healthy For Deer?
Even though a deer’s nutritional requirements are mostly covered by eating grass and leaves, deer certainly enjoy munching on healthy green beans. They are an exceptional source of Vitamin A, C, and K, and fiber and folic acid.
Here is the nutritional value of 100 grams of green beans:
| Nutrients | Value | Vitamins | Value | Minerals | Value |
| Calories | 31 | Vitamin C | 27% | Magnesium | 6% |
| Saturated Fat | 0% | Vitamin B-6 | 5% | Potassium | 209 mg |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.1 g | Vitamin D | 0% | Sodium | 6 mg |
| Cholesterol | 0% | Calcium | 3% | ||
| Carbohydrates | 7 g | Iron | 5% | ||
| Sugar/fiber | 3.4 g | ||||
| Protein | 1.8 g |
How to Determine If Deer Have Been Eating Your Green Beans
Deer tend to feed in the early morning hours and overnight, which means that when you’re sleeping inside the comfort of your home, a deer might be munching on your favorite green bean plant. However, if you’re not certain whether deer have been devouring your green beans or some other pest, look for these signs:
- Hoof Prints: Deer hoof prints have an upside-down heart shape. You might not be able to sport the exact print in soft earth, but you might be able to notice deep, cylindrical imprints in the soil.
- Trampled Plants: Deer don’t always stick to a specific path when walking through a garden. They might trample some of your smaller plants. So keep an eye out for trampled vegetation.
- Deer Droppings: Watch out for tiny piles of round, pebble-shaped droppings.
- Torn Leaves: Deer don’t have incisors or upper front teeth, which affects their bit. When a deer bits a plant, it jerks its head and pulls on the leaf or stem. This movement creates a ragged, torn edge on the vegetation. So, if your beans, flowers, stems, or leaves have these marked edges, it’s time to protect your plant from deer.
How to Protect Green Beans from Deer?
As we have established, deer can eat almost any type of bean. However, green beans happen to be one of their favorites. So, if you live in an area with deer sightings and you plan on planting green beans in your garden, you will need to protect your plant from the deer in your area.
Here are some ways in which you can keep deer away from your green bean plants:
Use Repellents
You can use different odor and taste repellents to protect your green bean plants from hungry deer. Invest in a top-quality deer repellent and apply it all over the vegetation. Just follow the instructions on the back meticulously and reapply the solution after watering the plant or a rainy spell.
Moreover, remember to switch between two or more repellents since deer become familiar with the odor and taste over time. If you continue to use a single repellent, it will fail to prevent deer from munching on your green beans.
You can also use DIY repellents such as bar soap shavings. But if you have a high deer population in your area, such a deterrent might not work because either the deer are too hungry or they have gotten too used to living around humans and have familiarized themselves with these odors.
Disguise Your Plant
Another way to protect your green bean plants is to disguise them by hiding them behind or within deer-resistant plants, such as chives, cucumbers, onions, marigolds. Deer don’t like the taste, texture, or odor of these plants so they usually keep away from them.
However, voracious or desperately hungry deer might not be deterred by these plants. Moreover, this tip will work best if you plant string beans instead of pole beans as they are easier to hide amongst ground plants and don’t stick out like pole beans.
Protect the Plant with Varied Objects
You can also try using floating row covers, bird netting, cloches, etc., to protect your green beans from hungry deer. This way, you will also be able to protect your plant from other pests, including raccoons and birds.
Use a Fence
Fencing is inarguably the most effective way to keep deer out of your garden and keep your green beans safe from them. Whether you decide to install a wooden, wire, or electric fence, make sure to install one that is 8 feet tall so that deer cannot jump over it. Also, make sure to cover your entire property so that deer cannot find their way around or underneath the fence.
At the end of the day, remember to be humane toward these animals when protecting your plants, and don’t use forceful or cruel methods to keep them out of your property.
Read Also: Do Deer Like To Eat Walnuts?
Michael is heavily inclined towards traveling to natural places and documenting cultures/people from different parts of the world. He also loves hiking and camping and is spirited toward all outdoor activities. He will share his passion for outdoor life and brands or products we use outside our homes. He has good research skills, and that’s why you can see why his articles are packed with info that is factual and not readily available. He also has the vision to travel the whole world and share it with all readers of Outdoor Favor.
