Do Deer Eat Sweet Peas?

There are a lot of myths out there about what deer do and do not eat. One common question is: do deer eat sweet peas?

While sweet peas are not a deer’s first choice, they will definitely eat sweet peas. They’ll eat the pods, leaves, flowers, and stems of sweet peas all the way to the ground if they’re hungry enough. Deer are attracted to sweet pea plants because of their leafy greens and the nutrients they provide.

There’s a bit more to learn about deer eating sweet peas which we’ll cover in today’s guide. Read on for more info.

Why Do Deer Eat Sweet Peas?

As we covered, deer will eat sweet peas when they’ve got the chance.

But why do they do this?

Well, for one, deer are browsing animals, meaning they’ll eat almost anything they come across if they’re hungry enough.

Your sweet peas are most susceptible to deer when there are fewer other food choices around for them.

Sweet pea plants are especially vulnerable when the plants are young and the most tender.

Additionally, deer will consume a wide variety of foods like sweet peas based on opportunity.

If you’re not convinced, leave some sweet peas out for deer to eat (or plant some), and wait to see what happens!

How Do I Keep Deer From Eating My Sweet Peas?

There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re protecting sweet peas from hungry deer: their habits, your scent, repellent options, and when you plant them.

Deer will eat nearly anything if they’re hungry enough, so your main goal is making your garden as least inviting to deer as possible.

Check out our guide on how to keep deer from eating plants where we cover 25 quick and easy tips for keeping hungry deer out of your garden.

Will My Sweet Peas Grow Back After Deer Eat Them?

So a hungry deer snuck in your garden and had a feast on your sweet peas. Will they grow back?

Usually as long as the plants are healthy, they will continue to grow and produce new sweet peas, unless the deer ate the entire plant down to the root.

Continue to care for your sweet peas including water and fertilizing until they’re back to good health.

If your sweet peas don’t bounce back after a few weeks, you’ll need to remove them and start new plants.

Are Sweet Peas Good For Deer To Eat?

Feeding deer sweet peas provides them with the following vitamins and minerals:

Vitamins A, C and K
Potassium
Phosphorous
Manganese
Iron

These vitamins and minerals provide deer with many benefits.

For example, vitamin C will help protect deer against scurvy and vitamin assists in deer immune system function..

Manganese assists deer in growth, respiration, and reproduction.

Fat-Soluble Vitamins For Deer

Vitamins A, D, E, K, and calcium are fat-soluble, so they can be stored in the deer’s fat and liver to be used later as needed.

This means that vitamin A content from deer eating sweet peas can be “stored up” for later use, which is highly beneficial.

Water-Soluble Vitamins For Deer

Vitamin C, B Vitamins, niacin, folic acid, and potassium are all water-soluble, which means they cannot be stored, so they must be replaced continually.

So a deer that eats sweet peas for the vitamin C content must continue to consume foods that contain these necessary vitamins to stay healthy.

How To Feed Sweet Peas To Deer

Most gardeners and veggie growers want to keep deer away from their sweet peas.

If you have extra sweet peas or are looking to see if you can feed sweet peas to deer, this next part is for you.

There are a few things to keep in mind when feeding deer sweet peas: the size of the portion, your scent, and how many deer you’re feeding.

Make sure to place the sweet peas on the ground where they’re visible and can be easily reached by deer.

If you’ve got a food plot with sweet peas growing in it, the deer will eat them right out of the ground.

If deer are not normally around your area in winter, don’t feed them leading up to winter as they will not migrate where and when they should.

This will lead to the deer relying on you as their food source and can result in starvation.

Should I Cut Up Sweet Peas For Deer To Eat?

Chances are that it’s not worth it for you to cut sweet peas for deer.

You could leave your scent on them, plus the deer’s teeth are designed to be able to eat food that’s best for them.

Sweet peas are naturally soft, so it’s not necessary to cut them up for feeding to deer.

Don’t Leave Your Scent On Deer Food

Deer have a keen sense of smell that allows them to smell human scent farther than bloodhounds can, and can smell up to six different scents at once.

Deer won’t eat food like sweet peas if they have a strong human scent on them, so you should take care to minimize your trace.

You can do this by rinsing the sweet peas and also washing your hands with antimicrobial soap.

Alternatively, you can put a few drops of apple cider vinegar on your hands when handling food you’ll be giving to the deer.

Another easy option is to use gloves when handling sweet peas for deer to eat.

Consider The Amount Of Deer You’re Feeding

If you have lots of deer in your area, think twice about putting out food continuously for them.

If you bring deer together at the same feeding site, it can increase their risk of contracting chronic wasting disease or other communicable diseases from each other.