There are a lot of myths out there about what deer do and do not eat. One common question is: do deer eat green beans?
Yes, deer love to eat green beans. They’ll eat the pods, leaves, flowers, and stems of green beans all the way to the ground. Deer are attracted to green bean plants because of their leafy greens and the nutrients they provide.
There’s a bit more to learn about deer eating green beans which we’ll cover in today’s guide. Read on for more info.
Why Do Deer Eat Green Beans?
As we covered, deer will eat green beans 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 green beans are most susceptible to deer when there are fewer other food choices around for them.
Green bean plants are especially vulnerable when the plants are young and the most tender.
Additionally, deer will consume a wide variety of foods like green beans based on opportunity.
If you’re not convinced, leave some green beans out for deer to eat (or plant some), and wait to see what happens!
How Do I Keep Deer From Eating My Green Beans?
There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re protecting green beans 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 Green Beans Grow Back After Deer Eat Them?
So a hungry deer snuck in your garden and had a feast on your green beans. Will they grow back?
Usually as long as the plants are healthy, they will continue to grow and produce new green beans from side-shoots unless the deer ate the entire plant down to the root.
Continue to care for your green beans including water and fertilizing until they’re back to good health.
If your green beans don’t bounce back after a few weeks, you’ll need to remove them and start new plants.
Are Green Beans Good For Deer To Eat?
Feeding deer green beans provides them with the following vitamins and minerals:
- Vitamins A and K
- Potassium
- Phosphorous
- Magnesium
- Calcium
These vitamins and minerals provide deer with many benefits.
Potassium is great for deer because it helps maintain good pH balance and aid in proper digestion.
Deer need calcium for bone, teeth, and antler growth and health as well as other bodily functions like milk production and metabolism.
Magnesium is great for antler growth, increasing body weight, and has immune system benefits for deer.
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 green beans 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 green beans for the vitamin potassium content must continue to consume foods that contain these necessary vitamins to stay healthy.
How To Feed Green Beans To Deer
Most gardeners and veggie growers want to keep deer away from their green beans.
If you have extra green beans or are looking to see if you can feed green beans to deer, this next part is for you.
There are a few things to keep in mind when feeding deer green beans: the size of the portion, your scent, and how many deer you’re feeding.
Make sure to place the green beans on the ground where they’re visible and can be easily reached by deer.
If you’ve got a food plot with green beans 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 Green Beans For Deer To Eat?
Chances are that it’s not worth it for you to cut green beans 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.
Green beans 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 green beans 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 green beans 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 green beans 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.
Do Deer Eat Green Beans? Wrapping Things Up
So, do deer eat green beans?
The answer is yes!
Deer will eat the entire green bean plant if they can, as they love the tender leaves and pods.
Fortunately there are many methods you can use and combine to keep deer away from your precious green beans.
Try a few and see what works best for you.
Have any observations to add to the discussion? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
Check our our other helpful wildlife guides while you’re here:
