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perhaps it has something to do with the reflection of the light?

weird... we just plant deer rosemary... they HATE it.
I guess that doesn't work in all climates though....

I would think it's the movement and light reflecting qualities that keep the deer away, although I'm kind of doubtful about the effectiveness. They'd probably get used to it after a while. This reminds me of the shiny mylar strips that farmers sometimes use to keep birds away from fruit.

People also dilute tabasco sauce in water and spritz it on the leaves that deer find tasty

Try using human hair. No joke.

As a teenager, I lived in a neighborhood frequented by deer, who snacked on my mom's flowers. Then I got a job at a hair salon, my mom heard from a friend that human hair clippings deterred rabbits (we had wild bunnies too), and I started bringing home bags of hair clippings to sprinkle on the plants.

Not only did the rabbits stay away, the deer started to keep their distance too.

i'm curious, why would animals stay away from human hair? does it only happen after they ingest the hair the first time around and learn their lesson? or does human hair just have some magical animal-repellent property of which i'm not aware?

We used tin pie pans in the garden... but the reflections mainly kept the birds rather than the deer away. At least, that's what we thought. Maybe it worked on the deer too. (And marigolds keep the bunnies out.)

Lemonpie-- I think the hair keeps them away because it smells like Human, not because it's nasty to eat.

I think the tin foil has to do with the light repellent. I know that in some vineyards in Napa that are organic also use similar reflectors. I don't think they are made of foil but they are reflective of light and you see constant little glimmers of light across the vines... reminds me of little fireflies! but I guess it keeps the pests away.

on another note - I've also heard of using human hair as a way to keep the pests away. Maybe its the scent? Like if you get too close to a fallen baby bird the mother won't return to it.

i doubt it has to do with light reflection. deer are very active at dusk and dawn/pre-dawn (when the sun is not above the horizon).

Did some online research a few years back looking for ways to keep the deer from my sister's fruit trees. All agreed that nothing really worked. There was some plastic netting that could be thrown over the branches but disengaging it was FAR more troublesome than giving up some fruit to the deer. My best thought was: Get a Border Collie.

CLEARLY they approach the tin foil first, thinking it an exotic fruit. After chewing on tin foil for a minute or two, even the most intrepid or starving of deer would think, 'Jesus, there must be better pastures than this..."

Plant some hot peppers around the border of your garden. The deer will try it once and never come back!

We used a similar tactic with good (although noisy) results for our first year of gardening. We live in rural VT and have quite a few deer around who made quick work of our broccoli before we put anything up. We used aluminum pie plates in groups of two strung on a line around the perimeter of the garden. Not only do you get the reflection from light, but anytime the wind blows or something touches the string the pie plates bang together and make a noise. We didn't have anything in our garden for the rest of the summer.

Anyone in DC have tips on keeping the rats out?

Growing up in the South, my dad (and thus the rest of us) tried every possible trick to keep the deer out of the garden. Tin foil (as well as pie pans, etc) works no better - though no worse - than any of the others. Unfortunate, but true!

It's not always effective, but the foil IS to reflect light. Since deer feed at dusk and dawn, their eyes are more sensitive to light. Therefore even in the low light of dusk, they still can get a "glare" in their eyes.

We never had deer, but our foil does keep the birds away. Better than foil, though, was this strip of fake fur we nestled on top of the blackberry vines. The birds thought it was a cat. I didn't think it would fool them, but it did. As did the fake snake in our fruit trees. Doubt that would work for deer.

Like the above posts, I'd suggest planting a border of something the deer don't like. Companion planting is especially important for organic gardens. Herb borders keeps animals and bugs away from squash, and marigolds get rid of the bugs that eat your tomatoes. (Though, it's cause the bugs are eating the marigolds, so they don't always look as pretty as I want.)

You should try hanging bright silver cd blanks for a real light show---drill a small hole near the edge for a string.
They shine so bright when the sun hits them that bugs from outer space will even stay away.