The solar lights are not a deterrent for deer. The phrase a deer in the headlights is due to the fact that they're blind so they can only feel the light.
You can put them in a raised bed or on a stand. If it's cloth then I would put it on a stand of some sort. I have crabgrass really bad so I won't put mine on the ground. I have a table with a glass top so I might put it in the garden.
I'm my husband's gofer when he works on anything. I made him and our son mad when I told them I was going to go to school for mechanics and turn them into my gofers. LOL 🤣🤣