If you’re someone who enjoys spending time in their garden and perfecting home landscaping, you’ll want to do everything possible to keep squirrels from wreaking havoc. These pesky creatures can quickly destroy plants and flowers, so it’s essential to take precautions to keep them out. In this post, we’ll discuss some tips for preventing squirrels from entering your garden. So, whether you’re just getting started with gardening or you’ve been doing it for years, read on for some helpful advice on deterring squirrels.
What Draws Squirrels to Gardens?
Like most common household pests, squirrels are primarily drawn to human structures in search of food. Unfortunately, almost everything you’d grow in a vegetable garden or flower bed looks like a grade-A meal for the average squirrel. Fruits and vegetables are a given, but these pesky critters will also sneak in to eat flower petals, fresh-planted seeds, and even inedible items like trash or compost.
These pesky creatures can quickly destroy plants and flowers, so it’s essential to take precautions to keep them out. In this post, we’ll discuss some tips for preventing squirrels from entering your garden.
Understanding why these critters are drawn to your garden can be the first step toward keeping them out.
Block Squirrels From Climbing or Digging Into Your Garden
Building a barrier might be the most obvious starting point for keeping squirrels out of your prized garden. It’s crucial the keep in mind that squirrels are expert climbers and master acrobats. They can easily bypass a standard chicken-wire fence used to deter rabbits. Instead, you’ll need to opt for row covers or netting to keep them from accessing the garden from above. Squirrels will also dig to reach a meal, so consider burying metal plating six inches deep around the garden’s perimeter.
Smoke Out Squirrels With Hot Peppers
Hot peppers can be a great way to keep squirrels at bay. The capsaicin in chili peppers is an irritant to mammals, and it will cause them severe discomfort if ingested. They know from the smell to avoid anywhere these plants grow. You can simply add some hot pepper plants to the mix if you’re growing vegetables. You can also take this one step further by sprinkling chili flakes on the soil around your plants. It won’t harm growth, but squirrels will hate the smell.
Maintain Round-The-Clock Vigilance With Motion Activated Sprinklers
If you’re looking for a high-tech way to keep squirrels off your property, consider investing in a motion-activated sprinkler. These devices are designed to detect movement and release a short burst of water. The sudden noise and wetness will startle the squirrel and send it running for cover. These devices can operate on customizable schedules to conserve water and energy. For example, squirrels are most active during the daytime, so you could deactivate the sprinkler at night.
Grow Their Least-Favorite Foods
As we mentioned before, squirrels are looking for an easy meal when they raid your garden. They’ll eventually give up and look elsewhere if you start growing plants that repel squirrels. Start by planting lots of trees and shrubs that aren’t on their preferred menu. Certain herbs and spices like mint or mustard are too harsh, and the smell drives them away.
If you’re looking for a high-tech way to keep squirrels off your property, consider investing in a motion-activated sprinkler. These devices are designed to detect movement and release a short burst of water. The sudden noise and wetness will startle the squirrel and send it running for cover. These devices can operate on customizable schedules to conserve water and energy.
Don’t Let Squirrels Ruin Your Perfect Garden
Gardeners everywhere know the frustration of sharing their fruits and vegetables with pesky squirrels. But with a few easy tricks, you can keep these critters at bay. You can grow and take care of flowers by building a barrier around your garden, adding hot peppers, installing motion-activated sprinklers, or growing their least-favorite foods.
