Backyard vegetable gardens and flower gardens can be so pretty, they can make anyone smile —
including little birds and animals from miles around.
You might even pat yourself on the back at first for creating a garden worthy of their interest.
It’s when they begin to dig everything up that their interest is no longer likely to flatter.
In short order, you’ll begin thinking of ways to keep them out.
It isn’t an easy task.
Simply installing rudimentary fencing won’t work, because many animals can either climb or
jump over, or dig under.
And as far as birds are concerned, there’s no such thing as an obstacle that’s too large.
Pretty soon, you won’t have anything left for anyone to admire.
The answer is to adopt humane, but effective measures to protect your garden.
You can’t blame cute animals for wanting a little snack when all of it is right there; you don’t
want to hurt any animals.
You also don’t want to see your plants get hurt.
“You can’t blame cute animals for wanting a
little snack when all of it is right there.
You don’t want to hurt any animals.
The answer is to adopt humane, but effective
measures to protect your garden.”
Here are ideas.
When you have rabbit problems
You’ll cry the day you see rabbit damage to your beans, carrots, peas and beets.
It’s not so much that rabbits eat a lot, as it is that they like to nibble at everything in sight and
lay waste to entire patches.
If you have rabbit problems, you’ll know by the way they make a mess of your garden.
A number of solutions work.
One of the most effective ways to keep rabbits out is to plant an elevated garden, and throw
netting all around.
If this isn’t possible, though, you can try throwing the rabbits off the scent of your garden
(scent red herrings work well with raccoons, as well).
You need to apply pepper spray to the perimeter of your garden, or place pieces of cloth soaked
in pepper, garlic and tea among the plants that you’re trying to save.
In many cases, the very smell of ammonia sends these animals running.
Placing open bottles among your vegetables can be an effective approach to try.
Deer can be somewhat easier to handle
Having deer visit your garden can be wonderful, except when they go straight for your tomato plants.
If you’re building a deer fence, it will usually not work unless it is at least 7 feet tall — Bambi can jump.
One of the best ways to make your plants unappetizing would be to spray it all with a solution made of
beef and egg.
Blood meal works, as well.
Squirrels may be amiable, but they have an appetite
Squirrels, however cute they may be, are rodents.
This means that just like mice, they have incisors that keep growing.
The need to keep gnawing at something or the other to keep their teeth from growing right
out of their mouths.
If they discover your garden, they’ll settle down to a long meal.
It’s easy to get rid of squirrels once you know what their weakness is: an extremely sensitive
olfactory sense.
Squirrels can’t stand unpleasant odors, and will run away from anyplace that has them.
Spreading chili powder all over your garden is one way to go.
There’s a better way, if you don’t like to mess with the squirrels in your garden.
You only need to set aside delicious snacks like peanut butter and corn some distance from
your plants.
As long as you keep replenishing the supply each day, visiting squirrels won’t have any use
for your garden.
Mice and rats
Rodents tend to be very interested in vegetable garden damage, and will only stay away if they
sense the presence of predators in the area.
Your job protecting your garden, then, should be to think of the worst predators possible, and
to scatter your garden with their scent.
Pet stores sell the excrement of snakes, foxes and cats.
As disgusting as it all may be, you’ll need to get some and scatter it about.
Use clever farming know-how to keep critters away
For some reason, most common garden critters hate garlic, onions, chives and lavender.
These plants can drive away animals as different as deer and rabbits.
All you need to do is to plant these liberally all over you garden to make all animals lose interest
in attacking your patch.
You can also try using plenty of mulch for soil nutrition.
Not only will you have healthier plants, animals tend to hate it.
About the Author:
Ben Reeder is the general manager of Benner’s Gardens LLC which is a national deer fence business with headquarters located in Hudson, NY. Founded in 1992, Benner’s Gardens provides time-tested deer fence control systems for home gardeners, landscape professionals, nurserymen, fruit & vegetable growers, vintners, and fencing contractors throughout the United States and Canada. Ben is an experienced marketing professional with a background in sales and service.
What are your favorite humane tips for dealing with animals in your garden?
Share your suggestions, thoughts and comments with us.
These are excellent tips, but I favour letting the animals have their fill sometimes. They, like us, deserve to live, and there’s plenty enough food for us humans
Thanks for the nice comments and I normally tend to agree but in my personal garden I’m not willing to share.
It’s really easy to say that they should be let free but when you see your hard earned garden destroyed by these animals it’s not easy to forgive. Couple of years before my garden was under attack by a raccoon family and I had to call Hawkeye animal control service to remove them. They not only destroy garden but also spreads rabbis.
Many animals are carrier are such diseases and due to this they should be removed from our property.