Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Squirrels digging up my garden?

Every year I am tormented by squirrels digging up any annuals I plant in the garden whether is be in a planter or the ground. I have tried garlic, pet hair, repellent with pepper in it, cayenne pepper.. Is there anything else I can do to naturally to keep these pesky critters away from my plantings ?Squirrels digging up my garden?
We have Gray squirrels but I don't think they bother the garden. What we do have is HERDS of deer and gophers. The only way gardens around here survive is with a 6' or taller mesh fence and then gopher wire (about half in. mesh) buried about 1' - 2' deep around the border or all the way under the garden.





I have seen wire mesh ';pots'; to protect the roots of individual plants, but I imagine squirrels can do a lot of damage above ground!





I read a book that suggested getting human hair cuttings from a barber.





You might try electronic fences. I don't suggest poisons because any animal including pets can get to them.





How about traps?Squirrels digging up my garden?
I was having the same problem with potted plants in my backyard and a knowledgeable woman at my Community Garden said to put the nylon bird netting down on the ground around the plants (or in my case, over the soil in the pots). Apparently the squirrels don't like to get their paws tangled in anything, so they go away. So far it has kept them from digging up my potted plants.





They sell the netting at Home Depot or Lowes near the fence products.
Fine netting around the plants will do but if it is a really complicated design that would be hard to get the netting around, I've had some success with ground up oyster shells sprinkled around the plants (check to be sure the plants can handle the minerals). They are sharp and apparently squirrels like to keep their paws nice and pretty and not nicked up by the shells.





Sure hope that helps! I know what an annoyance that is.
we had the same problem with potted sweet peas. If you get a couple of long sticks and lie them across the pot the squirrels don't touch them

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