Who says squirrels don’t smile (Photo – Dawn Huczek, flickr).
What do you do with those pesky little squirrels wreaking havoc in your garden creating extra work for you?
By News Desk
Here are ten proven gardening tips to keep squirrels (and other garden pests) out of your garden naturally:
1- Cayenne pepper and other hot spices
Sprinkle the spices around the border of your garden as squirrels do not like the pepper and will leave your garden alone.
– Downside: You have to reapply if it gets windy.
2- Jalapeño peppers
Make a spray using diced-up jalapeño peppers, vinegar and water. Let the solution sit for a day, then spritz the area that attracts the squirrels.
3- Garlic
Use the same solution as you did with the jalapeño peppers but substitute the heat with the garlic.
– Downside: You have to reapply after it rains and after watering.
Caution: Some organic gardeners suggest putting the mixture into your watering can but may end up hurting the plants.
4- Peppermint
Like mice, squirrels HATE the smell of it. Pay a visit to your local health food store and pick up a bottle of peppermint oil. Put a few drops on a bunch of cotton balls and disperse the cotton balls in various areas of the garden. It doesn’t hurt to surround your garden with peppermint plants as well.
– Downside: Making a trip to a health food store.
– Caution: Some tips require the use of mothballs. Be cautious. They are dangerous to leave around as the chemicals they emit are toxic to animals and children.
Rottweiler (Photo – Michael Gil)
5- Get a dog (or a cat)
Dogs love to chase squirrels and squirrels run away and fast. The Rat Terrier is a breed of dog that was brought into being for the specific purpose of hunting down small creatures.
Downside: Having a pet is like having a baby. If you can’t have a pet for a reason, try our next tip below.
6- Fencing
If everything else fails, try putting up a lot of adequate fencing that runs deep into the soil. Also you can buy some fine mesh cage and place on top of the vegetable bed. The plants will still grow through the holes.
7- Cages
A local newspaper suggested building cages to place over your plants. You need wood to build a frame and then cover that frame on all four sides plus the top with tight weave chicken wire. The cages can be placed over your delicate plants but are easily removed for watering or weeding.
– Downside: Can be a little labor intensive.
8- Clean garden
Clean your garden from seeds and any food that appeals to squirrels. Also, if you happen to have a birdfeeder, make sure it is the anti-squirrel feeder kind.
9- Owl house
An extreme tip is to erect a few barn owl houses as a family of these critters can eat quite a few squirrels a week.
10- Caring tip
Squirrels are not bad creatures. They carry a living organism known as microriza that develops and grows only in their digestive tract. As they relieve themselves, microriza is spread operating like nematodes in other plants and aiding their growth.
Squirrels are part of the Eco system. We don’t want to kill them; we just want to prevent their naughty behavior from messing up our vegetable gardens.
This Article was mentioned on brid-gy.appspot.com