Tips For Keeping Squirrels Away From Your Vegetable Garden
Understanding Squirrel Behavior
Squirrels are cute and intelligent animals, but they can also be a nuisance when they start to wreak havoc in your garden. To keep squirrels away, it’s important to understand their behavior. Squirrels are omnivores and they will eat almost anything they can get their hands on, including fruits, nuts, vegetables, and even insects. They prefer to eat high-calorie foods like nuts and seeds, but they will also eat fruits and vegetables if they can find them. Squirrels are also opportunistic eaters, meaning they will take advantage of any food source that is available to them.
Protect Your Garden from Squirrels
Once you understand the behavior of squirrels, you can start to protect your vegetable garden from them. The first step is to create a physical barrier. This can be done by fencing in your garden or by using chicken wire or netting to keep the squirrels out. Make sure to place the fencing or netting at least two feet high and bury it at least a foot deep to prevent the squirrels from digging underneath. You can also use natural deterrents like strong-smelling plants, such as onions, garlic, and chili peppers, to keep the squirrels away.
Use Traps and Repellants
If you’re still having trouble keeping the squirrels away, you can use traps or repellants. Live traps are a humane way to catch squirrels and relocate them to a different area. You can also use chemical repellants, such as coyote urine or predator urine, to keep the squirrels away. Be sure to follow the directions on the package carefully and reapply the repellant regularly.
Create a Detour for the Squirrels
Another way to keep squirrels away from your vegetable garden is to create a detour for them. This can be done by placing a few branches in the area where the squirrels are entering your garden. The branches should be at least three feet high, and the squirrels will use them as a bridge to get to the other side of the fence or netting. You can also use bird feeders to distract the squirrels; the birds will be attracted to the feeder and the squirrels will go after them instead of your garden.
Cut off Their Access to Food and Water
Squirrels will often come to your garden looking for food, so it’s important to make sure they don’t have access to it. If you have bird feeders in your yard, make sure they are kept away from the garden and that the birds are not able to access the vegetables. You should also make sure that there is no standing water in your yard, as this will attract the squirrels.
Discourage the Squirrels with Noise
Squirrels don’t like loud noises, so you can use this to your advantage. Try hanging a wind chime or a wind sock in the area to create a loud noise that will scare the squirrels away. You can also use a motion-activated sprinkler to startle the squirrels when they come near your garden.
Keep Your Garden Clean and Tidy
Finally, it’s important to keep your garden clean and tidy. Make sure to pick up any fallen fruits or vegetables, as this will attract the squirrels and other pests. Trim back any overgrown vegetation to reduce the hiding places for the squirrels. If you follow these tips, you should be able to keep the squirrels away from your vegetable garden.
Conclusion
Keeping squirrels away from your vegetable garden can be a challenge, but it is possible. By understanding the behavior of the squirrels, creating a physical barrier, using traps and repellants, creating a detour, cutting off their access to food and water, and keeping your garden clean and tidy, you can keep the squirrels away for good.
0 Response to "Tips For Keeping Squirrels Away From Your Vegetable Garden"
Post a Comment