Once again I come to you, my readers, in frustration. If you remember, I recently have written about stress management. Well, one of my favorite new ways is actually something I didn’t mention at all. I’ve been gardening. And I have to say, the garden has really helped. There’s just something about going out first thing in the morning and getting into the dirt and watching my plants grow. But, as always, a problem has reared it’s head to disturb my peace. This new source of mild stress has taken the form of hungry, hungry animals. You see, every time I sow a new row of seeds, I find plenty of little holes in my garden upon waking. Also, too may sprouts have I seen push up through the dirt only to have been nibbled down to a sad little nub in the morning.
So, once again, I dive into research to help both myself and you with a wealth of knowledge. Today I’ll be talking about keeping animals out of your garden.
Squirrels
As widespread as they are pesky, the squirrel and I have a love hate relationship. I won’t lie to you, I love seeing them go about their day to day. One of my favorite things about the morning is watching them hop around in my yard. They’re voracious though, and must be stopped!
The problem is, unless you build a sort of greenhouse situation, they’re not easy to stop. You have to be a little crafty with keeping these cute little rodents out of your greens. The easiest thing to do, obviously, is to research plants that they aren’t particularly fond of. For example, squirrels aren’t fans of onions. They produce strong odors that the little fuzzy guys just can’t stand.
Smells also seem to be key in keeping squirrels away. Chikcen manure fertilizer seems effect in keeping them away as well. Also, fresh dog or cat hair that you comb off of your fur buddies can be useful as well. It fits with the theme of certain smells keeping the little bastards away.
Rabbits
I could probably say this for any animal I see, but damn do I love them! The brief moments of catching them hopping around my yard just reminds me of how cute they are. But still, they’re destroying my flowers! So, I’ll just have to find a way to keep them specifically out of my garden.
One good way that breaks my heart a little to keep this little guys away is scare tactics. These animals aren’t stupid, if you spot one and give it a good scare, it’ll think twice about going into your garden. See one of these guys hopping around? Well, grab your noisiest dog and put him on a leash. Make sure he can’t actually catch and hurt the bunny, but let him go nuts barking. That’ll make them think twice about coming back.
And then there’s repellents. These work by either releasing a nasty odor or by making the plants taste bad. My favorite idea that I’ve read is sprinkling a little cayenne pepper on my seedlings, the smell and sharp taste will be good for keeping the little guys at bay long enough for your plants to be strong enough to survive a little leaf nibbling.
And, of course, creating a habitat for their predators will keep their numbers from spilling over into your garden in the first place. Make your yard friendly for hawks, foxes, non venemous snakes, and owls. These will keep the population down
Deer
The big one. They’re large, fast, strong, and wily. They’re also the most costly to keep out as well.
Scare tactics can work like with rabbits, just less effectively. They can learn over time about whether or not a noise is a true threat. You also run a slight risk with deer, especially a big buck. Have no doubt, if you manage to corner these animals they will defend themselves. Something like a motion sensing device that squirts water would probably be more effective than a pooch here.
If I’m honest, physical barriers are your best choice here. Fences, plastic netting, chicken wire, and the like are all going to be much more effective in stopping these guys than repellents. But remember, deer can leap as high as twelve feet in a pinch. Make them tall, and make it hard for the deer to see inside. If they don’t know there’s delicious flowers or veggies in there, why would they eat them?
Conclusion
I’ve heard a lot of people mentioning things like just shooting the animals with BB guns, harming them with traps, or planting semi-toxic moth balls in the garden. But, that’s just not who I am. I’d almost rather plant a second garden just for them than cause them harm. At the end of the day, we don’t give these animals much space or choice. We have to go that extra mile to protect them and our plants, in my humble opinion.
