To protect my garden from squirrels and rabbits

[lorenaM]

I love gardening. It’s one of my hobbies. I love to see the plants growing and I love watching the smiling faces of flowers when it blossoms. My father used to be a gardener. He had a passion for gardening. He had acres of fields with different varieties of trees and shrubs including vegetables and fruits. My love for gardening began after observing my father. I have also decided to follow his path. I have a garden in front of my house decorated with different flowering plants. There is a vegetable garden on the backside of my house. I was inspired after attending an organic farming. In the survey, they mentioned that organic farming is a good way to save money. Initially, I started a small garden with tomatoes and onions. Later, I expanded the garden with some cucumbers, garlic, and spinach. I also planted the borders of the garden with dwarf chinquapin oak plants to protect against wind. Recently we built a wooden fence around the garden to keep animals away. There are plenty of rabbits and squirrels in our area. Once they entered the garden and uprooted some plants and has eaten some vegetables. I chased them away when they entered again into my garden. But I can’t do this all the time. I am afraid that these might attack my garden again. Are there any methods to protect my garden from animal attack?

 

[RonsGarden]

Welcome to our forum Lorena!
Squirrels do not tend to be much of a problem in vegetable gardens, but rabbits are.
Since you put up a wooden fence around your garden you can use chicken wire along the bottom to keep the rabbits out. Since rabbits will dig to get under your fence, you will need to dig a 12" trench all along the fence so you can bury a part of the chicken wire below ground level.. use staples to secure the chicken wire to the fence.

Ron

 

[Crabbergirl]

Here in Florida, squirrels ravage gardens. I have adopted a few feral cats over the years. They have all become pets, however , one of them has retained some of its wild instincts, which has provided me with a patrol sentry. While he is ok with birds, he loves to chase squirrels. They have learned there is no place for them in my yard. He has never caught one, so I'm ok with his patrol of my yard.

 

[lynpenny]

I have used red pepper flakes around plants to deter squirrels but this year it isn't working. So far they have only dug in the pots and not destroyed anything. My dog isn't much use in squirrel patrol but when we had Izzy she was very good at that.

 

[CharlesClark]

Prevention goes a long way in the control of squirrels and rabbits.

• You can trim the trees and shrubs off the perimeters of the structure which will discourage the squirrels from climbing into the house or garden.
• You can also try sprinkling cayenne pepper, pepper flakes, or garlic pepper on and around your plants when they are ready to bloom because squirrels would not eat anything with cayenne—which you can often buy in bulk.
• Also eliminate hiding or nesting areas, such as brush piles and tall grass.

If these methods does not work, then you can choose the most appropriate pest control methods by taking advice from exterminator in Nassau County or any other local experts in your area for your particular situation.