I know, I have not even broken ground on my garden yet. But I has having my morning coffee and looking out back and imagining it full of lush plants to feed my family and it hit me. There is my nice swing that the squirrels shredded to use the stuffing for their nests. There is the herb planter that they stole my garlic, half the chives and all of my lavender starters out of last spring.:cry: So what can I do to keep them from getting into my garden this spring? I can NOT use poison. Too many kids and pets in the area. I can NOT shot them with a .22. I live in a townhouse community with 2 (yep I said 2) associations. (I was 18yo when my husband and I bought the house and just didn't know any better:dunnoThey would have me locked up before I could get the weapon put away. Plus, all of those kids and pets. I can NOT have my husband and son pee around the perimeter. See associations above. I do not want to use a live trap. We have done that in the past and relocated them, but it makes the dog crazy until my husband comes home to remove them. The dog is an inside dog, and will chase the squirrels when we put him out to do his business, but we can not leave him outside all day long (spoiled I know). Putting up a lot of chicken wire will make it a pain for me to tend the garden. If I were to "deter" them with a BB or airsoft rifle would they get the hint and not come back?:scratch Are there any herbs that I could add to the garden that will keep them away? What are your non-lethal thoughts? :flower:
I have had success with bb guns but your associations mite still take issue. If you have an airsoft gun you can get biodegradable bbs but I have heard a few stories about animals eating those and having to be put down due to intestinal issues.
The only thing left that I can think of would be cayenne pepper. Place it around your plants, and replace after it rains. I use the cheap ones from the dollar store. I have a recipe for cayenne pepper spray (some where) that worked well on groundhogs, I'll see if I can find it if you would like me to.
My grandparents use diluted ammonia around the base of their fence to keep stray dogs and cats out. I haven't seen a single stray dog or cat there in years. Come to think of it, I've never seen a single squirrel in their yard in years, either. Could be that would work! I don't ever notice any ammonia smell, but apparently it's bad enough to keep animals away. Lol, the barky dog next door hates their fence, and never runs at it. EDIT: Let me put a disclaimer on this. I don't know how MUCH ammonia they use, or how often, or how diluted it is. I also don't know if this could cause any problems with your garden, either. I would suggest a little research before you try this. I don't want you to put ammonia down and grow poisonous carrots and get sick or something.
I've tried it with cats and I didn't have a lot of luck. My grandfather was having issues with caterwauling outside his window so I tossed the bushes with it to no effect. When I made it into a spray it seemed equally as infective, but then cats aren't rodents. I ended up using other means.
The first time I tried it I just put a little here and there and it didn't do much good. The second time I put it down heavy in a border style, that worked until a three day rain came in. :ignore: The diluted ammonia does work on dogs but I'm not sure it would work on squirrels. :dunno:
I don't know if it works for squirrels--it could just be that there aren't many squirrels around my grandma's house, or that nothing in their yard is tempting for a squirrel. I hope you find a way to keep them away though.
Tree rat is a tasty item. I am so glad that I live where the sound of the occasional .22 cb short round brings no attention at all.
