Keeping Critters Out Of The Garden

There is nothing worse than having a garden full of flowers, fruits, and vegetables only to be trampled, eaten, and destroyed by pests.

While rabbits, squirrels, deer, and even cats and dogs might look cute in your backyard, they are not doing your garden any favor.

The time and hard work that you exerted in keeping your garden healthy and fruitful might instantly fall dead and wasted once the hungry critters decide to snack on or play in your plants.

But don’t worry, there are several ways you can keep the animals away! Here are ways to safely deter the critters from your garden.

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Make Your Garden Less Attractive To Animals

Get rid of any hiding or nesting areas like tall grass or brush piles. Seal off any access to crawl spaces beneath your deck or porch.

Remove any food sources for the critters. If you have a compost pile, make sure to cover it and clean up the birdseed to discourage squirrels from going after it.

Use Repellents

Keep scent repellents in your garden like castor oil and garlic chips. However, keep in mind that these are just temporary solutions and you would need to reapply them.

You can also use hot peppers to deter rabbits or moth balls.

There are also visual repellents that these critters do not like. Try to use any of the following:

Motion Activated Water Sprayers

Motion-Activated Sprinkler

Motion-Activated Sprinkler

Solar Powered Motion Activated Sprinkler

Scare Crow

Owl Scarecrow

Scarecrow Spinner

Fall Harvest Scarecrow

Chicken Wire Cage

Galvanized Chicken Wire

Chicken Wire

Chicken Wire

Cover Plants With Wire Cloche

You do not need to fully cover your plants to prevent critters. You can use a wire cloche.

A wire cloche is easy to use. Just place it over the plant in your garden and it will keep animals from chewing the leaves and fruits.

If you have a larger garden, you can also use chicken wire. Just wrap it around the plant and secure it. This will create a protective cover against critters.

Sturdy Chicken Wire Cloche

Mesh Basket

Rustic Wire Garden Cloche

Spray Hot Pepper Sauce

Spraying a hot pepper mixture on your plants will make them taste bad to the potential pests and keep the animals out of your garden.

You can buy a ready made hot pepper sauce or you can create one yourself.

1. Mix 1 ounce of hot pepper sauce, 4 drops of dish soap, and a cup of water in a blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Strain the puree to remove any solids then transfer it to a spray bottle.
4. Add water to the brim of the bottle.

To use the mixture just spray it on the plants once a week. Store the excess in your refrigerator.

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Deter Cats From Using The Garden As A Litter Box

Are cats using your garden as their own personal litter box? That is my pet peeve for sure.

The neighborhood cats thought I made the gardens for them – the mulch, the soil, they thought it was all an invitation. Once the plants started growing it kept them away but when I planted seeds or seedlings, they trampled on everything. I wanted to do bad things to all of the neighborhood cats….

You can keep them out of your garden and keep them from using it as a litter box by laying down some prickly mats around the garden. Cats don’t like to walk across anything that feels odd. I’ve also used the netted bags that veggies come in at the store, they won’t walk on that either.

Prickly Mat

Spike Mat

Scat Mat

Be Messy

This isn’t my favorite tip, but, if you can stand it – it can work. Avoid making your garden clean and tidy as it invites more unwanted critters.

Let the shrubs and the grasses grow around your garden. Not only will they keep the garden looking a bit messy, they act as a natural fence too.

Construct A Fence

The critters won’t be able to eat your plants if they can’t get to them.

Build a fence around your garden to make sure animals stay out of it.

Chicken Wire

Steel Garden Fence

Garden Fence

Make sure the fence goes at least a foot deep to prevent critters from digging underneath. You can also use a wire fence around your garden or use wood panels, vinyl, and bamboo.

Keeping your garden critter free can be a challenge, but there are things you can do about it.

Avoid having critters ruin your hard work by trying any of these tools and tips.

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