The last thing anyone wants is to find their garden destroyed by critters. But keeping critters out of garden is easier said than done.
This is especially true if you don’t want to harm the animals. The good news is below; we discuss precisely how to keep critters out of garden without harming them while protecting your plants.
Tools For Keeping Critters Out Of Your Garden
While squirrels, raccoons, deer, cats, dogs, and rabbits look cute in your garden, they might not be favorable for your plants.
No doubt you have spent countless hours tending to your garden. If you have a beautiful garden, chances are, garden critters have noticed. Sooner or later, you’ll see they’v left their mark and you’ll be looking for ways to fend them off.
To help ensure your flower or vegetable garden won’t be harmed or destroyed by any unwelcome visitors, here are some tools to help keep critters out of your garden.
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Chicken Wire
Chicken wire is a great choice if you’re asking how to keep critters out of your garden. Limiting the areas they can reach will help keep cats away from your garden.
Laying chicken wire between the plants makes it impossible for the cats to scratch the soil and use your garden as a litter box, plus they don’t like the feeling on their feet.
Chicken wire is also an excellent method when you’re wondering how to keep critters out of raised garden beds.
2-inch Galvanized Chicken Wire
- Galvanized chicken wire fencing 36inches x 50foot, 20 gauge netting, 2 inch large hexagonal holes mesh roll.
- Can be used for big animal control in a home backyard, around the house back yard balcony, at a garden, or on a farm property or fencing material to enclose a garden to keep pets, roddents, and other animals out of the orchard, vegetable garden or flower raised beds.
- Keeps pets out of plants and flowers raised beds.
- his quality fencing product is galvanized, providing a double zinc coating for maximum rust resistance and long life.
YARDGARD Chicken Wire
- Made of strong but lightweight and flexible 20 Gauge Hexagonal Weaved Silver-Finished Zinc-Coated Steel
- Galvanized prior to weaving for long-lasting rust protection
- For commercial and residential use
- Used in pens to confine small animals such as rabbits or poultry
- Used to protect and support plants, soil erosion prevents and compost pile confinement
MTB Chicken Wire
- Made using high quality material and galvanized before packing to ensure long-term use.
- Ideal for making garden fences, chicken enclosure, livestock confinement, runs and cages for pets, lawn netting and more.
- Lightweight and sturdy. Compared to a plastic chicken wire, this reinforced hexagonal aviary netting are lightweight, sturdy and equally spaced to provide long-term use making them more cost-effective than any other galvanized fencing.
- Designed with double direction hexagonal twist while staying flat and straight making it easy to install and trim to your desired size for various applications.
- Made from 20 gauge steel wire with 1″x1″ hexagonal mesh opening.
- Measures 24-inch width by 150 feet length giving you enough to make a wire fence for garden.
Cats are my biggest issue in my beds – so, I bought these and they work fantastically well:
Garden Cat Scat – set of 6
- Humane plastic spike solution for keeping cats and dogs from digging
- Keep pests out of your garden / flowers, off your cars, and more. Can also be used indoors on counter tops, chairs, sofas, and other furniture
- Mat can also be wrapped around poles or trees to stop animals from climbing
- Set of 6 strips each 19.25 inches long and 5.5 inches wide covering over 9 feet
- Pets large and small will scram when encountering this scatmat
I find it doesn’t matter if I place them pointy side up or down – they don’t like encountering them and walking on them so, they just avoid the are. I scatter them about the beds – if I lay them pointy side down over new seedlings coming up they protect them until they grow a bit taller, then I can move them.
I find once the plants grow and bush a bit the cats move away from the beds, so I mainly need to protect bare areas or seed starts.
Essential Oil
When it comes to protecting the garden from critters, you need to find something that repels them.
For animals, their sense of smell is key. So using essential oil scents is a great way to prevent them from hanging out in your garden and to keep critters away.
- For cats, you can use orange, lemon, or pipe tobacco.
- For squirrels, you can use peppermint oil.
- For raccoons or deer, try and use the stronger scent of cayenne.
If you find other critters or animals, you can spray these essential oils around the garden:
Lemongrass Essential Oil
Peppermint Essential Oil
Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Citronella Essential Oil
Garden Fence
Have you seen a deer jump? Believe it or not, it can easily jump over a 6-foot fence!
Instead of investing in the expense of building a wooden fence for fencing to keep critters out of garden, try and use garden fencing instead.
Garden fences can deter deer and prevent other smaller animals from entering your garden and keep critters out of yard. You can also use bird netting or mesh cover. Just make sure that you bury the barriers at least 3 inches into the ground to stop the burrowing animals from getting into your garden.
WamBam Garden Metal Fence
- Comes with 5 panels, 6 stakes in a set.
- Has 3-Year guarantee against rust.
- Total span: 147.5in wide (29.5in per section center to center of eye hooks), 25in tall
Black Coated Steel Garden Fence
- Each set comes with 4 pieces decorative fence panels.
- Made of strong iron materials and welded wire with good strength than aluminum composite panel.
- Easily assembled decorative black fence panel.
- Elegant design with leaves decoration.
- Durable powder coating in sleek black.
HopeSun Garden Fence
- Hot galvanized and powder coated double protection
- Easy and fast assembly in 30 minutes. Just insert the assorted stakes into the ground.
- Fully scalable to add more sections if desired.
- Each set comes with 8 panels, 9+1 stakes.
Mulch
Even exposed soil can be a target for critters.
To keep these animals out of your garden, cover the soil with mulch. Again, I think it’s about the feel, the rougher the mulch the less desirable.
To stop rodents and rats from digging in your garden, you can add sea shells and sharp materials to the mulch too.
EZ-Straw Seeding Mulch
- Premium Processed Straw with a bonding agent (Tackifier) that gives straw a tackiness which holds it together. This natural bonding agent is biodegradable and helps to protect grass seed from heavy washout and wind.
- Speeds up germination and water less often.
- The straw protects the grass seed from heavy washout, windy areas, birds and other animals.
- Biodegradable. No mess to clean up. Just leave in place after the seed grows.
Premium Pine Needle Mulch
- Light weight and easy to install.
- Excellent for all planting beds and gardens.
- Works well on hills and slopes.
- Covers 2x more area per sqft than regular mulch.
FibreDust CoCo Mulch
- 1 block expands to ≈2 cubic feet of mulching medium after pouring it with 4 gallons of water.
- 100% Coconut husk, contains no additives.
- Comes in rust-like color that adds a great aesthetic look to your outdoor landscape.
- No assembly required. Just place it in your garden bed.
Aluminum Cans
Looking to lower expenses? Here’s a simple DIY hack: Hang aluminum cans around the garden.
The sound of aluminum cans (or aluminum pie pans) hitting each other will scare animals. Plus, the shininess coming from the aluminum’s material can repel them.
I saw someone do this and every time the wind blew they made a noise, so factor that in before you decide to go this route.
Aybloom Aluminum Tin Cans – 24 Pack
- [ALUMINUM TIN CANS MATERIAL]: These screw – covered containers are made of durable aluminum to prevent leakage.
- ❤ [SCREW CAP DESIGN]:These containers come with screw-top lids. Tin cans have no sharp edges, all edges are rounded and are seamlessly formed.
- ❤ [PACKAGE INCLUDE]: 24PCS Aluminum Screw Lid Containers. Easy and convenient to carry on luggage , eliminating the risk of any messy leaking during your many travels.
- ❤ [MULTIPURPOSE METAL TINS]: High quality materials are suitable for storing handmade lotions, creams, salves, balms,sample pots, herbs, nail art etc. Also good for storing crafts, cotton, beads, buttons , other small items and so on.
- ❤ [CUSTOMER SERVICE]: If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase for any reason, you can click “seller contact” button in your Amazon account to email us and we will fix it alright. Aybloom is committed to providing each customer with the highest standard of customer service.
U.S. Toy Metal Cans
- Each set comes with 12 pieces of metal cans.
- The metal cans are 3-12” in size.
- Made of metal.
Fizz Aluminum Cans 12-Pack
- Made of food great aluminum,safe and non-toxic.
- Can be recycled or re-used making them really eco-friendly and much better for the environment than plastic.
- One box includes 12 pack containers with lids.
Motion Activated Sprinklers
Deer and other critters can easily get spooked. A motion-activated alarm or sprinkler can quickly keep critters away from garden by scaring them.
Havahart Motion-Activated Sprinkler
- Repel animals away to protect your lawn, patio, or property without the use of any chemicals, sharp objects, or inhumane ways.
- Squirts a jet of water to scare away animals.
- Employing a powerful motion sensor, it gets into action immediately upon detecting any motion within 30’ radius & 120°angle, shoots a water jet, and works equally effectively during day/night.
- Programmed to shoot a water jet for only about 5 seconds upon detection of motion, and restart when the motion is detected again, thus working with little water & proving to be more effective.
- With adjustable sensitivity levels of the sensor, you could easily customize it for your needs – it proves effective for a wide range of animals, including cats, dogs, squirrels, skunks, deer, wild animals, birds, etc.
- Easy to set up.
Orbit 62100 Motion-Activated Sprinkler
- Keeps animals and pests out of plants, yards, and gardens using a harmless spray of water.
- The only deterrent sprinkler on the market with options for day only, night only, or 24 hour protection, giving you the flexibility to ensure the Yard Enforcer only activates when you need it.
- Stable design.
- Saves water and battery life. Includes sensing technology for optimum water and battery conservation. Gets over 7,500 activation cycles on just 4 AA alkaline batteries and as little as 2 cups of water per activation.
- Uses Intelligent Sensing technology that learns the difference between trees and animals, so your water will not activate every time the wind blows.
Hoont Cobra Animal Repeller
- -PEST CONTROL ENGINEERED TO WORK | Cobra-Jet Sprayer Device Provides Dependable 24/7 Defense Against Deer, Rabbits, Foxes, Squirrels, Raccoons, Birds, Bears, Cats, Dogs, Rodents & Other Outdoor Lawn, Yard, Plant & Garden Threats
- -POWERFUL JET STREAM DETERRENT | Unit Easily Stakes Into Ground & Hooks Into Any Standard Hose Via Quick-Fit Connection | When Movement is Detected, Sprinkler Shoots Water While Making a Clicking Noise, Scaring Animals Away From the Area
- -WIDE 30-FOOT MOTION DETECTION | Super Accurate PIR Sensor Covers Anywhere from 0-30 Feet with Adjustable Arc Width [Up to 1,000 Sq/Ft] | Increase or Decrease Size of Protected Zone & Easily Turn Off for Gardening & Other Backyard Activities
- -SOLAR POWERED & WATER EFFICIENT | 5-Second Intermittent Spray Cycle Acts as Reliable Repellent Without Wasting Water or Electricity | Requires 2 AA NIMH Rechargeable Batteries [Included] | Cheaper Than Pesticides, Traps & Granules
- -HUMANE DEFENDER WON’T KILL | Product Delivers Effective Pest Control, No Messy Traps, Dangerous Chemicals or Torturous Practices Necessary | Keep Away Garden Intruders Without Harming Kids, Pets or Yourself | 1-Year Limited Warranty
Scarecrow
There is a reason why they call it a scarecrow.
Scarecrows can be helpful in deterring animals. However, they need to be moved frequently. Plus they make cute additions to your garden.
Galashield Owl Scarecrow
- Head rotates in gentle breezes with a fin on the back of the head that acts as a wind vane naturally (can be found inside the owl’s body)
- Reflective eyes and detailed body for maximum realism and effectiveness
- Base can be filled with sand for proper weight
- Protects vulnerable garden areas from pests
- 16.5″ tall and made of plastic.
Scarecrow Spinner
- Made with 100% UV resistant fabric
- Easy to assemble.
- Support pole & ground stake included.
- Size: 6.5 by 20 inches.
Fall Harvest Scarecrow
- This great set of 2 scarecrow garden stake with bamboo stick is made of fabric and hay.
- Each scarecrow 39.4 inches tall, including the bamboo stake, the body length is 23.6in.
- Perfect for scarecrow Halloween, fall harvest or Thanksgiving decoration.
Herbs
Like humans, animals also have their own food preferences.
Although they are not as picky as people are, there are certain plants that animals stay away from. Choose a prickly plant to keep the critters away. Plant around herbs like sage, lavender or peonies.
Indoor Herb Garden Starter Kit
- Entire kit is 100% certified USDA organic.
- Comes with everything that you need to get started: non GMO, seed tubes, USDA Organic rich soil discs, USDA Organic compostable peat pots, plant markers, and 10-page detailed instructional pamphlet.
Italian Parsley Live Herb Plants
- Easy to grow.
- Produces flat, green leaves that are easy to chop.
- Can be planted in containers, flower & herb beds.
Deluxe Herb Garden Kit
- Grow Into Gardening – Cultivate flavorful indoor plants with ease using your beginner-friendly kit. Your USA-sourced herb seeds sprout into a beautiful mini-garden on your porch, windowsill, or shelf
- Delicious Diversity – Enjoy an indoor garden that heightens your home cooking with fresh, aromatic flavors. Plant oregano, thyme, lemon balm, parsley, basil, curled chervil, cilantro, and rosemary.
- Everything Included – Get started right with everything you need to grow with your indoor herb garden kit. Your complete kit has 8 types of herb seeds, pots, saucers, plant markers, peat, nutrition packs, and a detailed grow guide.
- Expert Guidance – Give every plant in your indoor herb garden the special attention it needs to grow tall and strong. Use your grow guide to execute perfect lighting, watering, planting, and picking.
- Grow In Joy – Feel empowered by your seed starter kit, designed for novices and experts alike. Your herb grow kit makes it simple, and we’re here to help you make your garden a Home Grown success.
- Unique Gardening Christmas Gift!.
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Critters can be such a pain to deal with. But as long as you know how to deter and prevent them, you can protect your garden from any damage caused by them and live in harmony.
What critters do you have issues with? How do you combat them? Let us know in the comments below!
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