8 Best Tips on How to keep animals out of the garden
If you’re passionate about your garden and its beauty, it can be incredibly frustrating when animals come in and destroy what you’ve carefully built.
This is our list of safe things to do on how to keep animals out of the garden to make sure that both parties are safe and sound. It might feel like there’s no hope if you don’t want to hurt or kill the bunnies, squirrels, moles, or raccoons that are invading your land–however, with humane pest control methods available these days, keeping them away from your garden is easier than ever!
These strategies can be just as effective as poisons and traps without any of the cruelty. When these unwelcome guests have overstayed, here are easy and safe ways to keep them away from your beautiful greenery!
How to keep animals out of the garden safely
Garden Fencing
Surrounding your garden with a fence is one of the best ways to ward off intruders. Mesh fencing that reaches no more than 3 feet can deter animals and small mammals such as rabbits from entering, while higher fences (at least 5 feet) are necessary for keeping deer away.
Consult an experienced gardener to find out which type of barrier will suit your needs and budget most efficiently.
You can also use chicken wire for a stronger foundation and protection to prevent smaller animals from reaching into your vegetation. It’s suitable for underground pests as well like moles.
Alternative Food Sources
If you don’t want pests in your garden, but don’t want to hurt them. You can place alternative food sources they can get to repel animals from your garden and distract them.
To discourage certain animals from chomping away at your plants, consider supplying them with an alternate food source. Placing a bird feeder near your garden can be effective in diverting the smaller creatures to consume bird seed instead of nibbling on what you’ve grown.
Castor Oil
To deter burrowing animals such as skunks, ground squirrels, gophers, moles, and voles from your garden or yard, make a homemade spray with 3 tablespoons of castor oil to drive them away.
Mix it with 1 tablespoon of dish soap in 1 gallon of water for the repellent solution. Spray on areas around the garden and any other spots where you’ve noticed pests lingering to keep them out once and for all!
This will prevent animal pests from eating away your plants. Don’t just protect a few plants, spray them evenly across your local ecosystem for maximum protection.
Hot Pepper Sauce
Keep pests out of your garden with a homemade hot pepper repellent! All you need is one ounce of the hottest hot pepper sauce you can find, four drops of natural dish soap, and one cup of aromatic leaves from plants that rabbits don’t enjoy – such as marigolds.
This spicy concoction will make it unappetizing for any critters looking to wreak havoc in your garden!
Take the mixture and put it in a blender. Then, pour one or two cups of water into the blender, and blend until smooth. Strain out any solids from the puree, then fill up your spray bottle with some more water and add this puree to it.
You can use this plant spray once per week or whenever there’s been rainfall in your garden area – just make sure you label it! To store properly between applications, place this mixture inside an airtight container inside your fridge.
Raised Beds
If you’re worried about your garden being chewed or destroyed by rabbits or other small animals, a raised wooden planter box is the perfect solution to keep them safe. Not only does it protect from burrowers and various critters, but also provides additional growing space for smaller gardens with fewer plants!
Flush Your Garden of Other Animals
To begin, you must establish which creature is causing destruction in your garden, and then become familiar with its behaviors.
This knowledge is paramount for building an effective strategy. To make sure the wildlife stays away from your property, remove any potential nesting or hiding places like brush piles or tall grasses that could be appealing to them.
Predator Urine
One of the most effective ways to keep animals out of your garden is predator urine. This natural repellent will scare away any wandering pests, such as rabbits and deer.
You can purchase coyote or fox urine at a local hardware store and use it around the perimeter of your garden for maximum protection. Just make sure you spray it on the ground around your plants and not directly onto the vegetation.
Noise
Another natural scare tactic you can use to protect your garden is by making noise. You can install motion-activated devices that will sound off when animals come close or you can simply move around the area every now and then – both these measures will discourage squirrels, rabbits, and moles.
Conclusion
Keeping animals out of your garden doesn’t have to be a challenge. With the right strategy and repellents, you can protect your plants from becoming an animal’s feast!
Consider installing raised beds, using predator urine, making noise, and preparing homemade pepper sauces or castor oil solutions for maximum protection. Good luck!
