How to garden without feeding the squirrels

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CatholicSam

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Or birds. Anyone?

Sorry, I haven’t got a clue! I would love to grow food in my garden but am put off from it because of fear of not having anything edible left over once the birds and squirrels have been. My parents have several fruit/veggie plants that get absolutely eaten to shreds and they’ve all but given up on actually being able to harvest from their garden. So this all makes me think I’d never be able to do it *and *have something left over for our family to eat at the end of our hard work! Inspire me, please 🙂
 
All you have to do is feed each one once…with a shot of lead.

Other than that I have no ideas and would be interested in hearing the solutions.
 
Nechasin said:
All you have to do is feed each one once…with a shot of lead.

Other than that I have no ideas and would be interested in hearing the solutions.
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:rotfl: I guess the other CAF users are as clueless as you and I, judging from the replies I’ve gotten so far!

I saw many people on the “Green Living” thread mention veggie gardens. I wish they would drop by here!
 
CatholicSam said:
Or birds. Anyone?

Sorry, I haven’t got a clue! I would love to grow food in my garden but am put off from it because of fear of not having anything edible left over once the birds and squirrels have been. My parents have several fruit/veggie plants that get absolutely eaten to shreds and they’ve all but given up on actually being able to harvest from their garden. So this all makes me think I’d never be able to do it *and *have something left over for our family to eat at the end of our hard work! Inspire me, please 🙂
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Oh, that’s just a little problem - think DEER. 😉 But all these critters can be kept away from our (and their) edibles by the use of netting. Do a search for netting protection from birds and squirrels. Also, Home Depot and Lowes carry various netting products. Just use the netting in a timely manner; I kept procrastinating and the deer got to some flowering plants while the netting was waiting in my garage.
 
FCEGM said:
Oh, that’s just a little problem - think DEER. 😉 But all these critters can be kept away from our (and their) edibles by the use of netting. Do a search for netting protection from birds and squirrels. Also, Home Depot and Lowes carry various netting products. Just use the netting in a timely manner; I kept procrastinating and the deer got to some flowering plants while the netting was waiting in my garage.
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Hmmm, interesting! I don’t have a deer problem–busy road nearby 😉
 
Tree nets work perfectly to protect fruit from pesky birds. Birds are attracted to ripe fruit, so you don’t need to put the net on until the fruit starts to ripen. Once you’ve harvested what you want, simply remove the net. It doesn’t harm the tree at all.

You can make a cage out of chicken wire to protect veggies and herbs. It lets in sun, air, and water, but keeps out rabbits, deer, and woodchucks (the biggest pests in my yard).

'thann
 
Let your dog out in the yard more often, for starters.

Secondly, put up a wire fence aorund the vegetables; that should help.

For new trees, wrap the base in burlap. I also had to wrap the branches of the dwarf apple tree I planted last year in cheese cloth due to the cicadas this year.

I also read about some concoction of chewing tobacco, dish liquid, and urine that is supposed to keep the deer away.
 
All you have to do is feed each one once…with a shot of lead.
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Hah! Yup, a good pellet gun with a 12x scope, combined with a good dog will keep your garden “Tree-Rat” & rabbit free!

For a less lethal deterrent:
Stop by the local bike shop and buy a few sets of “handle-bar streamers”… (those mylar shiny pom-pom things). Pull the streamers out, and tie them to some stakes around the garden. Deer don’t like flashy things that rustle.
Another great one is buy a few bars of “Irish-Spring” bath soap, and some 1/4" dowel rods. Cut the soap bars into 1/4’s, stick it on the end of the dowel, and push these “smell-sticks” into/around the garden (about 18" off the ground). Critters hate the smell, and stay away from the garden.
 
Sometimes, you just have to plant more! We have tons of butterflies… and only half of the parsley I planted. Many animals only bother seedlings; if you put some kind of collar around them when they’re small and tender, they’ll be ok once they’re taller. Chili powder is supposed to help keep rabbits off… unless your rabbits are cajun, like mine apparently are!

Home and garden centers also sell bags of small, sharp rocks that will discourage squirrels and other diggers. You scatter them on top of the ground or mix them in the dirt around bulbs and the sharpness hurts their paws.

Throwing shovels and chasing them across the yard like an idiot doesn’t seem to really deter squirrels long-term, though. 😛
 
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