$#%&@ Squirrels!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Davo on April 14, 2011 at 11:36am

We tried one of those upside down tomato things last year and the little buggers still got at them. I have heard that if you plant onions and garlic around the border, squirrels wont get at the other stuff. We are going to try that tis year to see how it works.

 

Permalink Reply by Todd Allen on April 14, 2011 at 11:53am

The absolute best most fool proof squirrel protection is a Jack Russell terrier. They aren't at all unsightly, but can be a tad noisy when squirrels choose to hang out in trees instead of running away.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on April 14, 2011 at 1:57pm

Hmmm... It would be a pain to build, but you might want to construct a cage out of hardware cloth (heavy wire mesh) that would fit over your container(s) and be large enough to accommodate the plants.  You'd also need to figure out access.  I don't have a specific plan to suggest, but hardware cloth is relatively cheap and easy to get and is definitely squirrel proof.

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on April 14, 2011 at 9:48pm

Squirrels typically aren't that interested in the plants themselves but will dig when they find loose-packed soil (assuming it's because they or another squirrel buried something there.)

Your best bet is to buy some of that green plastic netting and cut various small pieces to cover the exposed soil and make it hard for them to dig easily.

Making sure to keep the soil moist also helps but it can be hard to keep up unless you have a lot of free time.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on April 18, 2011 at 9:13am

We've tried netting, but once the plant matures it is impossible to keep the netting from getting tangled in the plants.

We tried hot pepper powder. The capsicum is supposed to be a deterrent for mammals, but birds of any kind don't have a problem with it. I don't recall it making much of a difference.

 

The reality is that you will loose some tomatoes to squirrels and that it is near impossible to avoid them. Our solution is to plant a few extra plants to offset the lost tomatoes.

Permalink Reply by dan brown on April 27, 2011 at 1:20pm

I agree with Duppie. maybe play some music and I believe the vibrations of the bass sound hurts their ears. blood meal sprinkled on the plants may work too