The Top 5 Ways to Keep Squirrels Out of Your Garden

Squirrels are cute, but they can quickly ruin your garden. While you can’t completely keep squirrels out of your garden, there are several techniques that you can employ to make it less desirable to squirrels while keeping it safe and enjoyable for humans. Here are the top five ways to keep squirrels out of your garden without harming them or yourself in the process.

1) Use Scare Tactics

* Invest in a Scary Crow If your garden is near a forested area, this might be the best way to keep any animals away. This unique scarecrow looks like a little old man with a walker who moves as you wind it up. They're not just for yards—some folks use them on the water or near bird feeders too! 

* Try Squirrel-Egging Every time I had an issue with squirrels, my dad used to tell me about the infamous tactic called squirrel-egging. All you need is a half gallon of milk and some cornflakes.

2) Protect Your Plants

Most gardeners know that squirrels are a problem in the garden. They eat everything from insects and rodents to berries and grapes. These little creatures are intelligent and cunning, so figuring out ways to keep them out of your garden can be difficult. Here are five suggestions on how you can keep those pesky critters away from your plants.

* Grow plants that produce an unpleasant smell for the squirrels - lavender, basil, peppermint, tomatoes, onions, and garlic all produce strong scents that repel these furry thieves from ever coming near your plants again.

* Avoid growing vegetables in a large block of one kind - this will only give the hungry critters more than they could ever want without any competition.

* Get aggressive with fencing!

3) Use an Animal Repellent

One way to keep squirrels out of your garden is to make sure they can't climb a tree or feeder. Squirrels' natural instinct is to search for the highest branches and foliage in order to be able to get away from predators. You can prevent this by cutting off all but about three inches of a tree trunk, topping trees, and trimming back lower branches so that there are no areas above five feet off the ground where they can find refuge from hawks or other potential enemies. Place bird feeders out of reach at least six feet above the ground on top of a post or secure them in place with wire instead of hanging them from branches.

4) Put Up a Fence

Install a fence that reaches 3-4 feet off the ground, so that the squirrels can't jump up or reach. Install razor wire along the top and place spikes or some other obstacle at the bottom. If you have a pond in your garden, make sure it's deep enough for an adult squirrel, so they don't try to jump in and drown themselves.

5) Natural Predators Are the Best

Squirrels can cause a lot of damage in your garden and eat plants that are expensive. If you want to keep them out, natural predators are the best way. There are only two, but they both work well: skunks and snakes. Skunks will scare squirrels away because the smell is too strong for them, while snakes eat all sorts of small rodents including squirrels.

So if you really want to keep your garden safe from pesky squirrels, then try one of these methods or another animal deterrent such as owl statues or motion-sensitive sprinklers so you can watch them through binoculars!