The Best Way to Keep Squirrels Out of Your Garden
How to prevent squirrels from digging up plants
How do I keep squirrels from digging up my plants? This is a question we get asked quite often, and there are many ways to make your garden less appealing to these pesky animals. This blog post will explore the best ways to deter squirrels from digging in your garden without harming them.
The items listed are accompanied by affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission if a purchase is made through my links. This has no impact on the cost to the consumer. I link to products this way whenever possible, and it has no bearing on the products I choose to review or recommend.
Why are squirrels digging up plants?
Squirrels are naturally curious creatures, and digging is a natural behavior. Ultimately squirrels are searching for food. While they are not picky eaters, a squirrel's favorite food is nuts! Most likely the squirrel is digging to find the acorns that have fallen to the ground and that they buried themselves during the fall.
When we plant in the ground, it is a signal to them that there might be food below! If you make your garden less appealing for squirrels they will look elsewhere for their next meal.
Ways to keep squirrels out of your flower pots and vegetable garden
Squirrels are very good at digging up plants so here are some of the best ways to keep these animals out of your plants and vegetables.
Use plants that repel squirrels
Keeping squirrels away from your beautiful flowers and delicious vegetables can be a daunting task. But the good news is that there are a bunch of solutions that you can try. One solution is to plant flowers that squirrels dislike. All these plants will stop squirrels from digging up your flowers and vegetables. Here is a list of some great plant choices for keeping them out of your pots and garden:
These flowers include daffodils, Sweet William, irises, Galanthus, fritillaries, alliums, crocus specifically the tomasinianus variety, lilies, marigolds, and hyacinth.
Most of these flowers have strong scents which will deter the squirrels.
You can also try planting mint around your flower pots or in mulch on ground level. Mint smells really strong which means they will not want to dig it up. Just be careful with mint as it can be really invasive and take over your whole garden if you aren't careful!
You can also try to place some potatoes in your garden or around your garden. Potatoes work well because the taste is too strong for them and it has a tough skin that prevents their teeth from reaching the flesh of this vegetable.
This method of planting flowers that squirrels dislike is very easy to do and can have good results.
RELATED: Deer and Rabbit Resistant Perennials
Physical Barriers
A good option for protecting potted plants from the furry critters is using physical barriers such as metal screens, chicken wire, or plastic netting that will prevent them from crawling inside and digging up their roots.
This is a good option for gardens with raised beds or pots that can be elevated off the ground.
To protect your potted plants, cut chicken wire into large squares so you can put it around your plants. Another option would be to use weed barrier fabric which will also keep them out of your flower pots.
Pin for later!
If you are going to be planting bulbs, you will definitely want to use a physical barrier to keep the squirrels at bay. Squirrels love to dig up bulbs. Several years ago I bought some beautiful tulips from a garden show and tried to plant the bulbs in my yard but I never got to enjoy these flowers because the squirrels dug them up.
I recommended using chicken wire when planting bulbs. Put the chicken wire just under the top level of the soil. The squirrels will usually stop digging once they reach the wire. This will protect your flowers and keep the squirrels from digging up your bulbs.
Another simple solution to prevent squirrels from digging up plants is adding some decorative stones around plants. This is inexpensive and adds a creative look to your garden. Just make sure there is a way for water to flow through.
You can also put something sharp on the outside of your plants to deter them from digging, such as forks or bamboo skewers.
Repellents
You can try putting something in your flower pots that the squirrels won't like. This can be hot red pepper, chili powder, or cayenne. These spices are hot and can get on the squirrels' paws, and when they get a taste of the spice they will burn their mouths. This will make them not want to come back. Although this method will have to be repeated every time it rains.
I am currently using this method to prevent the squirrels from digging up my potted geranium ( they broke some of the stems of the plant previously and I don't want this to continue).
I sprinkled cayenne around my geranium to stop squirrels from digging.
Another repellent option is to use something that smells bad, such as moth balls or pepperment oil. Putting these things on top of the soil in your pots can help keep away squirrels from digging up your plants and eating them. My mom likes to use moth balls to keep squirrels out of flower pots and seems to have luck with this method.
You can also try putting predator urine around them such as coyotes or wolf pee to keep squirrels away from their habitat. You will have to know what type of urine works best for you and they are sold at most garden centers. It should be applied about a week before you plant the flowers.
Bone meal has also been found to be a good deterrent for squirrels and other rodents. The blood-like scent of the bone meal is a big turn-off for these types of animals and will scare them away. One bonus of bone meal is that it also provides nutrients for your plants and acts as a fertilizer.
You can also try blood meal as well.
Another repellent to squirrels is human or dog hair. Squirrels are very sensitive to this scent and will go into a panic or flight mode if they smell it. You don't need a lot of hair just a few strands sprinkled around the garden will do. However, the smell with eventually fade and won't work as well. You can then either add some more hair or try a different method.
Planting Techniques
You may want to consider some planting techniques to keep squirrels away naturally from your garden. One option is known as scarecrow gardening. This will involve placing three pots together at varying heights and filling two of them with water. This will create the illusion of a person standing there, which may scare away any squirrels in the area.
Another planting technique you should consider using is solar-powered ultrasonic noisemakers to keep all rodents out of the area around your flower pots and your garden.
The last option is to use a motion-activated sprinkler. This can be set up in strategic areas around your flower bed and when the squirrel touches it, water shoots out at them scaring them away from that area.
Trapping System
If the squirrels are digging in your garden, then you might want to consider using traps as well as deterrents.
One option is to use Havahart live animal traps and put some strong scents around them such as peppermint oil, cayenne pepper powder, Tabasco sauce, or mothballs. You can also get a squirrel-sized cage and place it right on top of the hole in your garden where you think they're coming from.
A live trap should cost about $25. Live traps should not be used if there are pets or children in the area as they might get caught.
Live traps are definitely not for the faint of heart. They are designed for capturing animals alive and you will need to be prepared when they come near the trap and have to set them free.
More Great Ideas From Our Readers
Gardening is better when shared with others, and our readers have some great tips and ideas to share to keep those pesky squirrels away. Here are a few more reader-submitted suggestions for making your garden even better:
What I have found that has been working wonders is mylar/foil pinwheels that can be purchase at the dollar store. I put them along the perimeter of my garden & in the planters along my front porch railing. Not only have they kept the squirrels away, but they add a whimsical touch to the garden & yard too! -From Roxanne
Putting colored clear rocks that are used in craft around my plants seem to work. The squirrels don't like the sun shining on the colored rocks. From Jill
I put rocks around my plants especially plants in pots. From Lisa
I cut pieces of large gauge wire mesh and place them around the base of plants. From Charlotte
I spray Deer and Rabbit Repellent twice a week and no chewing. Works on all plants you just need to be consistent. From Barbara
I shave bars of Irish Spring soap and sprinkle it in my garden. Really works well. From Karren
I have been using my white dog's hair when grooming. I lay down the fur around my garden. Animals do not like to jump on dead hair. From Andree
Additional quick tips to keep your garden squirrel-free
Do not plant any fruit trees in an area where there is a high chance for squirrel activity.
Making sure that you have the appropriate sized fence or tree guards can also be helpful with deterring them from digging up new plants so make sure they are around all of your valuable beds and areas.
Consider removing or relocating bird feeders in your yard.
Have a regular maintenance schedule where you are checking for any damaged areas and removing plants with squirrels in the area before they start digging up other parts of your garden.
Lastly, even though it might seem like common sense, it's important to not leave any food out in the open that is attractive to squirrels as they will continue coming back for more. And don't ever feed them anything as this will only encourage the behavior.
Here’s to a beautiful squirrel-free garden!
We hope this post has given you some ideas for keeping your plants safe from these pesky critters. Have you had success with any of the methods we mentioned? What are some other ways that have worked for you to keep squirrels away from your pots or garden plots? Let us know in the comments and help others by sharing what works!
