SQUIRRELS!

[Anny]

Those little fuzzy butts keep stealing my tomatoes! I keep finding 1/2 eaten (not even rip) tomatoes near the bottom of a tree I know the squirrels hand out in. They haven't been doing this all summer, they just started this week. And yesterday I caught one of them in the garden, almost sprayed him with the hose.

How do I keep them out! (The are not afraid of people unless you are RIGHT next to them close enough to touch them)

 

[silkiechicken]

Trap and dispatch? They are a pest in this area. They go dig though public trash cans and pull ALL the trash out.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

*Sometimes* pepper/garlic/onion sprays can work pretty well against most munching pests.

You might want to try and put out some peanuts or other nuts or seeds to try and ward them off?

The trap and dispatch elsewhere method works pretty well.

Coyote or fox urine (that is commercially available) can also be effective against them as well.

Good luck!

 

[Anny]

I have a walnut tree in my yard about 20ft from the garden they are always eating, the walnuts, and they just discovered the bird feeders about a month ago, and now the garden!

How to you make a garlic/onion/pepper spray? would it make the garden produce taste bad?



I think trapping them wouldn't be useless. It's not just one, it's like 6!

My dog actually likes to pee right across from the garden, and it doesn't seem to bother them...maybe coyote urine would work better though.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

I have a walnut tree in my yard about 20ft from the garden they are always eating, the walnuts, and they just discovered the bird feeders about a month ago, and now the garden!

How to you make a garlic/onion/pepper spray? would it make the garden produce taste bad?



I think trapping them wouldn't be useless. It's not just one, it's like 6!

My dog actually likes to pee right across from the garden, and it doesn't seem to bother them...maybe coyote urine would work better though.

Coyote urine might work a little better.

The spray may give a slight taste to some produce but a good washing before eating and not spraying a few days before harvest might be okay.

Basically take a bunch of peppers, a head of garlic, a whole onion and chop. (in somewhere well ventilated and be careful not to touch your face or elsewhere). Put into a 5 gallon bucket, pour 1 gallon of hot water over it. Let it sit over night. Dilute with 4 more gallons of water and then spray. Careful it's strong. You can adjust peppers, onions and garlic as you like. Putting some castille soap can help too, mostly with bugs though.

I think trapping would be worthwhile. We one time had about 20 or so living in a wood pile and we trapped all of them over a month or so. Use apples with peanut butter, works great.

 

[blurose]

We got a molded plastic owl with a bobbing/rotating head and glowing yellow eyes. Since putting this in the garden there have been no ground squirrels bothering my garden and I found a dead rat 3 feet away from the owl in a direct line of sight, like it saw the owl and died of a heart attack. We move the owl around the garden every day or so. The ground squirrels have moved to the front yard now, and I don't have anything special planted out there so that's OK.

 

[Rosalind]

A .22, a bored husband, and a casserole dish?

 

[punkin]

 

[Grow 4 Food]

I am with Rosa.


However if you are in a urban area you can use a good pellet gun. In most areas squirrel season is open so you legally don't have to disguard them after the deed.