What are some good tips to keep four legged pests out of a garden without hurting them?
I have noticed that something has been taking bites out of some of the fruit starting to grow in my garden. I know that there are raccoons, squirrels, and rabbits where I live but am not sure which, if not all, of the animals are getting to my plants.
Answers ( 1 )
We first tried adding a finer wire mesh to the fence around our garden, but the deer just hop over it and the rabbits tunnel under. Then we tried hanging old nylons stuffed with dog hair (from the groomer's) -- that worked better than the store-bought repellants, but only on the deer and not reliably. Then, on the advice of a neighbor, we hammered tall stakes into the ground all around the beds; apparently deer shy away from anything that looks like a corral. This slowed them down, but left the snacks free for the rabbits. Finally we started growing veggies in hanging baskets. That keeps the rabbits away but it only inhibits the deer if you "hang 'em high" and over a porch -- most deer don't like to walk on porches. I tried setting a live trap to give the rabbits an unpleasant memory, but it only takes each generation one capture to learn to avoid the trap.
One thing that really does work: plant potatoes! Apparently critters don't like the taste of potato greens, and the potatoes themselves are safe underground. I'm hunting for other veggies that rabbits & deer hate, but so far no luck. Why can't they enjoy some of the thistles growing all over our fields!