How to Keep Squirrels Out of a Vegetable Garden

Squirrels may be cute critters but not when they are rummaging through your garden, stealing your hard-earned produce. Squirrels are real nuisances to all vegetable growers, but you can use humane methods to discourage these pests. The keys to keeping a pesky squirrel out of the garden are persistence and variety. Keep the squirrels on their toes by using a repellent and introducing a new one every two weeks.

Create a Cayenne Repellent

Combine two tablespoons of cayenne pepper with one quart of boiling water.

Let the mixture cool and strain it through pantyhose or a cheesecloth.

Put the mixture in a spray bottle and give each of your vegetable plants a light spritzing. Squirrels will not come near the cayenne because it hurts their eyes and makes them sneeze.

Use a Variety of Repellents

Sprinkle the borders of your garden with cayenne pepper or black pepper. Reapply the pepper after heavy winds or rain.

Place mothballs in and around your plants. Not only will squirrels avoid the area, but deer, raccoon and other vermin will steer clear as well. You can also place the mothballs in pantyhose or a thin sock and hang them from trees around the garden.

Soak rags in white vinegar and hang them from fence posts or trees around the garden. Soak the rags weekly.

Sprinkle blood or bone meal around the base of your tomato plants, particularly during a drought. Squirrels will only go for your tomatoes when they are thirsty. The bone or blood meal will also enrich the soil.

Sprinkle coffee grounds around the borders and edges of the garden or around whichever plants are being eaten the most.