During the summer, I plant vegetables in containers and keep them on my deck. In the past, I've had a great deal of difficulty keeping the squirrels from digging up my new sprouts. A friend gave me an idea which has worked well. What you do is get a package of bamboo skewers, which usually runs about a dollar, and stick the skewers into the soil, with the points sticking up out of the soil and over the edge of the pot.
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What a great idea. I just put four newly started avacado trees on my porch banister to enjoy the sun. The first day I went out, two were uprooted--I quickly replanted them. The next day, the pits and stems were eaten. I never thought about squirrels liking avacado pits. They left a few chewed chards in the pot for me.
Another good idea is to use moth crystals to keep away unwanted animals, including the neighbours cat. Just place them around your garden or pots, base of trees and you won't have anymore issues.
I am going to try this right now. I planted 6 beautiful flower pots and came home from work today and they were all dug up. It is the same squirrel- we have been battling for 2 years now. He plants his peanuts and then digs them up and vice versa. Thank you for the suggestion.
Tried this today for my potted tulips ! Thanks so much ! I loved it that I already had a package of $0.97 skewers !
I'm going to try the crushed peppers fist if that doesn't work on the squirrels then I'll try the bamboo spikes !! I plant my vegetables every spring but the squirrels dig and there goes my starts I lost 4 large planters of lettuce and two tomato's last year now I have MORE squirrels I haven't even been able to plant they are digging in my dirt I just was getting ready to plant in !!
Merci, Marie,
I will stop at the dollar store on my way home.
--Janice from Toronto
Geraniums or a bird feeder near your garden or potted plants will keeps squirrels from digging up your plants. They avoid geraniums and the bird feeder gives them an easier source of food
Really not so about geraniums. I have a bird feeder just 5 feet from my geraniums and they have dug them up out of the pots and destroyed several of my beautiful geraniums.
My squirrels just dug into my geranium plant and scattered all the dirt all over my porch so the geranium thing did not work for me LOL
They are digging up my Geraniums
I planted geraniums,& marigolds. Put dryer sheets in the dirt,sprinkled with cayenne pepper & red pepper flakes. They still dug them up. Right now I have bamboo skewers in my pots but ordered stainless steel ones! We will see.
HERE is the best solution to keep those pesky critters from tearing up your deck plants. My hubby got a trap, placed peanut butter in small bowl inside the trap. CAUGHT 3 squirrels in 3 days.......took them immediately after trapping to a park and let them loose in their new environment. After 2 weeks I asked my husband why all the other squirrels on property have stayed off the deck......simple he says....they are territorial
Ive tried the skewers but the little buggers still get in! I hate when Im sitting on my patio looking out into the garden and seeing 1000 skewers poking from my pots looks awful!
Doesnt work.. they eat the skewers.
I have already used skewers, loads of them, but they still uproot my plants and I am really desperate and don't know what else I can do.
how close together do you put the skewers? I would like to try that one.
I did this with some of my plants to keep my cat out. I had the skewers every couple of inches with the points down.
Later, I switched to using medium sized river rocks on top of the soil.
I tried this technique. The squirrels chewed off the sharpened point, pulled the skewers out and proceeded to dig up my plants.
A friend told me to try peppermint oil and I did and its working. I bought it off of amazon for $10 it came with a droplet so a few drops on the soil and I no longer wake up to dirt all over my door step.
Mix coffee with your soil. It helps the plants grow and squirrels hate the smell of it.
The following worked for me like a charm. I sprinkled garlic, cinnamon or cayenne pepper sprayed around the pot's perimeter and ON the soil around the potted plant. No rabbits or chipmunks or squirrels so far. You will have to repeat it after a rainy day.
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