It’s great if you’re able to view wildlife from your home. You can spend the day admiring deer, chipmunks, and other creatures that come and go. However, now that it’s gardening season and crops are starting to grow, you want to keep wildlife as far away from your garden as possible. Here are a few tips for protect your garden from wildlife.
Gardening is a great hobby. You put time and effort into sustainably growing your own foods. Plus, the reward of harvesting makes it all worth it. When wildlife enters your garden, though, they tend to wreak havoc on your plants. They agree with you that your vegetables and fruits are delicious.
One of the tasks every gardener must face is protecting your garden from wildlife. Here are some excellent ways to mitigate plant damage and still have a healthy relationship with the wildlife around you.
1. Identify the Pest
Before you take any measure in protecting your garden from wildlife, you should identify the pest. This will allow you to take the proper steps to ward off the animals from your plants and make the most effective management method.
You can easily identify the animals if you see them. If you have a difficult time catching them in the act, look for signs. Deer might leave tracks in the soil. Rabbits will likely leave droppings. Birds will peck holes in fruits.
2. Choose the Right Plants and Remove Brush Piles
Next, determine why the garden might attract the animals. Did you plant tasty vegetables? If so, that’s drawing in the animals. Of course, you want those delicious vegetables, too. Perhaps produce a few plants that deter animals, like ones that are highly aromatic or have prickles.
Additionally, if you keep a brush or weed pile next to your garden, little critters like squirrels may see that as a nesting location. Keep your garden area tidy and move any brush far from your plants.
3. Fence It In
The most effective way to protect your garden is by fencing it in — it will keep most animals out of your garden. A fence that’s a few feet tall will work for most little animals, like rabbits and squirrels. If you have a problem with deer, you’ll need a fence between six and eight feet tall.
Usually, chicken wire works as a cost-effective way to keep critters out of your garden. If you want more of an aesthetically pleasing look, you can install wood fencing instead.
4. Keep Your Compost Contained
Compost piles without any covering attract many types of animals. Most people put food scraps in compost, so raccoons and other animals may find their way there for a tasty treat when left out in the open.
Build or install a contained compost bin where you can store leaves and food scraps. This will keep all of the wildlife from rummaging through the compost and hopefully out of the garden, and it will make a nutrient-rich fertilizer for next spring.
5. Scare Them Away
Another method of getting rid of pests is scaring them away. Install something that makes noise, like metallic streamers, scarecrows or even bird tape to frighten away birds.
Other animals will usually stay away if you use motion-activated lights or sprinklers. Once they trigger the motion sensor, the lights or water will turn on, deterring them away from your garden. You can also use pets to scare them away as long as your pets are trained not to harm the animal.
6. Plant Your Garden in Raised Beds and Pots
Finally, you can try planting your garden in raised beds or pots. A raised bed, which is typically eight inches high, will limit rabbits from entering the garden. Plus, you can add fences around the beds or pots to keep out taller animals like deer.
You don’t have to plant your whole garden in raised beds or pots. Plant whatever vegetables, fruits or herbs you know that the wildlife goes after. That way, you can leave the rest of your garden on the ground.
Wildlife Will Come and Go
There may be some years where you struggle to keep animals out and other years where you don’t have a problem with any wildlife entering your garden. Either way, if you have a garden, some critters will probably find a way to enter it. With these methods, though, you should be able to keep most wildlife from damaging your plants.
Bio:
Jane is an environmental writer and the founder and editor-in-chief of Environment.co where she covers sustainability and eco-friendly living.