Critter Control in Your GardenTired of those cute little critters ruining all your hard work in the garden? Critter control is something we take seriously in our garden. We have tried many things and have found that there are solutions to problems with deer, squirrels, chipmunks, and rabbits, and moles. Maybe you have field mice eating the roots of your plants, moles digging trenches in your garden or lawn, squirrels digging up your freshly planted bulbs, or deer treating your prized hydrangeas as a salad bar. Using an integrated approach of repelling and/or restricting pests is the desired way of dealing with pests in your garden. In our five acre garden, there are lots of opportunities for wildlife to take control. One of our biggest critter control problems are deer. By using the integrated approach of using some deer repellents, netting, and growing deer resistant plants like coropsis, northern sea oats, and hellebores, we have been successful keeping deer damage to a minimum.With the use of deer repellents such as Plantskydd. As long as you follow the manufactures directions and train your deer early in the spring just as leaves are coming out, this product really works. Another similar product is Deer-off repellent. Both of these products also work with getting rid of rabbits too. If the problem persists, you can also build protective cages around your trees and shrubs. If you have more than half a dozen deer, you may need to invest in deer fencing. Read more about gardening with deer here. Squirrels
Tree squirrels and chipmunks can be frustrating too. I can't count the number of times we've had them camped out at our feeders or been frustrated at them digging up our bulbs and freshly planted containers. Using predator urine products or a general animal repellent are two critter control products that work well for this problem. Also, we use safflower seeds, rather than sunflower seeds that they love, at our feeders. This keeps most animals away except the songbirds. You can also prevent squirrels from reaching you bulbs by laying a sheet of chicken wire over the entire bed. Be sure to stake it along the edges with small loops of wire. Although it's not great to look at, it does work because squirrels can't get through the small holes. Remove the chicken wire in the spring as the bulbs start to emerge. At this point, you may need to spray tulips with your deer-off products to keep them from nibbling. Deer don't like daffodils so those are safe. Moles. What Good Are They?
As much as we hate moles, I must admit they do help the soil by loosening and fluffing the soil. This helps improve drainage and mixes up organic matter.If you have let moles "have their way" with your garden and are ready to fight back, there is help available. We have had great success with finding an active tunnel by collapsing a ridge in the garden with your foot. Come back the next day and see if it's raised again. If it is, this means this tunnel is active. Can you really co-exist with snakes?
Most people will try to eliminate any snake they see in their yard.As long as they are not poisonous (it's actually illegal to kill rattlesnakes in Tennessee. Call you local extension office for help), you may want to reconsider. Snakes actually serve a good purpose by eating mice and other rodents that may be eating your plants. As you putter around in your garden, you will probably learn where the snakes live by the small rustling of leaves or the occasional sighting of them sunning on a rock. If I know I need to work in an area where they live, I'll rustle the leaves a bit and let them know I'm coming. That way, neither one of us will be surprised. Another tip is to use a natural product called Snake Stopper. It has a blend of clove, cinnamon, and cedar oil as well as sulfur. It effectively repels snakes from yards, barns, patios, decks, and campsites.
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