The fun thing about a garden is that it’s outside. You know what else is outside? Animals. Know what animals like to do? Eat the stuff in your garden.
We’ve already talked about some of the pests that might like to chow down on your plants, but they are definitely not the only critters that can be a problem. Things like deer, rabbits, groundhogs, and more also like leafy plants and tasty vegetables. So how do we stop them from helping themselves to snack?
Chemical Repellents
There are chemical repellents that you can buy at a local hardware or gardening center for this. I have never tried them, because quite frankly I’m too tenderhearted to harm any of the animals. I’d rather plant a few extra plants so the critters can have a little snack and I still get to harvest. I have seen things like deer hate citrus or rabbits hate peppermint (no idea if those are correct, I just made them up so try at your own risk!), but I’ve never gone that route either
Physical Barriers
This is the route I’m more likely to take. This also requires knowing what sort of animals you have trying to snack on your garden. Rabbits can be minimized with lower fences than deer, for example. And if you didn’t know, deer can jump high. Like it’s not uncommon for them to reach plants up to about 6 feet or more for their grazing. So any fence to keep them out will likely need to be 6-8 feet tall.
Auditory Repellents
There are also products that are motion activated that either sprays water at the animal or emits a sound that is supposed to scare the animal away. I haven’t tried either, but I’m skeptical of how well they actually work.
What have you tried to keep the animals out of your gardens? Some years it’s more difficult than others for sure!