Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Block access to your garden
• Method 2 of 3: Keep animals out of your garden
• Method 3 of 3: Dealing with common pests

Landscaping a vegetable garden is a rewarding and tasty activity. Unfortunately, many wild animals are just as enthusiastic about your hard work. Keeping animals out of your yard can be a serious challenge as they can be very persistent. However, there are many methods you can use to deter animals from entering your yard, so you can save your vegetables for when you want to enjoy them yourself.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Block access to your garden

1. Place a fence around your yard. A good way to keep animals out of your vegetable garden is to build a fence. You can choose from a variety of fences to place around your yard that act as a wall between animals and your vegetables. Fencing can work well, but can also be expensive and take some effort to install. When considering putting one around your yard, keep some of these basic garden fence facts in mind:
   • Many fences require you to install posts before you can erect the fence around them.
   • Most fences are built to surround an entire yard.
     • The exact material and style of your fence is up to you. You can use wood, metal, or plastics such as polypropylene to make your fence.
   • Some fences are live and will shock any animal that touches it.
   • It's a good idea to bury your fence about 12 inches (30 cm) in to stop burrowing animals.
2. Build raised vegetable garden beds. Creating raised beds in your garden can be a workable way to control weeds, make garden care a little easier, and keep out some common garden pests. Most raised garden designs are easy to follow and to create, so you can create a pest-resistant place for your plants.
   • Most raised vegetable garden beds can be made from wooden planks, stones, bricks, or concrete blocks.
   • Building a raised vegetable garden bed that is at least two feet above the ground will stop most rabbits.
   • Adding a bottom layer of wire mesh fencing to your raised vegetable garden bed will stop burrowing animals.
   • You can also add fences and covers to a raised bed for extra protection.
3. Create protective covers for your plants. If you are concerned about specific plants in your garden, you can try putting small fences or covers over them. These covers will help keep most of the garden pests entering your home away from your plant. You can make your own plant covers or buy plant covers at most hardware stores and garden stores.
   • Adding a simple chicken wire fence around a plant can be enough to keep most pests away.
   • You can buy garden fabric to cover your plants and protect them from pests.
   • Young plants can be covered with bird nets.

Method 2 of 3: Keep animals out of your garden

1. Spray around your yard. Most animals that sneak into your yard do this because they can smell the vegetables and are drawn to the free meal. Scents can also be used to keep animals out, giving the message that your yard is either not a safe place to eat or by making it smell unpleasant. To help you choose one for your garden, consider the two main types of scent deterrents:
   • You can buy animal repellants that smell like a predator's urine. These repellants make your garden appear dangerous to animals. You probably need to know what type of animal is haunting your yard in order to purchase a predator scent that will scare that particular animal.
   • You can also try whether peppery or unappealing sprays around your yard will help. These sprays can cause discomfort to animals or make your garden smell and taste so bad that they look for food elsewhere.
   • Pet repellent sprays can be purchased at most hardware stores and / or garden stores.
   • You can look up animal-repellent recipes to make yourself and make your own.
   • Many sprays will need to be applied often as rain or moisture will wash them away.
2. Place plants in your yard that repel animals. If you know the type of animal that regularly invades your garden, you can try planting plants that they find repellent. Adding plants to your garden that pests dislike can keep them out and protect your vegetables. Here are some plants that are thought to keep pests away:
   • Azalea, boxwood, sea lavender, peony, and marigold are all unappealing to rabbits.
   • Bleeding hearts, daffodils, hyssop and mulberry are plants that can repel deer.
   • You can sow some of these plants in your garden to make it completely unattractive to animals.
   • Planting these barrier plants around the perimeter of your yard can help keep pests out.
3. Get rid of unwanted animals. Even though your yard is a quiet place, the animals that have crept in will still be on the lookout for threats. Therefore, you can place devices in your garden that are designed to scare away any animal that nibbles on your vegetables. Check out some of these ideas to give you an idea of ​​how to make your yard a scary place for unwanted animals:
   • Modern scarecrows are equipped with motion sensors and spray water on all creeping wild animals.
   • An outdoor dog can help keep many animals out of your yard.
   • Some repellants use shiny or reflective material to deter birds.
   • You can buy electronic repellents that sound an alarm or make a terrifying sound when they detect movement.
4. Let your cat help keep small animals away. Cats are naturally inclined to hunt and can do a good job of keeping small animals out of your yard. In addition to actually hunting the animals that enter your yard, the smell and presence of your cat can deter animals. So if you have an outdoor cat, consider having it loose in your yard to help reduce the number of animals that eat your vegetables.
   • Make sure your cat has all of its vaccines, as wild animals can often carry disease.
   • Always monitor your cat to make sure it is in good health and able to get out safely.
5. If necessary, place bait plants near your garden. It may seem contrary, but placing plants near your garden that animals love can be a great way to keep them out of your vegetable garden. Once you know which animals are causing the trouble, you can try planting their favorite foods away from your yard, keeping them out and sparing your other vegetables.
   • Make sure all attractive plants are placed away from your garden.
   • Making it easy to get their favorite food will prevent the animal from trying to access your yard.
   • Try to plant some extra vegetables in an area that is easy to reach for pests and keep them away from your vegetables.
6. Use specific landscaping to make animals feel unwelcome. Certain environments and landscapes make animals feel more or less comfortable. Depending on how you have arranged your yard or garden, you may even have made animals feel right at home. Rearranging your yard can be an easy way to make animals uncomfortable and keep them out of your yard. When planning your garden, try some of the following suggestions to scare away potential intruders:
   • Avoid lots of weeds or heavy plant cover, as most animals feel safe, hidden under the foliage.
   • Remove piles of wood that may be near the yard.
   • Trim or relocate any shrubbery around the yard.

Method 3 of 3: Dealing with common pests

1. Identify which animals are causing problems. Before you can successfully deter the animals plundering your yard, you need to know what kind of animals you are dealing with. More knowledge about the type of animal will help you form a strategy that is unique to that animal's wildlife. The more focused your methods are on an animal's likes and dislikes, the better you are likely to be able to protect your yard. To get an idea of ​​what animals you might be dealing with, check out the following list of some of the most common intruders:
   • Rabbits
   • Marmot
   • Mice
   • Moles
   • Raccoons
   • Rats
   • Skunks
   • Deer
   • Birds
   • Snails
2. Don't let rabbits feel welcome in your yard. Rabbits love to find their way into your garden and will eat almost anything you have planted there. Because rabbits can be such a pest, you want to arrange your yard to stay out and make your yard look unattractive. Keep in mind some of these tips to keep rabbits from eating your yard bare:
   • Garden fences must be at least three feet high.
   • You can prevent rabbits from digging under a fence by burying it 12 inches (12 cm) in the ground.
   • Raised vegetable garden beds can make it more difficult for rabbits to enter your yard.
   • Try to repel rabbits with barrier plants, such as azalea or boxwood.
   • Get rid of piles of yard waste, logs or rocks, as those are rabbits' favorite hiding places.
   • If you have a persistent rabbit problem, check with local authorities for trapping regulations.
3. Keep deer out of your garden. Deer are a common pest in some regions and can cause major problems for your yard. To keep deer away from your yard, make it an uncomfortable place for the animals. Try some of these methods to keep deer out of your yard and protect your plants:
   • A deer fence should be about 240 cm high.
   • A deer will not jump over a fence if they don't see a safe area to land. Therefore, place an inner fence or fence posts, for example, to prevent them from jumping into your garden.
   • Spraying predator urine around your yard can scare away deer.
   • Chasing deer away with motion-controlled devices is a good option.
   • Outdoor guard dogs can keep deer out of your yard.
   • Rosemary, garlic and oregano can be good barrier plants.
4. Keep birds away from your yard. Birds can be a nasty pest in your garden and are prone to nibble on fruits and vegetables. You can keep birds out of your yard using a variety of methods, including:
   • You can hang shiny balloons from poles in your yard, preferably shiny plastic with threatening faces.
   • You can try putting a chicken wire barrier around your plants to work.
   • Hanging a net over your garden is a sure way to keep birds out. You can make a frame from bamboo sticks, poles or bamboo sticks. Next, drape the net over the framework so it reaches the ground, and anchor the net with curved mesh so it can't be moved by the wind.
   • You can also hang fishing line or black wire in your yard, as birds don't like wires and can stay away as a result.
   • Try an advanced solution using an owl-shaped computer system that makes a squeaking sound to scare birds away.
5. Get rid of (house) snails. Snails are among the most common garden pests. Despite their small size and slow movement, these animals can eat several times their body weight in one night! Try the following methods of controlling snails in your garden:
   • Apply a silica barrier, a powder with small sharp particles that hurts snails, as the best option. Avoid using silica for swimming pools.
   • Create a beer trap by placing beer in a shallow container, such as a yogurt cup, up to an inch below the rim, buried in the ground to the rim. Snails are attracted to the beer and drown in the container. Replace the beer every few days.
   • Buy a copper barrier against snails, and lay 5 to 8 cm strips around your plants. Copper barriers can be quite pricey, so you may want to save them for your favorite plants.
   • Buy slug pellets that are non-toxic to humans and other animals.
   • Plant red clover around your garden as a bait plant.
   • You can also remove the snails by hand every morning. Put them in soapy water to kill them.
6. Keep marmots away. If there are marmots around, you will likely find them ravaging your young vegetable garden in early spring. Fences are the best way to keep these critters out.
   • Place a fence and make a trench lined with chicken wire.
   • If you don't want to put a fence, cover young plants with plastic or cloth.
7. Scare away (field) mice. Mice and voles are alike and can both do the same damage to your vegetable garden. These bugs are active all year round and will eat almost any green plant they can find. Use the following methods to rid your garden of mice and voles:
   • Mix slate particles into the soil around your plants. You can also use a slate soil.
   • To keep mice away from bulbs, put finely ground gravel in the hole in front of the bulb.
   • Optionally, place mouse traps with oatmeal or peanut butter to kill mice, or use kinder mouse traps. You can also buy bait containing vitamin D, which will kill mice a few days after ingestion.
   • Remove plant cover, straw and fluffy mulch from your yard to make it less hospitable to these critters.
   • Purchase an ammonium rodent repellant from your local garden center or hardware store.
   • Cats are great at catching mice and voles. Sometimes the presence of a cat is enough to keep them away.