For animal lovers, squirrels are very charming, especially because of their acrobatic movements. But, for gardeners, there are completely harmful.
Imagine you have exerted a lot of effort and time taking care of your vegetable garden, and squirrels will just destroy it in an instant. Seeing the tomatoes scattered over the ground, orns in a mess, or sea heads with nibbles is a frustrating scenario for you as a gardener.
Do not let these small animals ruin your garden and preventing you from harvesting high-quality yields. Take advantage of the following methods in making squirrel repellent.
Make Squirrel Repellent for the Garden
Mothballs
The best thing about mothballs is that they are not limited to using inside the house. You can also use them in getting rid of squirrels in your vegetable garden. Place them around the perimeter of your garden. Just make sure to keep them away from children and pets.
Peppermint Essential Oil
For humans, peppermint essential oil is relaxing and therapeutic. But, for squirrels, the strong scent is not appealing to them. To make a peppermint essential oil spray, get a ratio of one drop of the essential oil to one oz of vinegar. Spray the mixture on hard surfaces in your vegetable garden.
Other than making a concoction, there is another way to use peppermint essential oil in eliminating squirrels in your vegetable garden. You can soak cotton balls in it and place them on jar lids. Make sure that the jar lids are around the garden. It is essential for you to re-soak the cotton balls periodically.
Hot Sauce
To make another effective squirrel repellent, make hot sauce part of the recipe. You will need 4 cups of water, 1 oz of hot sauce, and three drops of dish soap. In a spray bottle, combine all the ingredients. Shake the mixture gently. Spray it in areas of the garden you want to deter squirrels.
Cayenne Pepper and Hot Peppers
Squirrels are known to be sensitive spices. Meaning, using ingredients like cayenne pepper in the repellent ensures a positive outcome.
Hot peppers can be used in a variety of ways.
- Light Dusting
On the leaves of which you think squirrels are attracted, directly sprinkle the light dusting of cayenne pepper. Make sure to choose the low-lying leaves because they are the most effective areas.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Make crushed red pepper flakes and sprinkle it on the ground. Make sure that it is near the ground, at which you think it will attract squirrels.
- Cayenne Pepper and Petroleum Jelly Mixture
After mixing an equal amount of cayenne pepper and petroleum jelly, spread the mixture on the stems of the plants, particularly at the base. Make sure to spread it also on the poles, fences, and solid things near the plants.
Bulbs
Due to their smell and taste, squirrels avoid some bulbs. These include geranium, peppermint, allium, hyacinths, daffodils, and lily of the valley. Try planting any of these bulbs near your garden, and they will give you a positive result in getting rid of squirrels. Besides, these bulbs can also repel insects that may also harm your garden.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is another ingredient for making a squirrel repellent that you can find exactly in your kitchen. Squirrels dislike the acrid smell and taste of this ingredient. So, you can use it to make a spray mixture.
Spray it on fixtures and hard surfaces in infested areas. Be aware that it can be sprayed on hard surfaces and never on plants. That is because it could kill your vegetable.
Garlic
It’s almost hard to survive cooking a variety of recipes without garlic. But, it’s also good to note that garlic is also an effective squirrel repellent. That is because the smell of taste of this spice is unpleasant to them.
You can make a good concoction out of chopped garlic, vinegar, and water. Allow this mixture to sit for several days. That is to ensure that the flavor is properly combined. Spray the mixture on stakes and fences in your garden.
Powdered Spices
Crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, and paprika can make a perfect mix of squirrel repellent. This type of powdered repellent can be sprinkled in hard to reach areas. Not only does it can keep squirrels away from your garden, but also from your bird feeders.
To make a powder repellent recipe, make an equal part of these three ingredients. Sprinkle the flakes in the infested areas. You can mix it with the birdseed. Once they have eaten the foods and get disgusted with the spicy taste, they will less likely attempt to come back.
Conclusion
Before you can harvest high-quality fruits and vegetables, you need to invest a lot of time, energy, and money. So, do not let squirrels ruin your vegetable garden. You can consider the above methods to get rid of them and continue having fun in gardening.
You can see more ways to making squirrel repellent in this article: https://www.tipsbulletin.com/homemade-squirrel-repellent/