Regarding squirrels

[Halfpasthen]

We recently purchased the house we have been renting for several years (yay!). I can *finally* plant a garden.
I have laid out a large bed of a smidge over 500 square feet. Next week I'll be adding cattle panels to act as trellises. I also have a few smaller garden beds around the yard.

Now to the problem: the squirrels are already causing problems in my smaller beds where I have things like carrots and radishes growing. They have been digging in them and occasionally taking seedlings out.
I have read all of the articles on ways to manage squirrels and honestly none of them seem to be practical.
They aren't afraid of me. Won't even run away when I yell at them. I've never fed them and I don't believe my neighbors do either. All of my neighbors and myself have fruit and nut trees. I don't think anything I could reasonably do would get rid of them.

I could do netting to cover my fruit and vegetables. It would be a bit of a pain bc of the size of the garden and the fact that I have multiple beds around the yard. Additionally, I think it would greatly decrease my enjoyment if everything was covered.

I would honestly rather grow enough to feed my family AND the squirrels than cover everything. Has anyone tried growing a garden far away from your main garden just for bird or squirrels? Using deterrents around the main bed and letting them have at their own little garden? Am I crazy? I have to fight the squirrels tooth and nail to get my share of figs and I know it will be the same with a vegetable garden.

Does anyone have advice on how to deal with these little bushy tail monsters?

 

[WindingRoad]

They don't even hibernate in the winter. I had a terrible problem this fall. Raiding the bird feeders. etc. I was feeding my chickens outside and the squirrels would have a field day afterwards. Heck they would even be out there eating with the chickens. They don't bother ( attack) the chickens and the chickens don't chase them off. But I stopped feeding out side and they have pretty much gone somewhere else. But they certainly are pest. I don't think another garden would help. But their are deterrents out there Try google again.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't like squirrels either, I once had one cause several hundred dollar worth to damage to my house. They can get really thick in suburbia as they don't have serious predators. They would dig anywhere I disturbed the soil to plant something or weed, probably looking for a nut another squirrel may have buried.

You can surround your garden with either electric netting or a mesh fence protected with electric wiring properly attached. You will probably need dig protection too which will stop rabbits as well.

When I was in suburbia I could see at least five squirrels playing in my back yard at any time of the day. I think they are only active during the day. I got two traps and baited them with BOSS (Black Oil Sunflower Seeds). In one month's time I removed over 50 squirrels from my back yard. There were not that many living there but there were so many in the neighborhood that more would move in from the area as I removed some. Eventually I got the numbers down so they were not as big a problem. You will never get rid of all of them.

It is probably illegal to relocate a squirrel without the landowner where you release them's permission. If you do release them it needs to be several miles away so they don't return. It may be illegal to kill them. You may have issues trying to get rid of the carcasses. Many HOA's, towns, or cities don't make it easy to deal with these critters.

I am not aware of any deterrents that work long term. When those bushy tailed rats get thick they are a real pest. Good luck!

 

[Halfpasthen]

They don't even hibernate in the winter. I had a terrible problem this fall. Raiding the bird feeders. etc. I was feeding my chickens outside and the squirrels would have a field day afterwards. Heck they would even be out there eating with the chickens. They don't bother ( attack) the chickens and the chickens don't chase them off. But I stopped feeding out side and they have pretty much gone somewhere else. But they certainly are pest. I don't think another garden would help. But their are deterrents out there Try google again.

No they sure don't hibernate lol. We don't have what you could consider a winter. It's been in the 70s since beginning of February. And mine are particularly fearless. There really aren't any predators to thin them out unless it's a car. I will try some of the recommended deterrents. I'm just skeptical lol.

 

[WindingRoad]

No they sure don't hibernate lol. We don't have what you could consider a winter. It's been in the 70s since beginning of February. And mine are particularly fearless. There really aren't any predators to thin them out unless it's a car. I will try some of the recommended deterrents. I'm just skeptical lol.

I just went on Google. A lot of natural stuff that they don't like the smell of. But as the other poster stated they might get used to the smells. Mothballs, peppermint, red pepper, etc. There is also the noise machines that they can hear and we can't. $$$ I don't know if they work or not. I don't think an extra garden would help. They would decimate it and move on to your "regular" garden. I don't know if pee human or predator i.e coyote would work. Worth a try. Maybe all the smells together would deter. Overwhelm them.

 

[Halfpasthen]

I don't like squirrels either, I once had one cause several hundred dollar worth to damage to my house. They can get really thick in suburbia as they don't have serious predators. They would dig anywhere I disturbed the soil to plant something or weed, probably looking for a nut another squirrel may have buried.

You can surround your garden with either electric netting or a mesh fence protected with electric wiring properly attached. You will probably need dig protection too which will stop rabbits as well.

When I was in suburbia I could see at least five squirrels playing in my back yard at any time of the day. I think they are only active during the day. I got two traps and baited them with BOSS (Black Oil Sunflower Seeds). In one month's time I removed over 50 squirrels from my back yard. There were not that many living there but there were so many in the neighborhood that more would move in from the area as I removed some. Eventually I got the numbers down so they were not as big a problem. You will never get rid of all of them.

It is probably illegal to relocate a squirrel without the landowner where you release them's permission. If you do release them it needs to be several miles away so they don't return. It may be illegal to kill them. You may have issues trying to get rid of the carcasses. Many HOA's, towns, or cities don't make it easy to deal with these critters.

I am not aware of any deterrents that work long term. When those bushy tailed rats get thick they are a real pest. Good luck!

Thank you. At least i get to commiserate with you. I realize I'll probably have to employee several tactics to reduce population and deter from my garden. I was hoping someone had solid success lol. It seems like something we just have to battle.

 

[WindingRoad]

Thank you. At least i get to commiserate with you. I realize I'll probably have to employee several tactics to reduce population and deter from my garden. I was hoping someone had solid success lol. It seems like something we just have to battle.

I think it's trial and error. Even though I am not being bombarded like I was in the fall. I know they will be back. I even caught one climbing up the outside of my house one day. They have claws.

 

[Halfpasthen]

I just went on Google. A lot of natural stuff that they don't like the smell of. But as the other poster stated they might get used to the smells. Mothballs, peppermint, red pepper, etc. There is also the noise machines that they can hear and we can't. $$$ I don't know if they work or not. I don't think an extra garden would help. They would decimate it and move on to your "regular" garden. I don't know if pee human or predator i.e coyote would work. Worth a try. Maybe all the smells together would deter. Overwhelm them.

Good idea! I'll try the odor stuff first. Organic gardening is important to me.
That was my fear as well lol. That I would just be supporting more squirrel families.
Urine may help...however I feel they will figure out sooner or later that they aren't in danger. Worth a try like you said!

 

[WindingRoad]

Good idea! I'll try the odor stuff first. Organic gardening is important to me.
That was my fear as well lol. That I would just be supporting more squirrel families.
Urine may help...however I feel they will figure out sooner or later that they aren't in danger. Worth a try like you said!

Good luck. If you find something good would ya let me know. Thanks.

 

[cmom]

I see you are a fairly new member. I shoot them. Here we have Fox Squirrels and Gray Squirrels. The ones that do the damage here are the Gray Squirrels. We are retired old folks. Most times our vehicles are parked for several days at a time. They have gotten into the engine compartment of my husbands truck and did damage. The Fox Squirrels just hang out. There are so many Grays, they are not endangered. Some people shoot them and eat them but I don't eat them but do shoot them when I start seeing them. They have gotten into our greenhouse and dug into the newly planted pots making a real mess. They had to go. Good luck and have fun...