Sometimes the pests that do damage in a garden are all too easy to see because they’re of the four-legged variety. Raccoons, rabbits and deer are a scourge in any garden, vegetable or flower. Unfortunately, what works for deer often won’t work for a rabbit or a raccoon, and vice versa, so you may have to set up a number of different methods of keeping these critters out.
- Fences – a fence is the most secure protection against all four-legged invaders, raccoons, rabbits, or deer. The problem is that a deer can jump an 8-foot fence, and a rabbit can burrow under it to some degree, so the fence needs to be tall and preferably at an angle, and the bottom should be buried into the ground a bit. If you’re dealing with both dear and rabbits, the mesh should be no larger than one inch, or rabbits can squeeze through. If you can install an electric fence, that’s even better. Deer, raccoons, and rabbits are very determined pests.
- Soap – deer hate the smell of pungent soap, so hang bars of deodorant soap in your garden, either on a fence, or from stakes around the perimeter.
- Tin cans and fluttering rags – you can string things that makes noise or are distracting on a fence; it can be anything from rags to fluttering reflective tape, to empty plastic milk jugs or aluminum tins. Or a combination of all of the above. Movement and noise makes animals nervous.
- Inedible, unpleasant plants – if you put plants that animals don’t like in your garden, this is a more discrete solution. Daisies, poppies, narcissus, rudbeckia, aster, and coreopsis are just a few examples of plants that deer dislike, but are very pretty to look at. There are many more.
- Plant barriers – tough and prickly hedge-type plants provide a kind of organic fence around your garden; thorny barberry, Northern bayberry, or evergreen boxwood are a few good examples of plants that can be used as attractive hedges – that stop deer.
- Unpleasant smells – there are deer repellants that you can spray on your plants to discourage deer, such as Deer Out or Deer Scram, both available at nurseries; you do have to reapply these every week or after a rain, however. Fermented salmon fertilizer is a potent repellant for both deer and rabbits; it’s also effective for aphids and fungal diseases that attract plants. It should be sprayed on your plants in a diluted solution. It will also discourage you, however, so apply it in the evening so it will wear off during the night and you can enjoy the garden the next day.
These are just a few of the peaceful and all-natural defenses that you can try to protect your garden. With a little time and effort, chemical solutions can be avoided altogether, and you’ll be able to enjoy your garden without worrying about the damage you might be doing to the environment!
