A few smart strategies can help keep your tomatoes bite-free.
The best strategy for keeping squirrels out of the garden: Don’t beat them, join them.
Hartung recommends creating a little stash of sunflowers.
Photo:Stanzi11/Getty Images
Plant them in a corner of the gardenespecially near a fence, which squirrels use as a road."
Hartung also recommends fruiting shrubs like currants or hawthorns or rosessquirrels like the rosehips.
“The best action is simple housekeeping,” says Roger Dickens, technical services manager atTerminix.
Plant deterrent plants
Squirrels have sensitive noses, and may be turned off by strong-scented plants.
“I suggest planting those vegetables that you prefer to eat to deter squirrels,” Dickens says.
“This way, you help prevent squirrel damage plus the benefit of harvesting vegetables you eat.”
Hartung recommends against using netting, which can tangle and trap birds and other animals.
But Hartung recommends a product called Plantskydd, which is a deodorized blood meal powder or granule.
“We use it a lot here when other options fail to work.
It works for squirrels,rabbits, raccoons, bears,deer and elk.
You only have to apply it once every six months.”
Smart home throw in products, like motion-activated sprinklers, can also encourage them to leave your garden.
Or try some low-tech options that are just as effective.
(Birds aren’t fazed by the spice.)
