Q: Last year, we grew a nice vegetable garden that ended up feeding all of the local critters. I don’t mind sharing, but the ground squirrels, raccoons, opossums, and visitors are eating everything! How do we discourage them? (I don’t want to kill them.)
When you grow fruits and vegetables, you will inevitably lose some to thieves — either the four- or two-legged variety. There are some steps you can take to protect your crops at least somewhat.
Planting vegetables in raised beds can provide some protection. When constructing the beds, line the bottom with ½-inch galvanized hardware cloth. This will exclude burrowing animals (gophers and moles). If the beds are 2-3 feet high, rabbits can’t (or at least are less likely to) climb up for a feast. Some gardeners completely enclose the growing space with a cage built with wood and hardware cloth that can exclude everything. This is a lot of work, so I would save the effort unless you live where deer are a regular problem or the squirrels are relentless.
Planting marigolds around the perimeter of your beds is supposed to repel rabbits, but my local rabbits simply ate them in addition to my salad greens. At least the flowers were pretty while they lasted.
Birds like to go after fruit, particularly brightly colored plums, apples, apricots, and peaches. Placing little cloth bags over individual fruit will prevent damage, but this is impractical if you have many trees. Bird netting may work only for dwarf trees that can be completely covered. Some birds are not particularly bright and will become trapped under the netting.
Flash tape is a lightweight cellophane ribbon that is silver on one side and metallic red on the other side. When draped on tree branches, it makes the tree look like it’s on fire. Even the stupid birds will not land on a flaming tree. Large rubber snakes draped over the branches can look realistic enough to scare squirrels and birds away, but make sure you notify everyone that the snakes are fake or you may give someone a heart attack.
Plastic owls are popular in our neighborhood, but they stop being effective once the critters learn that it’s a “Weekend at Bernie’s”- type situation. Real owls are much more effective and can kill dozens of rodents every night, so skip the rat poison.
Larger nocturnal mammals such as opossums and raccoons can be difficult to deter. Depending on your garden configuration, electric fencing may be effective. Ultrasonic or scented repellents may work if there’s a more accessible food source nearby, but if you’ve got the good stuff, you may just have to share a little more.
Los Angeles County
mglosangeleshelpline@ucdavis.edu; 626-586-1988; http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/
Orange County
ucceocmghotline@ucanr.edu; http://mgorange.ucanr.edu/
Riverside County
anrmgriverside@ucanr.edu; 951-955-0170; https://ucanr.edu/sites/RiversideMG/