With their acrobatic maneuvers and feisty chattering, squirrels often inspire smiles and laughter. But for gardeners who find beds dug up and tomatoes chewed, these bushy tailed critters aren’t a source of anything except frustration and a fervent desire to figure out ways of keeping squirrels out of the garden.
With their acrobatic maneuvers and feisty chattering, squirrels often inspire smiles and laughter. But for gardeners who find beds dug up and tomatoes chewed, these bushy tailed critters arent a source of anything except frustration and a fervent desire to figure out ways of keeping squirrels out of the garden. Known for nibbling nuts and gobbling birdseed, squirrels also like feasting on garden seedlings, fruits, berries, flowers, leaves, and tree buds. Like other rodents, squirrels have long incisor teeth that never stop growing, so they tend to gnaw on all sorts of materials to keep those teeth on the short side.
As a gardener few things are more frustrating than putting in all the effort to grow a beautiful patch of ripe juicy strawberries, only to have them ravaged by mischievous squirrels right before you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Squirrels seem to have a sixth sense for knowing exactly when your strawberries are perfectly ripe and ready to eat. And with their nimble climbing skills and persistence, they can breach many barriers in their quest to steal your strawberries.
Fortunately, there are a number of effective strategies you can use to deter squirrels and protect your strawberry patch. With a multi-pronged approach, you can outsmart those furry little thieves and keep them from decimating your crop. This article provides a comprehensive guide to keeping squirrels away from strawberries using proven deterrents, physical barriers, scare tactics, and maintenance tips.
Physical Barriers to Block Access
The first line of defense is to erect physical barriers that prevent squirrels from being able to reach your plants in the first place. Here are some of the most effective options:
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Cover plants with netting. Bird netting or plastic garden netting secured firmly to the ground can create an impermeable barrier. Go for netting with holes smaller than 1/2 inch.
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Build enclosures around beds. Use hardware cloth, chicken wire, or wire mesh on a wooden frame to box in plants. Bury the base several inches underground.
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Install wire fences around gardens. Fencing with a mesh size of 1/2 inch or smaller excludes squirrels very effectively. Add mesh skirting around the base.
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Place plants in elevated containers. Using raised beds or containers on tables or platforms puts plants safely out of reach.
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Construct protective tunnels over beds. Bend wire or hardware cloth over hoops to create cages that allow sunlight and water through.
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Interplant with taller crops. Gooseberries, beans, tomatoes, or corn planted around strawberries help hide them.
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Trim back overhanging branches. This eliminates aerial access points for tree squirrels.
Smell and Taste Repellents
You can make your strawberry patch less appealing to squirrels by using repellents that deter through smell, taste, or feel:
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Apply capsaicin-based repellent sprays on plants. These use the active chemical in hot peppers to irritate squirrels. Reapply after rain.
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Sprinkle cayenne pepper, chili powder, or crushed red pepper flakes around plants. These spices are non-toxic but uncomfortable if eaten.
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Use garlic or garlic-chili sprays. Blend cloves with water, let steep, and strain before spraying onto plants. Reapply frequently.
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Mix hot sauce with water and a bit of dish soap to help it stick to create a taste deterrent foliar spray. Avoid getting on fruit.
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Coat almost-ripe berries with food-grade bitter tasting oil like neem or peppermint oil to keep squirrels from eating them.
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Scatter clippings of aromatic herbs like lavender, mint, thyme, or sage around plants. Strong scents repel squirrels.
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Use predator urine like fox or coyote around plants. The scent mimics animal predators and frightens squirrels away.
Scare Tactics and Harassment
In addition to making your plants less desirable, you can also actively scare and harass squirrels to train them to avoid your strawberry patch with these tactics:
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Set up motion-activated sprinklers. Sudden bursts of water startle squirrels and chase them away whenever they draw near.
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Install ultrasonic or sonic pest repellers. Emitting random high-frequency sounds makes areas uncomfortable for squirrels.
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Use scarecrow sprinklers. These combine motion-activation with a spray of water and loud scary sounds to frighten squirrels.
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Hang old CDs or pans near plants. Reflections and clanging sounds disturb squirrels when wind catches them.
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Get a dog. Letting your dogs patrol when possible will deter squirrels with their presence and scent.
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Use a water gun for well-aimed harassment when you see squirrels in your garden. Some old-fashioned squirrel scaring can help.
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Play talk radio near your plants. The continuous noise of human voices discourages shy squirrels.
Smart Garden Setup
Designing your strawberry garden strategically can make it far less appealing to squirrels:
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Plant beds away from wood edges, fences, and dense cover squirrels use for travel.
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Eliminate overhanging branches or debris piles squirrels can jump from to access plants.
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Keep the surrounding area free of thick ground cover and weeds squirrels hide and nest in.
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Place beds in open areas with high visibility and traffic to make squirrels uncomfortable.
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Group multiple beds together so squirrels cannot isolate targets.
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Avoid small beds or individual containers that seem more vulnerable.
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Interplant with marigolds, onions, or mint as squirrel-deterring companion plants.
Preventive Garden Maintenance
Vigilant garden care and maintenance is key to preventing squirrels before they become a problem:
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Pick ripe fruit promptly and frequently to eliminate any rotting fruit odors that attract squirrels.
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Remove dropped and decaying berries under plants daily to reduce tempting smells.
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Check for and seal off any breaches or holes in exclusions daily where squirrels could enter.
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Patrol for signs of squirrel damage and activity like partially eaten fruit, holes, or digging. Act at first sight.
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Apply repellents liberally at first sighting of squirrels and reapply vigilantly. Don’t let them get comfortable.
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Trim back foliage regularly to eliminate squirrel hiding spots and keep sight lines open.
With some persistence and diligence using these comprehensive tactics, you can successfully train squirrels to leave your strawberry patch alone. The effort is well worth it to be able to enjoy a bountiful harvest of beautiful ripe berries that you labored over for months. With an effective squirrel deterrence plan in place, you can rest easy knowing your crop will make it safely from garden to table.
Learn more about how to get started!
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Signs of Squirrel Activity
Squirrels can create all kinds of damage in the garden. With the exception of flying squirrels (found in various areas around the country, including the East Coast and Pacific Northwest) these rodents are active during daylight hours. Watch for these signs that squirrels are visiting your garden:
- Shallow digging spots in planting beds. These sites arent large—youre looking for golf ball-size or smaller holes. Freshly planted seedbeds are a big squirrel target, as they enjoy unearthing and eating the seeds.
- Bite marks and/or missing fruit. Squirrels sometimes eat part of a tomato and leave the rest behind; other times, they eat the entire fruit. Other squirrel favorites include beans, squash, cucumbers, and eggplants.
- Missing plants. You might find remnants of seedlings lying on the soil, or they may completely disappear. Ditto for leaves of perennials.
- Nibbled seedheads. Squirrels nibble flat, ripening seedheads from the outside edges in, and are especially drawn to sunflowers.
- Container digging. If your pots of veggies, herbs, and flowers are constantly being dug into, thats likely a squirrels nut-hiding handiwork (although chipmunks do the same thing). Occasionally squirrels will unearth young potted plants in their quest to bury nuts.
- Partially eaten flowers. Squirrels seem to be fond of daisy blooms, but sometimes eat other flowers, too. Half-eaten daisies, with half the petals and most of the center disk missing, are a pretty good clue that squirrels are feasting in your garden.
Of course, the best way to be certain youre dealing with a squirrel is to catch the little varmint in the act. If youre spotting any of these signs, try to keep an eye on the garden when youre home.
How to Keep Squirrels Out of Strawberries : Grow Guru
FAQ
Do coffee grounds keep squirrels away?
Coffee grounds are a great way to keep squirrels out of potted plants and bulbs because they happen to serve double duty! Squirrels apparently dislike the smell, and coffee grounds are a great natural fertilizer, too!
How do I keep squirrels away from my berries?
Try sprinkling red pepper flakes around the damaged plants This is a natural repellant and may keep them at bay. You might spread petroleum jelly mixed with cayenne pepper on the bases of damaged plants. Just the jelly alone will discourage squirrels if spread on fences or nearby sites where squirrels are seen.
What keeps animals away from strawberries?
Netting covering all sides of the plant protects the fruit from birds and is readily available at garden centers and home improvement stores. Other deterrent options include fake snakes that frighten to the birds away from the plant.
How do you keep squirrels from destroying strawberry plants?
Plastic garden netting or bird netting can help keep squirrels from being able to destroy strawberry plants. But you can also go a little more durable and put some hardware cloth (essentially metal garden mesh) or chicken wire on top of your strawberry plant.
How do I keep squirrels away from my garden?
Wrap onion bulbs in mesh bags and hang them near the plants you want to protect. Garlic – You can also plant garlic as a companion plant around the edge of your garden, like a little perimeter fence for rodents. Adding garlic to your pepper spray will help keep squirrels away as well.
Do strawberries attract squirrels?
Regularly checking for and repairing any gaps in fences or enclosures around the strawberry patch is also a habit of mine. Always remove sweet fruits promptly; ripe strawberries attract squirrels and other garden pests. I’ve learned from experience that protecting strawberries from the enthusiastic appetites of squirrels can be a real challenge.
Does companion planting keep squirrels away?
Companion planting is kind of like having your own personal army of repellents. You can plant these “relics” in your garden to keep squirrels away. One good trick is to use companion planting to discourage these rodents from eating your veggies.
Do squirrels eat Sweet Strawberries?
For the smaller, more agile squirrels, a combination of netting and a solid fence seems to do the trick. Ensuring the fence is tall enough and flush with the ground underneath prevents squirrels from jumping over or burrowing under to gain access to the sweet strawberries.
How do you protect a strawberry garden from birds and rabbits?
An exclusion method of protection also prevents birds and rabbits from wreaking havoc in your strawberry garden. Install an 18-inch stake in each corner of the strawberry bed. Push the stake 6 inches into the soil to anchor it, leaving 12 inches above ground. Drape a sheet of 1-inch-wide metal mesh over the stakes.