I'd say your best bet is a dog or a cat. If it's a dog though make sure he/she is trained not to dig up your garden.

Happy Gardening,
-Kristina K.

Here is a link that might be useful: Urban Farm Wife

We had a squirrel and wild rabbit problem in our garden and tried Bonied Repels-All ground dry granules and so far it seems to be working really well.

We just sprinkled it around the perimeter of the garden and around the plants that seemed to take the most damage. The bottle says one application is good up to 2 months, but I've found that I have to reapply after heavy rain and about weekly (considering we water twice a day).

Caution though: it does nothing for pesky birds and it smells like fish food. Otherwise, hope it helps with your critter problem :)

It is also humane. You can get it online, although we found it quite easily at the corner garden center.

Good luck!

Definitely don't want to get a dog or cat, no time to take care of animals right now with the new baby.

Cool, I may try Bonied Repels then. It might be kind of a pain to have to apply it so often though, but we'll see. Is there anything better that wouldn't blow away in the wind or wash away with water?

You could try an electric fence. I use one (with a solar-powered charger) to keep wildlife out of the garden.

I looked up Bonied Repels and it didn't seem to have that great of reviews of working. It looks like Deer Scram has great reviews and is a fertilizer at the same time (but it says it only works on deer/rabbits). So what would I do about the squirrel problem? Has anyone used Deer Scram with success? It says it's just garlic and dried blood...

Electric fence won't work since it's not just the back yard. The front yard has several flower planters that are being dug up (all the bulbs and dahlias are now dug up and eaten). Can't fence the front yard in, so I need to deter them some other way.

If the main problem is digging up bulbs, laying some wire mesh on the ground in the winter when you plant them should help. The plants will grow up through the mesh.

They may also be searching for moisture. You might put pans of water as far from your plantings as you can, and keep them filled. If you have a vacant lot nearby, put them there.

Sue

Rabbit fence.

Dan

You could also try buying fake plastic snakes at the dollar store and scatter them through the garden. That's how I got rid of the birds, and it might be the reason the squirrels and rabbits stayed away (although I'm still using the Repels to be sure).

I actually used two pieces of thick electrical wire that we weren't using and twisted them in a snake like shape. I hear cut pieces of hose or similar material works just as well. It's a really cheap and efficient way to protect your garden.

The only thing is you have to remember to move the fake snakes (wire, hose, whatever) regularly so the critters don't catch on that they're fake.

Seems to be working as I haven't seen any evidence of digging or plant munching in over a week, and my garden was being attacked heavily every day. Wish it worked on insects, too... :)

Oh - and if you're buying fake snakes, get them cheap. Birds of prey might snatch them from the garden.

I bought one of these over a month ago. Has been doing a great job of deterring rabbits.

If you want one, search and shop. I got one from Amazon at less than half the list price.

I highly recommend the AC always on version as opposed to the motion detecting battery powered version.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bird-X

Good idea with cheap rubber snakes, I'll throw those everywhere! I was also thinking about a fake owl to help scare away some critters, would that help?

I've never really heard good stuff about the ultrasonic repellers. But if you says it works, I may give that a try as well.

I posted on ground squirrels on another thread on this website that has been on-going for 10 years. Its in the Pest section, hilarious...

So many things we hear are anecdotal and not confirmed systematically. I have heard, for example, that catnip planted around the yard keeps the ground squirrels away. And placing spearmint gum in the holes kills them after they eat it -- use gloves to keep your scent off the gum.

I have caught ground squirrels with rat traps using chunky peanut butter. I use the Big Snap E traps invented by Bell Labs. They are under $5 each on the Net and work very well. My wife and I cleared 5 acres 7 years ago and for a couple months was trapping 6-8 rats a day. Unlike a Victor trap the Big Snap E is made out of plastic so its very cleanable. It has a bait well for peanut butter or specialized baits.

This year has been really bad for rabbits all over the desert, coyotes are well fed . They are a nuisance. Fences are good but secure them well to be sure they dont dig under.

A fake owl will freak out all the birds in the neighborhood! My hubby used to put one out and I never heard such a racket. Don't know if it will scare anything else.

if you can't handle a pet right now - maybe you could get a little extra cash boarding the spare dog for vacationers??

My parent can't grow a thing due to squirrels....but when they took care of my dog for a 4 days when I had to travel, it took 2 weeks before the critters came back....

The only true way to actually get rid of them is to "get rid of them". Some may argue about dispatching nuisance animals, but you have to remember, your house being there has thrown off nature's balance, because while the rabbits, squirrels, and other varmints will happily adapt to your presence, their predators won't. Around here, the rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks will get so out of hand that your yard will be destroyed, and you'll have a squirrel malee at the bird feeders with half a dozen at a time fighting over food. Then, of course, the losers head over to the garden and rip off your tomatoes. Corn is a no go obviously, because squirrels love corn. Unless you create a 100% fenced garden, you're doomed for failure. All of this because there isn't a coyote, fox, or hawk around to take care of them the natural way. This is where us humans come in, with one of two choices; first one, let them have free reign over your yard, and prevent you from enjoying a garden and landscape, or, second choice, thin the herd to where there is enough natural food for them, and they don't have to eat YOUR food. I choose the 2nd option.

Joe

I find that coyotes have little trouble adapting to my presence.

Ya know, I've heard that in more suburban areas, that they've become a problem as well. I live in a small town, stuck out in farm and woods, next to a 33,000 acre wildlife refuge. Most wildlife here has no reason to adapt to living in town here, which includes the coyotes. However, because of that, the varmints probably know it's safe here in town, and choose to hang out here. It's amazing, because we can drive 1/2 mile out of town, and see deer, turkies, foxes, coyotes, and much more, yet here in town, none of them. Sure, we'll get a straggler here & there, but not often. Just an abundance of rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks.

Joe

I can't say the coyotes are a real problem. Once, there was a rogue animal that was a problem, but it's gone now. I see that they're getting squirrels and rabbits, of which I approve.

The cats know they're around and seem to take precautions, and they get the smaller rodents. We also have a healthy population of hawks.

I'd hate to see the varmint population of all these predators weren't at work.

this is certainly an issue in chicago, and I had the worst time in the garden.....

I accidentally got a terrier....he looked like and shelter said german sheppard mix, but vet says terrier and that is certainly his nature....and the problem is solved. He goes crazy if he sees rabbits or squirrels in the yard. They will hover around the fencing at times to get in, but they don't want to get trapped in the middle so don't risk it.

Ask your neighbors if you can have the waste from their cats' litter boxes. Put it under the bushes. If you have a large property, put it around the perimeter.

Sue

Since posting this I've tried a couple things. Sprayed liquid fence around the perimeter and around my garden and it did seem to tone it down a lot. Also been using a big rabbit/squirrel trap. Haven't caught any rabbits, but caught probably 8 or so squirrels. Instead of releasing them, I let them die in the cage. That's been the thing that works the best. You try to be humane about it, but they just keep coming back...

At least now I can enjoy my cuk's, zuk's, and tomatoes!

If you're trying to be humane, leaving them die of dehydration in the cage isn't the best idea. You're better off dunking the cage in water to drown them. Some will argue that method isn't humane either, but at least it's pretty quick. Although I've not tried it, I hear that another way is to put the cage into a garbage bag, and sinch it around your car's exhaust pipe, and gas them. I suspect the bag would melt if the pipe was hot enough though. I usually go the drowining route. You can use a bag for that too. All I know though is that leaving them sit there to die can be a long process, and they will suffer a lot whilst waiting to die.

Joe