Keeping squirrels away.

[MOFishin]

Squirrels ate a lot of my tomatoes last year. This year I put fencing around my garden immediately after the first things were planted. My fence is made up from 4 sections that I basically accumulated over time from other people who weren't going to use it, or had more fence than they needed.
Problem is, half of my fence apparently has too big of gaps to keep squirrels out. The large rabbit I see a lot of around cannot get through it. But after seeing a full grown squirrel jump through with ease, I feel like I wasted my time putting up fencing that isn't sufficient.
So what is my next step? Last year's garden was kind of a let down for me. And part of it was so many tomatoes getting eaten before I picked them. I really want to do everything possible to avoid a repeat of that.

[applestar]

Fence isn't enough to keep squirrels away, but do you have watering stations for the squirrels and birds outside of the fence and closer to where they are coming from? Also, avoid tossing spoiled tomatoes or other possible target crops out where the first year young squirrels might find them and learn that they are edible and good.

If they have no other way of getting in -- like jumping in from a tree branch, etc. smallest electric fence -- two wires few inches above the ground and just outside of the top of the garden fence could be all you need. I put up a battery operated one of those to supplement a rabbitwire fence (squirrels can't squeeze through the lower openings) against groundHOGs going after apples and saw squirrels doing backflips and running off after getting zapped.

[digitS']

I have had good luck keeping birds out of freshly sown beds using a toy cat from the toy store.

The "cat" was moved twice or more often each day. Always, the location kept the cat partially hidden but where it could be seen from that bed. I even carried a box out to use for some of the hiding places.

I saw a little kid with a dinosaur the other day ...

Steve

[rainbowgardener]

Back up your fence with deer netting. Deer netting is very effective at keeping all kinds of critters out of your garden.

[lakngulf]

I have had problems with squirrels and tomatoes since I was in grad school in Chapel Hill, NC. Finally, last year I devised a plan that took care of squirrels AND raccoons, at least so far. Garden is completely surrounded in 36 inch tin, with two strands of electric fence on top.



I have often heard about the providing water trick, but here they have a LAKE!!!

[MOFishin]

Nice setup lakngulf. And thanks everyone for the responses. I will probably end up using most, if not all, of those suggestions

[jeff84]

fake owls and fake snakes also work. or a real dog. and if all else fails an air rifle is very effective. I use this method when they are actually in season, but if they are causing damage it is legal here to eradicate them out of season.

[Shanghaisky]

Chiming in to ask: what options are there for non-electric (aka kid safe) fencing? We have squirrels, rabbits, deer, and beavers (though I don't know if the latter are going to be an issue...). There is a perimeter chainlink on two sides and a tallish picket on another side with the last side of picket rolled back as an opening. Mostly concerned about bunnies... there's a lot of them!

[applestar]

I use rabbitwire fence -- they are 28-30" high with more horizontal wires on the lower half which keep the baby bunnies out. Low enough for me to step over so although I do fashion "gates" I usually just step over and only open the gate for heavy work needing the wheel barrow, etc.

Cleaver young (slender and sprite enough) bunbuns have been known to jump through the upper openings on occasion, but if I catch them in the act and scare them enough a couple of times -- they have trouble remembering exactly HOW they got in and run around in panic until they remember exactly where they got in -- they won't go back in.

This is enough to train and keep pets and children out too.

[MOFishin]

Fence isn't enough to keep squirrels away, but do you have watering stations for the squirrels and birds outside of the fence and closer to where they are coming from?

How exactly do I go about doing that? I mean, how do I make a watering station that squirrels will use?

[MOFishin]

Anyone want to share how they went about setting up a "watering station" for squirrels?
Also, I was just reading about how one could try to distract them as well, by planting extra tomatoes in isolated corners of the property. I have 3 acres and happened to start more tomatoes than I have room (or need) for in the garden, so that would be no problem for me. Wondering what people think of that idea.

[applestar]

Mine are just bird baths placed strategically between where they come from (woods behind the fence) and the vegetable garden. I used to have one to one side of the back yard, but had to set up a second one when Veg garden on the other side of the back yard started getting attention -- bitten tomatoes, etc.

That was before. Now I have a pond on one side and the 2nd birdbath + raingarden/mini-rice paddy on the other side which holds water for a while. My garden beds are also raised rows with swales/moats that hold irrigation water, so even when they by-pass the bird bath, etc.they might find water to drink before finding something else.

Key point -- I do see the squirrels pausing to drink from these all the time.

[applestar]

Didn't I say earlier not to teach them to like tomatoes as food? Distract them if you want, but give them stuff like dried cob corn and wire trapeze jungle gym or something to keep them busy elsewhere.


...if you are growing corn for yourself, don't use corn...

[MOFishin]

Didn't I say earlier not to teach them to like tomatoes as food? Distract them if you want, but give them stuff like dried cob corn and wire trapeze jungle gym or something to keep them busy elsewhere.


...if you are growing corn for yourself, don't use corn...

Thank you