Squirrels won't stop the onslaught ---- HELP!!!

kw22614 · Aug 31, 2013

Had a small 20'X30' garden this season. 8 tomato plants, 7 cuke plants, 8 pepper plants, 3 zuc plants, 3 yellow squa plants, 3 rows corn, 2 rows string beans, 2 rows beets and a few thyme and oregeno plants. Terrible rainy all spring and summer and most everything got root rot. What did make it got wasted by the d*@m squirrels - we got NOTHING from the garden. Have only a few late season tomatos now looking good, still small and green, and I'd love to be able to harvest and eat them at least. I have 3' chicken wire all around and set up condiment cups with holes on bamboo stakes about 6" off the ground filled with cayenne pepper and moth balls about every 5'-6' between the rows and plants, but the squirrels still helped themselves. Got a new puppy and she chases them whenever she sees 'em, I think that's why the few late tomatos are still there, but she's an indoor dog and not out there all the time, but still see the occasional chewed up wasted tomato on the ground.
Anyone have any sure-fire ways to keep out the squirrels??

Sysop · Aug 31, 2013

Baited live traps, 20 gauge shotgun, army of barn cats. Another thing that helps is keeping the garden away from trees and other places they call home.

2LaneCruzer · Aug 31, 2013

They haven't bothered our garden for years; especially since we have had the birdfeeders out in the yard. They go for the sunflower seed like gangbusters. Bird feeders will also attract some other varmits from time to time, like raccoons and rarely...but sometimes...skunks. I would try baiting them with some sunflower seeds, maybe some corn. Can't hurt.

Another odd thing; they didn't bother our tomatoes every year; just some years. Don't know why, unless the walnuts and pecans were scarce those years.

DennisArrow · Aug 31, 2013

Harvest them tree rats with a .22 every time you see one. If you live in the burbs use a pellet gun. Anyway, don't let one get away with being alive on your property. I have 27 acres of oak and hickory, bird feeders, and yes a garden. The 2 border collies keep them off the ground a lot but they KNOW not to go into the garden, so if they wanted to the squirrels would have free reins............Some days I get 3 or 4 and then some weeks only maybe one..........lol.......and then some weeks I see none..........Anyway, that's my policy about the dern tree rats and since I have done that have had none in my attic nor garden........God bless.......Dennis

milkman · Aug 31, 2013

.22 or a pellet gun, then check here. :laughing:

https://www.google.com/webhp?source=search_app#q=squirrel+recipes

2LaneCruzer · Aug 31, 2013

DennisArrow said:
Harvest them tree rats with a .22 every time you see one. If you live in the burbs use a pellet gun. Anyway, don't let one get away with being alive on your property. I have 27 acres of oak and hickory, bird feeders, and yes a garden. The 2 border collies keep them off the ground a lot but they KNOW not to go into the garden, so if they wanted to the squirrels would have free reins............Some days I get 3 or 4 and then some weeks only maybe one..........lol.......and then some weeks I see none..........Anyway, that's my policy about the dern tree rats and since I have done that have had none in my attic nor garden........God bless.......Dennis

I hope you have fried squirrel at least once a week. One thing I miss about the good old Pooooooooooor, Poverty days is the fried squirrel, rabbit and quail. Our butts were hanging out, but we ate well! Nothing better than fried squirrel, poke salit and some purple hull peas.

kw22614 · Aug 31, 2013

Used to be 'country' here, now the burbs. I already got 17 with the pellet gun. They went after the corn in a big way, so I guess baiting or feeding them away from the garden makes sense. Hadn't thought of sunflower seeds. Never was trees at the site until the burbs moved in and built development all around me, then the new owners planted trees to screen my property out. Guess I'll try the corn and sunflower in the feeders first (maybe out in the open so it's easy for the dog to pounce!), and continue with the pellet gun. Thanks to all for your suggestions, and please keep them coming. The bigger the arsonal the better chance to beat the enemy!

Bird · Aug 31, 2013

Before we moved back to town, the squirrels got a lot of my pecans. I had 12 pecan trees. And they spent a lot of time at the birdfeeder where I used nothing but sunflower seeds, but I never had a squirrel in the garden, as far as I know. I did have a problem with cottontail rabbits in the garden until I started spreading blood meal around the perimeter. The rabbits would not cross that, but I don't know if it would work for squirrels. And now, in town, I have squirrels under the birdfeeders every day but never bother them

It's been many, many years since I shot a squirrel, but when I was in my teens and younger we shot and ate every squirrel we could find, so there weren't many around our property.

TedLaRue · Aug 31, 2013

I had a similar problem, and solved it with an electric fence charger. I bought some 12" plastic tent stakes/pegs, pushed them into the ground along the base of my tomatoes, and ran aluminum electric fence wire from peg to peg all the way around the tomatoes (and I had 75 plants) about 4" above the ground. Hooked the wire to our main electric fence (the one to keep deer out), and no more problem with squirrels. You can buy a fence charger and the aluminum wire from Lowe's, probably Home Depot, Tractor Supply, or your local feed store. The tent stakes can be found a Dick's sporting, WalMart, or online. You can use any kind of insulating stake, but plastic or fiberglass is better than wood (because wet wood conducts pretty well).

Your puppy may hit the fence eventually, but will only hit it once, and it won't seriously hurt it. He/she will stay clear of it after that experience.