How to keep squirrels out of the garden

[Doelman]

I've dealt with squirrels in the garden for years and I've tried every thing I read online to keep them out. Fake snakes, fake owls, hung CDs, blood meal, predator urine, pin wheels, trap and release. None of these worked. What does work? Deer netting. I bought this stuff called Deer-X to keep my dog out, it's made for deer even though I doubt it could keep deer out, but for some reason the squirrels absolutely hate it. They don't even attempt to climb over it or under it, I think it's because the material has a tendency to catch on other materials, like their fur so they don't like to mess with it.

I use 6 foot garden stakes, attach the netting at the top and bottom of each stake with a zip tie, and just run it around the entire garden. I can slide the zip tie up or down the stake to move the netting out of the way without having to remove it. I haven't had a single squirrel hole in the garden since I put it up at the beginning of April.

 

[Becky]

That's good to know! Sadly it wouldn't work for us because squirrels get into our garden via tree branches, so I'd need to put a roof of netting over the garden! Glad to hear the deer netting worked for you though

 

[Rajesh Sethi]

Get a cat, actually small kitten are the best. As small kittens are active and they run after anything that moves.. They even catch and kill jumping spiders, grasshoppers, lizards....One should see them trying to catch butterfly, they seem as if they are dancing around on their two hind legs.

Only problem with my cats are they use the stump of trees to sharpen their claw. It might shorten the tree life if it gets infected.

 

[Doelman]

I don't have a cat, but I do have one that is usually in my backyard. He has done very little to slow the squirrel population haha my dog has actually caught and killed a couple of them, it doesn't take long for more to take its place.