Protect Your Garden from Nuisance Wildlife
After spending a few months tending to and caring for your garden, it is frustrating to find an animal enjoying the fruits of your labor.
The most effective means to protect your garden from wild animals is to keep them out of it. Repellents and deterrents have limited effectiveness. Scented repellents dissipate outside. Animals grow accustomed to deterrents that rely on sound or sight.
Larger mammals can be difficult to keep out of your yard. It is more cost-effective to protect certain areas of your yard from wild hogs, bears, and deer. To keep burrowing animals like gophers and moles out of your garden, you will need to bury the barrier.
Most Common Garden Pests
How to Keep Animals Out of Your Garden
As you are preparing your spring garden, keep these dimensions in mind. The nuisance wildlife will determine how tall, what material, and how deep to bury. Trutech wildlife technicians use the following guideline to keep animals out of your garden.
Fences for Your Garden
| Species | Fence Type | Material | Height | Depth |
| Rabbit | non-electric | 1-inch hardware cloth | 2 feet | Buried 4 inches |
| Pocket Gophers | non-electric | 1/4 or 1/2 in hardware cloth | 1 foot | 24 inches At least six inches bent away from plants at 90 degrees. |
| Chipmunk | non-electric | 1/4 inch hardware cloth | 2.5 to 3 feet high | 6-12 inches deep |
| Woodchuck | non-electric | 1-inch hardware cloth |
4 feet 1-foot overhang to prevent climbing |
Buried 2 inches Extending 1-foot underground |
| Moles | non-electric | Sheet metal or 24 in hardware cloth | Not Applicable | Buried 1-foot Bent at 90-degree angle |
| Deer | non-electric | Metal, Polypropylene, Brick | 8-10 feet | N/A |
Electrical Fences by Species
Electric fences act as behavioral deterrents. After touching the electric fence, animals will start to avoid the barrier. A properly installed electric fence will not injure, permanently damage, or kill an individual, pet, or animal.
| Species | Fence Type | Material | Height | Electrical | Depth |
| Deer | electric | 12 1/2 gauge high-tensile wire | 8 feet | Two strands 1 ft and 4 ft from the surface | N/A |
| Bear | electric | 12 to 16 gauge wire | 4 feet | 4 strands at 36 in, 26in, 16 in, and 6 in | N/A |
| Wild Hogs | electric |
Heavy Wire Holes no larger than 6 inches at posts |
3 feet | 2 Strands at 8- and 18-inches | N/A |
| Woodchucks | electric | 1-inch hardware cloth | 4 feet | 6 to 8 inches below the top | Buried 2 inches Extending 1 foot underground |
| Raccoon | electric | 1-inch hardware cloth | 4 feet | 1 strand 6 to 8 inches below the top | Buried 2 in. Extending underground 1 ft or more. |
| Raccoon | electric | 1-inch hardware cloth | 4 feet | 1 strand 10 inches from ground | Buried 2 in. Extending underground 1 ft or more. |
Electrical fences have a lower initial construction cost but require maintenance. Electrical fences fail when they are improperly installed or maintenance is inadequate.
Keep Your Garden Free from Pests
Before your garden starts growing, make sure you are not inadvertently attracting animals.
- Keep a tidy yard clear of debris to limit possible nesting sites.
- Bring pet food inside overnight.
- Secure all garbage cans.
- Use a compost pile to discard any plant material.
After your vegetable garden starts producing, don’t attract animals.
- Harvest all ripe fruits and vegetables.
- Discard any vegetables and fruits off the ground.
Do Deterrents Keep Animals Out of the Garden?
Garden pest deterrents can work if used strategically. Install deterrents early in the season when these critters have not yet established themselves on your property, so they will not choose to build their nest or burrow in your yard, where they will multiply. These animals are also smarter than one would think. They get used to deterrents and begin to ignore them, so the best way to use deterrents is to switch them up and move them around to keep up an element of surprise.
- Reflextive Tape An effective deterrent if installed in an area when wind can create movement. The changing reflection can disorient and frigthen critters away.
- Scarecrows and Decoys These work when first introduced, but most animals become accustomed to them rather quickly. Move them around your garden to maintain effectiveness.
- Motion-activated sprinklers A sensor triggers a burst of water when the animal gets too close. Proper sprinkler placement is key because craftier critters will learn to avoid it.
- Ultra Sonic Deterrents Not an effective solutoin. Animals will get used to them. Trees, shrubs, temperature, and humidity negatively affects it.
Do Deterrents Keep Animals Out of the Garden?
Most repellents are natural substances that work because animals dislike the taste or smell. Apply repellents as early as possible. You need to do this before anything starts eating your garden.
Garden repellents need to be reapplied often, especially after it rains.
- Castor Oil Can be effective deterrent for digging and burrowing animals. It has an unpleasant smell and a very bitter taste that repels animals. You spray it directly onto your soil weekly through a hose attachment.
- Cayenne Pepperl The capsaicin compound, can deter animals because of its strong smell and burning taste.It wears out quickly and needs to be reapplied. The downside is that if an animal inadvertently gets it in its eyes, it will cause them significant discomfort. If you have pets, you’ll need to ensure they stay away, too.
- Predator Urine Coyote urine is the most common and can be used around the perimeter of your garden. However, plant-loving pests will become used to the smell over time.
What Types of Plants Keep Animals Out of the Garden?
- Marigolds and Nasturtiums Can deter small pests such as chipmunks, squirrels, and rabbits. An added benefit is that they act like a trap crop, attracting harmful insects toward them and away from your valuable plantings.
- Garlic and Alliums They emit a strong scent that masks the scent of other plantings, making it more difficult for animals to find them. Rodents, in particular, are repelled by the scent of garlic and alliums.
How Can Trutech Help Protect Your Garden and Yard from Critters?
Don’t wait until your flower and vegetable gardens are ruined. Protecting your gardens and expensive landscaping is best done proactively. Once an animal finds a reliable food source, it will not move out of its own accord. In fact, it will start looking for a safe place to shelter.
The experts at Trutech can provide long-term wildlife and animal control for your garden, yard, and house.