As you may have noticed in your garden, it seems like any season is ’tis the season’ for squirrels to ramp up the digging in our precious miniature garden and fairy gardens. While the hunting and gathering usually reaches a feverish pitch before winter sets in, you might have squirrels that are ALWAYS digging in your gardens – full size and in miniature.
And, alas, there is no reasoning with those big eyes and the fluffy tail, and off they go digging a huge pit in the middle of our miniature garden. Hey, don’t laugh, it IS a huge pit in miniature! ;o) For us – it matters!! So, we’re here to help:
Survey Says!
So, I asked a bunch of different gardeners about what they use to keep the miniature Godzilla out of their gardens: cayenne pepper. Not pepper flakes: the powder.
And, you can find it in bulk at your local dollar store or inexpensively at your local Mexican grocer. Sprinkle it on the bare soil-spots in your miniature garden, fairy garden, or railroad garden, and the squirrel will move on to easier digs, literally.
Other Methods to Keep the Squirrels Out of the Garden
There are other ways of course, get a dog – my favorite suggestion that really works for us. Or, you can use natural repellents like garlic sprays or animal urine. (Um, how to you collect that?? UPDATE: Fellow MG, Susan mentioned that its found on Amazon. Ew. Lol!) But I’m not sure how effective they are.
There are sound emitters, sprinkler systems and motion detectors that you could spend your money on as well. This might be good for the “sport” of it. You know, get the lawn chair and the cooler and settle-in to watch the show…
Or, you could fence-in the pots, (ugly to look at,) or use plastic forks (ugly again until the plants hide them.)
And, lastly, I have heard that you can offer the squirrels something better, like sunflower seeds and refill it twice a day. If you’re thinking peanuts, remember that peanut shells are poisonous to dogs, and the squirrels plants them EVERYWHERE, so I don’t recommend them… but….
BUT – AND A BIG ‘BUT’ ABOUT THAT LAST SUGGESTION:
If you give the squirrels something to bury – they’ll bury it. Simple. And Murphy’s Law states that it’ll be your miniature garden that they’ll bury it in. Just don’t give them anything to bury!
Got a neighbor that likes to feed them? You might have to bribe that neighbor into NOT feeding them. (Homemade food is always my go-to, fresh-baked cookies can open many doors…)
Honestly, the squirrels don’t need any extra food and they are not “poor little things” that need anybody’s help. Notice at how fat the critters are, how full & bushy their tails are – THAT’S how healthy and well-fed they are!
Meanwhile, Try This:
But, with the cayenne pepper, especially for the miniature garden, you can really be precise as to where you sprinkle it. You can protect any part of the garden that you want to, with special attention to the freshly planted areas where the soil is easy to dig in. The dark color of the pepper blends into the soil-color and the treatment won’t take-away from your miniature garden scene.
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