Keeping Squirrels away from my garden

3SnuggleBunnies are you sure it was squirrels as raccoons are the critters who love corn and even if you find onehe will not budge and will go on eating that corn like you did not exist. We had squirrels on the South Dakota farm as a child. The squirrels never came near the corn but they they had the tiny olive like fruits from our Russian Olive trees. they would pick these and store them for future use.

I have no clue when it comes to harvesting corn but I went to the net and found that the only solution suggests to use some form of electric fence. Sounds crazy but I can't begin to tell you how many articles I looked at trying to find a solution as I was thinking some form of wiring netted fencing but then the corn plants get really tall. So the only solution I read is the electric fencing. Good luck with the corn, which by the way I am an expert at eating them.

I don't know, but I'll be watching this discussion. We are overrun with squirrels here. I grew corn a couple of years ago and they didn't bother them, but they cut off all the heads to the sunflowers while they were still green and ate them. I wasn't sure it was squirrels until I saw one do it. I want to plant corn in a corner of the front yard this year but I am leery of the squirrels getting it.

I just happened to think of something someone told me one time. They said to put out ExLax (a chocolate flavored laxative) around the crop and the squirrels would eat that. It won't kill them, but it will give them a tummy ache. This person said that once squirrels find an area that makes them sick, they won't come back. I can't vouch for that, but it might be worth a try!

At garden centers/stores, they sell artificial life sized owls ($30) whose eyes glow and their heads spin around which looks very realistic and chases the squirrels away. They really work. My neighbor biought one last year for the same problem and the squirrels stayed away from his corn. I have a dog so he keeps them away for the most part. Good luck. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB!!~

Well now you are marked, you will not escape from them again. We had such an influx last year we needed to shoot them. They got under the house and were eating the wires.

Hmmmm. I have not tried to grow corn. My daughter had MICE sit on the back of her sunflower heads and eat the seeds. She was wanting to attract birds. I would check with a garden center and see if there is some kind of a repellent that smells bad to them. The other thought that I had was to set up a squirrel feeding station that had something that appealed to them, like peanuts in the shell, so that they would leave the corn alone.

When I had a problem with critters getting into my garden in the desert--there were coyotes, mule deer and rabbits--I had my boys urinate around the perimeter every couple of days. Being boys, they were more than happy to do it! The only pests I had were bugs, which I took care of with soapy water. Try it!

It's funny .. I'm on a course just now and today we have been talking about keeping squirrels away from tree crops. I think it's pretty much impossible unless you really strongly net your crops, but that is hard as squirrels are awfully adept at finding their way through barriers and you do risk them getting tangled up. You could try and kill them of course, if you really wanted to. How about a dog to just chase them as a kinder solution? Once they'd been chased a couple of times they might stay away. Another alternative might be just to plant far more corn than you need and look upon part of it as a sacrificial crop!

Many people are not going to agree with me....but either trap them or shoot them. I live in the country and we all know here that no one wants squirrels around the house.....if they get into your home, they will destroy it. We used to keep our bird seed in a plastic Rubbermaid container....the squirrels chewed down through the cover, ruined it. If you want to be nice to the squirrels, buy a live trap and truck them far, far away.

I had the exact same problem with my tomatos. I was so disappointed that I never had the opportunity to enjoy any of the tomatos that I'd worked so hard to grow. That said, my neighbor actually built a separate fence around her garden to keep the critters out. She had really good luck with her garden where the squirrels decided to feast on mine. If this is something that is possible for you, you might give it a try.

I have no experience with squirrels, but if it were me, I'd build my own electric fence. It's quite easy, especially if you've already got a good wire fence up. It can be done inexpensively if you get a kit from your local electronic components store. There have been some good articles in electronics magazines on how to build your own electric fences for decades already. If you can't find any archived in your local or state library, PM me & I'll see what I can dig up for you to send via email! If you prefer, I can source the exact issues of electronics magazines in your country or mine. Are you handy with a soldering iron?

squirrels always find a way to your crops. their very hard to keep away. very cute but very annoying!!