Some people use homemade animal repellent for gardens which is good but there are better some ways. As you are wondering how to keep animals out of garden without fence, you should learn a few such effective tips.
You are not alone. Many homeowners and garden enthusiasts worry about the right garden protection. In this article, I will mention those tricks that actually WORK and practical.
How To Keep Animals Out Of The Garden?
I used to use homemade spray to keep animals out of garden. Eventually, it became costly for me. So, I dig up the internet like you and talk to some experienced gardeners about these issues.
Depending on where you live, you may have another type of critters wreaking havoc on your garden. So, you need to identify the critters first, then pick your suitable solution.
However, after spending a lot of time, I gather a list of such effective methods for garden protection. Check them out!
- Install Automatic Sprinklers
It involves some cost but it’s an easy way to scare off animals. But it’s effective only when you have a few certain types of animals to deal with. You must get motion-sensor automatic sprinklers as well.
As soon as those sprinklers sense any movement in the garden, it will spray water on them.
The problem with those sprinklers is that they will start spraying even if it senses movement wind. So, you may have a problem with an over wet garden as well.
Some larger animals may even use them as their water sources too!
- Think About Wire Cloches
If you have only a few plants to save from the burrowing animals, using the wire cloches may be the best solution for you. Such wire mesh covers are widely used worldwide to protect the plants.
There are various sizes available when it comes to wire cloches. So, you need to choose the right size depending on what you are growing in your garden.
Yes, they are highly effective but you can only go for it only if you have a smaller area to protect.
Since such mesh covers are lightweight, larger animals can easily remove them. So they can’t protect much if you are dealing with larger animals.
- Clay Cat Litter
A fence can’t prevent insects, snails, and slugs from damaging the soil of your garden. You need a good pest repellent for keeping pests out of the garden. The clay cat litter mixed with talcum powder works as a great repellent.
Both the talcum powder and cat litter clay prevents the burrowing pests. They just hate it!
The good thing about the clay cat litter is that it prevents the moles and voles as well. If you have a groundhog problem, it will prevent them too. You might be wondering why not just flood them with water.
Sadly, moles can swim and unless you want to catch them, flooding their holes won’t work.
This is what you should do with the cat litter…
Spot all the holes made by such voles and moles and pour the clay cat litter into the tunnels. Don’t feel bad about that. It won’t kill them or destroy them holes. But it will force them to go somewhere else and leave your garden alone.
- Have A Guard Pet
Get a house pet to ward off the critters from your yard. It can be a dog or a pet. Some smaller critters are easily scared off by such pets.
Your pet dog will work to scare off the bigger critters and you can use your cat to deal with smaller critters. Their urine also works as a great natural repellent against moles, voles, and rabbits.
However, you must train them to be your guard pet. Otherwise, they will create a mess in the garden digging up your plants.
Also, keep in mind that, if you are dealing with bigger critters like foxes or wolves, don’t try to use your pets against them.
- Noise/Lights
It’s a bit unconventional method to keep animals out of garden and it works as the sprinkler system mentioned above. Sudden sharp noise or bright floodlight scare away animals for sure.
Animals normally invade your garden early in the morning or late at night. So, sudden noise or lights can easily scare them off.
Just like the sprinkler system, they use the same motion-sensor technology. So, your garden is protected 24/7. You can find other motion-activated traps as well.
If you search a little, you can find electronic scarecrows to scare off smaller animals as well.
- Use Natural Repellents
You can use homemade animal repellent for gardens or you can simply buy some other natural repellents to keep the burrowing animals out of garden.
From a long list like predator urine, castor oil, hot pepper extract, or garlic clippings – you can pick yours. You can find other chemical sprays too. All of them are easily accessible and cheap.
If you are dealing with pests, you can sprinkle coffee around your plants. It will keep the bugs and pests away from your beloved plants.
If you plan to buy them, read first to understand which animals such repellents will work.
- Vinegar & Peppers
Animals don’t like the smell of hot pepper flakes and vinegar. This is the simplest way to keep your garden and yard animal-free. Let’s see how you can do it yourself.
Get some corn cobs and soak them into vinegar for at least 10 minutes. Place those corn cobs throughout your garden. Do the same every now and then to keep the animals out of your garden.
Instead of vinegar, you apply the same technique with hot pepper flakes too. Even the liquid chilly will work. Don’t sprinkle the peppers or chilly around the garden. Just sprinkle them around the base of your plants.
- Scented Soap
If deer is the main problem, you can use scented soap with a strong smell (without coconut oil). Deer hate the smell a lot. Get some cheesecloth bags or just nylon and hang any strongly scented soap throughout your garden.
Many gardeners have already got huge success with this method keeping the deer away from their gardens.
If you have a very large garden, you will have to buy a lot of soap which can be expensive.
- Provide Alternative Food Sources
A great natural way to keep animals out of the garden is to provide them alternative food sources so that they leave your garden alone. It may sound impractical, but works!
The main reason why such animals are invading your garden is that they find their food there instead of somewhere else. It’s their natural instinct to survive eating plants from your garden.
Identify the invading animal first. Do your research to understand what it normally eats. Then provide such food source around the backyard and around your garden so that they don’t your crops.
Let’s say birds are the invading forces. Then you can place bird feeders around your garden. More so, you can place food pellets for larger animals too.
However, you need to think about this twice before implanting this. You do not want to make the situation worse by inviting other animals to provide such alternative food sources.
- Switch The Plant Types
Unless the animals are too hungry, they won’t if you have less attractive plants with bad smells to eat. Switching plants that animals don’t eat is a great way of garden protection.
You can find lots of beautiful plants with a pungent smell and prickly textures. Strong smelling plants like Artemisia, tansy, and yarrow can be a good choice.
If you are into herbs, you can plant oregano, thyme, mint, tarragon, chives, and dill too. Try to get them for your garden.
- Buy & Use Predator Urine
Before I go any further about this, let me ask you something – do you know you can buy urine of predator animals like foxes, coyotes, and mountain lions?
Yes, you can purchase them from online stores and your nearby supply stores! Whatever animal is invading your garden; they fear such predator animals tremendously.
So, if such burrowing animals sense the presence of such predator animals, you will run for their lives and will never come back again.
Soak some cotton balls with those predator urines and place them around the perimeter of your garden or the entering spaces only. This should take care of them.
You need to redo it if there is rainfall.
- Bloodmeal
This method works just like the predator urine technique. Like the predator urine, most animals don’t like the smell of blood and won’t go nearby the source of it.
Bloodmeal is nothing but dried and flaked blood which is enriched with nitrogen and it comes as the by-product of the meat. You can make it yourself.
Sprinkle such dried blood around the base of your plants. Do not directly sprinkle it on the plant though.
Conclusion
You put a lot of time, labor, and money into your garden. Pests, birds, or any kind of animal should not be allowed to damage it. And you won’t if you know how to keep animals out of garden without fence.
Depending on your situation, pick any of the 12 methods mentioned above. Your problem will be gone forever!
About Author
There are some ways to keep animals out of the garden. Use a pepper homemade spray, use plants that repel animals and insects, install ultrasonic pest repellent, hang soap bars, sprinkle coffee, use a milk spray, use a castor oil solution, and hang wind chimes.