Animal Pests in the Garden Articles | Garden Information Center

Most home gardens in early summer are full of lush green plants overflowing with vegetables and herbs for the family, with much produce to spare for neighbors and friends. But animal pests in the garden can quickly turn a bountiful garden into a gardener's nightmare. Common pests that can be found trampling through the garden during the growing season include: dogs, cats, rabbits, deer, raccoons, squirrels, moles and a host of other pests. To help control some of these pests, you need to learn the most effective ways to prevent them from entering your garden and harvesting your hard-earned garden bounty.
Dogs in the Garden
Dogs can quickly do serious damage in your garden beds. The best way to keep dogs out of your vegetable garden is to fence off the area with wire fencing where you will be planting. You can also use electric fencing to keep dogs out of the garden, but you'll have better success with using multiple strands of electric wire at various heights rather than just one strand. Some dog repellents are available on the market to keep dogs out of the garden, but the majority of these require the gardener to reapply the product after any rainfall, limiting the time for you to just enjoy the gardening experience.

Cats in the Garden
One of the biggest pests in the garden is cats, mainly because they find the loose garden soil a prime area for relieving themselves. If you have cats as pets, your best control option to keep cats out of the garden is also going to be wire fencing or electric fencing. If the cat visiting your garden is a stray or a neighbor's cat, it would be wise to either have the stray caught and taken to the local humane society and for the neighbor's cat, have a nice talk with the neighbor and express your concerns in a polite way.

Deer in the Garden
Probably every gardener's worst animal pest in the garden is the deer. Deer are very fond of virtually every plant growing in a vegetable garden. From bean plants to corn to a nice big head of lettuce ready to harvest. "When you see one deer, watch out for more!" A herd of deer can quickly diminish your vegetable garden overnight. The only true way to keep deer out of your garden is to build a very tall wire fence, about 8 feet in height, or alternatively 6 feet with two strands of electric fence at the top of the wire fence. Commercial repellents are also available to repel deer, but again, most of these have to be reapplied after any rainfall amounts.

Rabbits in the Garden
Rabbits bothering your vegetable garden plants are mostly a concern to those living and gardening in rural areas. Since using firearms in rural areas is mostly permissive, this is the most often used form of prevention for keeping rabbits from eating vegetables from your garden beds. A more humane alternative is to trap them in a wire cage and release in a more secluded spot.

Raccoons and Squirrels in the Garden
Again, those living in rural areas find the best control for raccoons and squirrels in the garden to be the use of firearms. The alternative for either of these pests is also to trap and release. Raccoons can be kept out of most garden beds with several strands of electric fencing, but the gardener needs to be aware of any overhanging tree branches where the raccoon pest could make their way into the garden for a late night snack. Dogs are also a known deterrent to squirrels.

Moles in the Garden
While we might not typically group moles in with all of the other animals mentioned here, moles are certainly a pest of the garden in their own right. These little vermin love rooting through the roots of your most treasured garden plants searching for their favorite meal, a grub or earthworm. This makes it very hard for plants to set forth crops that you intend to harvest as the roots of your plants are disconnected from the soil in which they grow. Mole kill traps are an effective prevention measure for many gardeners, as are poisons created specifically for killing moles. Since live trapping and releasing of moles is prohibited in most states, it is better to just rid them from your garden completely.

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