Outdoor Garden Accessories Squirrels Are More Likely To Leave Alone And Why

Watching squirrels run around in your yard is adorable. Watching them plunder your flower garden? Not so much. Maybe you've already tried a plethora of critter-preventing options, including planting an herb that keeps squirrels from making a home in your yard and other DIY methods. If you're willing to shift your potted plants around a bit, you still have a way to keep squirrels at bay with a power you haven't tapped into yet: the squirrels' priorities.

It sounds silly, but if you move your plants into harder-to-reach spots like window boxes or hanging pots, squirrels are more likely to leave them alone. These garden accessories deter squirrels because they're scatter-hoarders that have to not only forage for food, but store it and remember where they stashed it. As such, they're most attracted to easily accessible food and dig sites to bury that food — keywords "easily accessible." Window boxes on a second story or pots hanging six feet off the ground (and at least six feet from the nearest squirrel-jumpable surface) take more effort for squirrels to reach, so they're likely to move along and leave those plants alone. You may need to start watering your plants with a stepladder, but it's worth it, and this is one of the ways to get rid of squirrels when you're gardening.

For an increased squirrel-deterrent effect, combine moving your plants out of reach with other preventative strategies. If you're planning to hang your potted plant from a shepherd's crook or pole, attach a squirrel baffle to make it extra hard to get to. These are mostly advertised as for use with bird feeders, but they'll still make an effective guard over the top of your plant.

Some squirrels can jump as far as seven to ten feet horizontally, so if you have anything nearby that a squirrel could easily launch off of to get to your plant, put something on those surfaces less jumpable, though you should never use Vaseline to deter pests. Instead, you could try cayenne pepper, since the spicy capsaicin will irritate squirrels enough to keep them away without actually harming them. You can sprinkle the pepper as-is, or mix one to two teaspoons of cayenne, a quart of water, and a couple drops of dish soap to create a spray.