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Rabbit in grass
As humans and wildlife become more intertwined in urban areas, it’s more likely that rabbits, squirrels, foxes and deer will show up in your yard and start snacking on your garden bounty. Humanely protect the fruits of your labor from these beautiful creatures with a few simple preventative measures.
Start by carefully planning where you will place your vegetable plants. Joey Baird, who with his wife, Holly, founded The Wisconsin Vegetable Gardener (thewisconsinvegetablegardener.com), says that rabbits are typically attracted to smaller plants, seedlings or anything lower to the ground.
“Deer will eat anything they can reach. Try planting the ‘good’ items like tomatoes and peppers closer to the middle of the garden and hope the deer will eat whatever you plant around the perimeter,” he adds. “Squirrels don’t usually eat garden plants, but they will dig in the soil if there’s a possibility for food.”
Most typical garden vegetables and fruits are attractive to wild animals in some way, adds Brittni Vermiglio, director of wildlife rehabilitation at the Wisconsin Humane Society (WHS). “Certainly, the path of least resistance is tolerance. If you can plant enough to share with your local wildlife, go for it!”
If you want to keep wildlife out of your garden, wildlife rehabbers from WHS’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center recommend checking what else in your yard might attract wildlife and to remove it. Those include food sources such as bird feeders, bags of grass seed and dog/cat food, as well as water access, shelter from wood piles and unsecure outbuildings, and junk piles/garbage.
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Sheltering Gardens
Fencing or protective barriers can be effective ways to shelter gardens from animals. Any type of fencing two feet tall will keep the rabbits away, Joey advises. Fencing eight feet tall will keep out deer. Joey recommends wire or metal materials. “Chicken wire works well for fencing. Plastic can be used, but it may break down faster than a metal fence.”
Installing a chicken wire-style fence can be easy and cost-effective. “Place posts every four to six feet, and wrap the chicken wire around the garden,” Joey explains. “You can use zip ties or twine to secure the fence to the post. You can often find portions of chicken wire-style fencing on the side on trash day, especially in spring when people are often cleaning out their garages, sheds or basements. A lot of the items we use in the garden have been found free around the trash.”
Vermiglio notes that perimeter fences can be effective, but animals can dig around or climb over them, depending on the species. In addition to breaking down, plastic fences can easily be chewed through by mammals.
“Plastic netting can be very dangerous to wildlife, and we have seen many animals entangled in the material,” Vermiglio cautions. “If you are trying to dissuade digging mammals, its often recommended to dig a trench and bury the fence underground.”
Nontoxic Animal Repellants Help, But Fencing Is Best
Non-toxic animal repellant sprays are available online or at local garden centers. Joey advises that many of these have to be reapplied after the rain. He recommends Deer Defeat (deerdefeat.com).
Some gardeners try deterrents such as planting marigolds around a garden perimeter, or hanging objects that make noise will keep animals away, but Joey observes that can be ineffective. “If an animal is hungry enough, they don’t care. Fencing is what works best. It may be an initial investment, but it is worth the cost over time.”
Spicy taste repellent sprays may be effective for preventing mammals from eating specific garden items but will not deter digging. The WHS staff reiterates that long-term solutions to wildlife conflicts, without lethal means, will go much farther. Animals are attracted to a resource. If that still exists and is accessible, removing one animal will just lead to another animal coming to utilize those resources. “Long-term solutions will be more effective for you and overall, less effort and energy in the long run.”
Joey and Holly Baird host “Gardening with Joey and Holly Radio Show” on Joy 1340 AM and 98.7 FM in Milwaukee from March through October on Saturday mornings from 7-8 a.m. and replay 7-8 p.m. Their radio show is also heard on 16 other radio station across the country. Readers can email them at gardentalkradio@gmail.com with more gardening questions.
Wisconsin Humane Society has additional resources on its website to humanely protect your yard from unwanted guests. For more information, visit wihumane.org/wildlife.
