Whether you find squirrels to be cute or annoying, you probably don’t want them in your garden. There are many types of squirrels across the US, but the most common one we see in urban gardens in North Dakota is the Gray Squirrel. They can be quite destructive for gardens, flowerbeds, and planters, and unfortunately, they’re quite smart too.
Being able to eliminate squirrels from your yard completely is pretty unlikely; they’re everywhere, and they’re not likely to skip over your yard and just hang out in the neighbor’s yard. But, there are things you can do to make your yard a less desirable place for them.
Remove Food Sources
Squirrels are foragers, and they’re quite ambitious about it. Caching food is their main focus in life, so easy access to food from bird feeders, fruit trees, shrubs, and trash cans are their dream come true. Make sure to keep trash cans tightly closed and clean up fallen fruit quickly.
You can remove bird feeders entirely, but if you love having wild birds around, you still have a few options. You can invest in squirrel-proof feeders, or you can provide squirrels with an easy access feeder of their own elsewhere in your yard stocked with their preferred foods. You can also add a squirrel deterrent to your birdseed mix.
Deterrents are usually made from hot peppers. Birds are not affected by capsaicin, but mammals like squirrels really don’t enjoy that level of spicy.
It’s also a good idea to relocate your feeders. Your birds want shelter near food sources, but feeders don’t need to be right under a tree. Move them far enough from trees, bushes, or buildings that squirrels won’t be able to jump to the feeder.
Use Visual or Noise Repellents
Squirrels aren’t big fans of dogs, so if you can safely let your dog hang out in the backyard, that may help with the squirrel problem as well.
Shiny moving objects can be scary as well, so things like bird tape and garden spinners can help make your yard less squirrel friendly.
There are also motion activated noise makers designed to repel rodents, but they’re not effective over the long term. It doesn’t take squirrels long to figure out that the noise is not followed up by a real threat, so they learn to ignore it.
Motion-activated sprinkler systems can also be a deterrent, but can also potentially waste a lot of water.
Mulch Your Beds
If squirrels have been digging up your bulbs and eating them, or simply removing them and filling the nice little holes with squirrel food stashes, consider adding mulch. A thick layer of mulch will discourage digging and protect your seedlings. They may still bury food in the mulch, but they generally won’t dig deep enough to pull out your plants.
The added benefit of mulch is that it regulates soil temperature and helps retain moisture, which keeps your plants happier. It also eventually breaks down and helps to improve your soil quality and health.
You can also add mulch to pots and containers, or arrange decorative rocks on top of the soil, around your plants, to discourage digging.
Squirrels Aren’t Going to Disappear Anytime Soon
Unfortunately for us, and fortunately for them, squirrels have adapted really well to urban life. This means it’s not a problem that we can fully solve in Bismarck. Unless you can build a completely sealed structure over your whole property, you’re never going to eliminate squirrels from your yard completely. The best you can do is make your yard less squirrel-friendly, or embrace them and provide them with a food source away from your garden.
If you’re looking for some squirrel proof bird feeders or squirrel deterrents, stop by the garden center. We’ve got lots of options to make your yard less of a squirrel haven.