Should I even bother trying to have a vegetable garden?

[Cathy in IL]

I finally have a nice big yard. I really want to have a garden, but there are so many pesky squirrels in it that I don't know if it would be a lost cause. They dug up all the bulbs I planted by the very next day! They hide their nuts all around the yard.

Anyone have ideas on how to wage war against squirrels and win?

[CindyPTN]

I want to start a vegetable garden this year too. We have squirrels and rabbits. I sympathize and am eager to hear what others have to say.

[nuthouse]

we;ve got squirrels, groundhogs, deer and rabbits. The squirrels will eat most bulbs, but won't touch daffodils. As for veg gardening, start with your fence. Depending on your critters, you need various kinds of fencing. In the city, we had only rabbits and a two foot chicken wire fence was fine. Here in the burbs, we have two foot of chicken wire up and two foot of chicken wire out and 10 foot of deer fencing up. Then I spray with a product called "Liquid Fence" every two weeks. We manage a garden. All the commercial places nearby are greenhouse or 10 feet of deer fence with farm dog protection against ground hog and rabbit. It's really tough because the critter don't have anywhere to go and nothing to eat either. Hope this helps. Ms. D.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I house and feed my garden pests - my two English Springer Spaniels! I have tried to put bird netting over my raised beds: the dogs thought it was the greatest game to go tearing through the netting at top speed! The squirrels chewed through it.
Last year I discovered a foolproof way to protect my garden. My dh made a frame out of 2 x 4's - we covered it with "hardware cloth" - a metal mesh that you staple on to the frame. The dogs can sit and stand on it with out hurting the plants underneath. My plan is to raise the mesh-frame with blocks as the plants grow. (I don't know if the squirrels would go under it or not.)

[Julpost]

I am also planning on having a garden this summer, however this year it will be a container garden. I just know that with a a toddler and preschooler this summer, I won't be able to keep up with a regular garden. But I miss gardening so much that I want to do something.

So I'm planning on having many containers of lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, herbs, lots of greens, and maybe strawberries in containers this year. I am interested in having a pumpkin and zucchini patch in my old garden patch though. Fencing will be a priority and I guess weekly weeding. We have a ton of rabbits and squirrels around here. I have a dog though and I think she helps cut down on the varmits quite a bit!

[Renthead Mommy]

I found a site that sells fox urnine (as well as other urines). It's in pellet form and you sprinkle it around the garden. The animals stay away because they are scared of the fox.

I'm ordering a mix of fox and bobcat to keep the shrews out of my garden.

My mom used to use moth balls in the garden to keep the squirrles out, but that always looked funny, and just doesn't smell "garden-y".

http://www.critter-repellent.com/squirrel/squirrel-repellent.php

http://http://www.critter-repellent.com/squirrel/squirrel-repellent.php

[Rachel]

We have deer and squirrels, rabbits, you name it....

First we had to do raised beds to keep moles out..........plus it just makes gardening a whole lot easier

We then made it as close to the house as possible because critters don't like getting too close to the house

The only repellant we have found that works is Liquid Fence.......you don't want to know whats in it......you don't want to smell it..........just spray it everywhere around your garden and even on your plants if they are especially tempting to critters. It is nasty smelling stuff but once it dries you can't smell it anymore and it works! We had a great garden and I would watch the deer walk right up to it, turn their nose and walk away......