Planting a garden brings color to your yard, food to your table, and joy to your life. Unfortunately, gardens also attract unwanted attention.

When animals get into it, they can quickly wipe out everything you worked for. Read on to learn 11 helpful tips on how to keep animals out of your garden.

1. Learn Who Comes Uninvited

Depending on where you live and what you grow, a number of uninvited guests may show up to feast on your harvest. Discovering which pests plague you will help you decide on the best course of action.

Obviously seeing the little sneak will make identification easy. But they will often come when you’re not around.

Look around your garden for signs, like hoof prints from deer or footprints from larger animals. Also watch for signs of rodents, like burrow holes.

Some common garden pests include:

• Deer
• Rabbits
• Rats
• Mice
• Moles
• Raccoons
• Skunks
• Squirrels
• Woodchucks
• Chipmunks
• Birds
• Snakes
• Bears
• House Pets

Take a peek at the leaves for signs of insect pests as well. Those little bugs can cause big damage.

2. Plant Natural Repellents

While some plants attract animal life, others will repel it. Strategically plant flowers, herbs, and veggies around the garden that will turn animals away so they do not get to the goodies.

Flower Power

Add pops of color and wonderful scents that keep critters away. Rabbits, dogs, moles, and many insects find pretty little marigolds offensive.

Beautiful daffodils poison squirrels and a few other woodland creatures, so they will stay away from the scent. Lavender will ease your olfactory senses while disgusting deer, raccoons, and dogs.

Herb Helpers

Adding herbs to your garden provides you a variety of seasonings to complement the veggies you sprout. Certain herbs will keep many pests away too.

Herbs that repel animals and insects include:

• Chives
• Dill
• Thyme
• Sage
• Spearmint
• Oregano

Planting catnip will also keep many pests out. But, it may invite neighborhood kitties to frolic in the garden, and while they will not eat your vegetables, they may damage them.

Vegetable Detterants

Many pests will damage the roots by burrowing through your garden or digging into it for grubs and insects. Keep these critters out by planting onions and garlic, which grow underground.

Above ground, plant hot peppers around the garden. If an animal does dare take a bite, they will not visit again anytime soon.

3. Use Other Natural Repellents

Add to the repugnance of your garden by using other natural repellents. After making coffee each morning, sprinkle coffee grounds to keep many animals away. You can also use castor oil or predator urine around the perimeter of your garden.

4. Create Barriers

Physical barriers work well for keeping animals out of gardens. You can use permanent or temporary fencing to keep critters out.

To keep rodents from burrowing from the outside in, use wooden planks around the perimeter of the garden. Dig them into the ground to make it an effective tool.

A tall fence around the perimeter can keep larger animals from eating the yield. You can also use chicken wire to cover vulnerable plants individually.

If you how a lot of crops and count on the harvest for a fresh food supply, then you can opt for an electric fence. Though very expensive, this works effectively.

5. Install a Sprinkler System

Are you trying to figure out how to protect your garden from animals while adding other benefits?

Your garden needs the equivalent of one inch of water over the entire surface per week. Water your garden in a way that kills two birds with one stone.

Install a sprinkler system with a motion sensor. The unexpected spritz will startle animals and keep them from coming back. Plus, your garden receives a fresh supply of water throughout the week without you doing any extra work.

6. Make it Uninhabitable

If your garden appears safe and inviting to small critters, they will hang out. Eliminate anything that makes it look like a snug spot.

Small rodents will nest in brush piles or till grass. Make it a point to keep that stuff cleared out so the rows are open space.

7. Put Up a Scarecrow

Placing a scarecrow in the garden will trick them into thinking somebody is there. But, this trick can wear out quickly.

Animals will eventually get used to it. To avoid this from happening, move it around to different spots of the garden so it looks alive.

8. Offer an Alternative Food Source

Maybe you enjoy the wildlife around, but do not want them to eat the fruits of your labor. In this case, provide them with an alternative food source away from your garden.

Place birdhouses in trees around your yard to keep them fed. You might also put squirrel baffles at each end of your garden.

9. Adopt a Fur Friend

Most animals fear possible predators, like cats and dogs. Adopting a pet can bring joy to your life and protect your garden from pests. However, this could backfire as curious cats and dogs may rummage through your garden, devastating it in other ways.

10. Set Traps

If you notice a problem with animals feasting on your yield, you can set traps. While some traps kill them, but not in a very humane way. You can opt for traps that simply cage animals for you to relocate them.

11. Call a Professional

Maybe you do not want to deal with the problem yourself. Or, quite possibly, the pest problem is too big for you to handle. Infestations or predatory pests definitely call for wildlife control.

Know-How to Keep Animals Out of Your Garden

You work way too hard to let something destroy your garden. Many options for how to keep animals out of your garden exist.

Knowing what to do can save you time, money, and disappointment. Start implementing a few of these tricks now, so you do not pay for neglecting to protect your crops later.

Do you grow your garden to live a healthier lifestyle? If so, read health and fitness tips on our website!