You work hard on your garden and take great pride in how it looks. Whether you grow vegetables or flowers, you want your garden to reflect the time and care you put into it. All gardeners at one point or another eventually run into problems with pests destroying their plants in their garden. This is disheartening, as all your work can go to waste quickly. Luckily, there are several ways to mitigate pest damage and keep them away in the first place.

Continue Reading this Article to Learn Ways to Keep your Garden Safe from Critters and Pests

Aphids

Aphids can wreak havoc on a garden, despite being very small insects. They have a way of chopping up leaves and stems more quickly than you might realize. Luckily, there is an easy fix. Simply puree an onion in water and then use a spray bottle to spray it liberally around your garden. Defeating aphids is really that simple.

Snails & Slugs

While they look harmless, snails and slugs can really interfere with your plants’ health. One surefire way to reduce your snail and slug population is to use beer. Place a low-sitting bowl of beer in your garden and wait patiently. Before long, you will see many drowned snails and slugs that were destroying your plants before.

Ants

While ants are interesting creatures, you do not want them ruining your garden. They cause large mounds and tear into plant matter, causing plants to become diseased more often. If you want to get rid of these strong little pests, an easy fix is to dust cornmeal around your garden. When the ants eat it, it does not digest, so they eventually die.

Critters

Now that common problem insects are out of the way, there are several common wild animal pests that can really take your garden out quickly. One of the worst offenders is the deer, as they can chew through a lot of plant material in a short amount of time. In addition to deer, other common offenders are rabbits, squirrels, skunks, raccoons, opossums, and moles. Most of the prevention and removal methods are the same for these creatures and will be discussed in further detail below.

Repellants

If you have a minor problem or just want to keep critters away, one of the best ways to do this is to find either store-bought or make homemade repellents. Many of them do not work, however, there are some that are excellent for specific species because of a certain smell or taste that those particular animals do not like. For example, some animals hate garlic, onions, or hot peppers. Always do research before you buy a repellent or make one to make sure it is effective and safe.

Build a Fence

If you want a surefire way to keep virtually all animals out of your garden, a fence is a great way to do that. Make sure it is tall enough and far enough away from your garden to keep larger animals like deer from bending their necks over it to eat. While this is a great way to keep larger wildlife out, small critters like moles, mice, and gophers can still get under or through.

Trap Them

If you really want to ensure your garden’s safety, a great way to do this is to remove the animals by trapping them. For animals such as raccoons, skunks, rabbits, and squirrels, you can use small live cage traps that are humane and safe. For little creatures like moles, mice, and gophers, you can find specialized traps that excel at taking each of them. If you don’t know how to start trapping the animals, you can always call a wildlife control expert who can come take care of your animal problems quickly, efficiently, and humanely.