How to Prevent Animals from Entering the Vegetable Garden

The hobby of growing and taking care of the vegetable garden gives you a feeling of refreshment and the food is fresh. Unfortunately, many wild animals are also eager to enjoy your hard work! The task of preventing animals from entering the vegetable garden is often not easy as they can be very stubborn. However, we have many methods to keep animals out of the garden, helping you to protect and enjoy your fruits.

Table of Contents

Block the entrance to the garden

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Fence around the garden. Fences are an effective way to keep out wildlife. You can choose from a variety of garden fences to create a barrier between the animals and the vegetable garden. Fences are very effective but can be quite expensive and require a lot of work to install. Keep the following basics in mind about hedge types when choosing one for your garden: ^{[1] X Research Sources}^{[2] X Research Resources}^{[3] X Research Resources}

Many types of fences require stakes before being fenced around the stakes.
Much of the fence was erected around the entire garden.
The specific material and style of the fence is up to you. You can use wood, metal, or plastic materials like ppypropylene for the fence.
Some types of electronic fences will cause intruders to receive an electric shock when touched.
The fence needs to be buried about 30cm below the ground to prevent the animals from digging.

Ben Barkan

Garden & landscape design specialist

Ben Barkan is a landscape and garden design expert, owner, and founder of HomeHarvest LLC, a construction and landscape design business in Boston, Massachusetts. Ben has over 12 years of organic garden design experience, specializing in landscape design and construction with custom textures and creative planting combinations. He is a sustainable agricultural design expert, licensed to supervise construction in Massachusetts and licensed as a home improvement contractor. He holds a degree in sustainable agriculture from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Ben Barkan
Garden & landscape design specialist

If you have a problem with deer or moles, try an electric fence and attach bait to it, says the expert . When an animal comes into contact with a fence, it learns to stay away, so the barrier works both physically and psychologically.

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Raised gardening. Growing vegetables in raised beds can be a great way to prevent weeds, make garden maintenance a little easier, and prevent common garden pests. Most raised gardens are designed to be simple and easy to implement, helping you create an environment that is pest free. ^{[4] X Research Sources}^{[5] X Trusted Sources University of Missouri Extension Go to Source}

Lifting gardening materials can be wooden planks, stones, bricks or concrete blocks.
Raised gardens placed at least 60 cm above the ground will deter rabbits.
A layer of netting on the bottom of the raised garden can prevent animals that like to dig.
You can still fence around the raised garden for extra security.

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Cover the tree. If you are worried that certain plants in your garden will be damaged, you can fence around or cover for the trees. This will stop almost any animal trying to get in. You can make your own or buy a fence at a garden supply store. ^{[6] X Research Sources}^{[7] X Research Sources}

A thin wire mesh fence around the tree is enough to keep out most pests.
You can buy a garden net to shield your plants from being eaten by animals.
Nets against deer and birds can be used to shield seedlings.

Drive the animals out of the garden

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Spray a repellent around the garden. Most animals sneak into your vegetable garden because they smell the vegetables and are eager to get in for a free meal. Scents can also be used to scare away animals by sending signals that your garden is not a safe place for them to feed or create unpleasant odors for them. Consider the following two popular methods and choose one: ^{[8] X Research Source}^{[9] X Research Source}^{[10] X Research Source}

Buy a repellant that smells like predatory urine. These scents will make your garden seem dangerous to animals. Perhaps you need to know which animals frequent your garden before you choose the scent of a predator that frightens them.
You can try using spices or an animal repellant spray around your garden. These solutions will make the animals unbearable or make the vegetable garden taste bad, forcing them to go elsewhere to find food.
Animal repellent sprays are available at most home or garden stores.
You can try looking up animal repellent recipes and make your own.
Many products need to be re-sprayed as they will wash off in rain or humidity.

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Plant plants that make the animals feel scared when they try to enter the garden. If you know which animals frequent your garden, you can try growing plants that are scary to them. These plants will keep pests away from your garden and help you protect your vegetables. You can research some plants that are said to repel animals as follows: ^{[11] X Research Source}^{[12] X Research Source}

Rhododendron, boxwood, sheep’s ear patchouli, peony and marigold are plants that rabbits dislike.
Dill flowers, daffodils, hyssop and yellow flower manuscripts are plants that have the ability to repel deer.
You can try interspersing the above plants to make everything in the garden less attractive to the animals around.
Plant these plants around the garden as a barrier to repel pests.

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Threaten these unwelcome animals to leave. No matter how quiet your garden is, animals that sneak into your garden are always on the lookout for hazards. Therefore, you can use means that can make any animal that tries to eat vegetables startle and run away. Consider the following ideas for scaring these uninvited guests: ^{[13] X Research Sources}^{[14] X Research Sources}

Modern scarecrows are equipped with motion sensors and spray water on any wild animals that enter.
A dog kept in the garden can keep many animals away.
Some repellants use glitter and reflective materials to repel birds.
You can buy animal repellents that sound an alarm or make a scary noise when motion is detected.

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Raise cats to scare away small animals. Cats have a natural hunting instinct and can do an excellent job of chasing small animals out of the vegetable garden. In addition to the act of hunting, the presence of cats can also prevent pests from approaching. So, if you have a cat, let the cat into the garden to reduce the number of animals entering the vegetable garden. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Make sure your cat is fully vaccinated, as many wild animals carry pathogens.
Always monitor cats to make sure they are healthy and safe outdoors.

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Plant “sacrifice” vegetables near your garden. As paradoxical as it may sound, adding plants that animals love outside is a great way to keep them out of the garden. Once you know which animals are causing trouble, you can plant their favorite plants away from your garden so they can eat and spare your garden vegetables.

Make sure plants that attract animals are kept away from the garden.
Once the animals have easily found their favorite food, they are more likely to stop trying to find a way into the garden.
Try growing more vegetables in areas that are easily accessible to animals to keep them there without looking to the vegetables you grow to eat.

Deal with common garden pests

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Find out which animals are causing trouble. Before you can get rid of the annoying animals in your garden, you need to know what animals you have to deal with. Knowledge of animals will help you find strategies that target the characteristics of that animal. The more you target the things the animals like and don’t like, the better your chances of keeping the vegetable garden safe. Find out some of the animals that often destroy the garden below to guess which species you need to deal with: ^{[18] X Research Source}

Rabbit
Vole
Rat
Mole
Raccoon
Rat
Foumart
Deer
Bird
Snails and slugs

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Make it difficult for rabbits to enter the garden. Rabbits love to find their way into your garden and will eat anything you plant. Rabbits can be pests, so you need to keep them out of your garden and make your garden unattractive to them. Remember these few tips to keep rabbits from eating vegetables in the garden: ^{[19] X Research Source}^{[20] X Research Source}^{[21] X Research Source}^{[22] X Research Source}

The fence around the garden needs to be at least 90 cm high.
Fences must be at least 30 cm deep in the ground to prevent rabbits from digging.
Rabbits are often difficult to reach in raised gardens.
Try planting hedge plants like rhododendrons or boxwoods to keep rabbits away.
Clear the bushes, clear wood or brick piles to remove the hiding places that rabbits love.
Ask the authorities about trapping regulations if the problem persists.

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Prevent deer from entering the garden. Deer are common garden pests and can cause major problems. To prevent deer from entering your garden, you should make your garden an unfriendly place for them. Try some methods to prevent deer from entering the garden and protect trees as follows: ^{[23] X Research source}

Deer fences must be at least 2.5 meters high.
Deer won’t jump over fences if they can’t find a safe place to land. Try putting up another fence or putting fence posts inside to prevent them from jumping into the garden.
Predator urine sprayed around the garden can scare deer away.
Driving deer out of the garden with a motion-activated device is a good option.
Dogs released outdoors can drive deer out of the garden.
Rosemary, garlic and oregano can be grown as effective hedge plants.

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Prevent birds from flying into the garden. Birds can be a nuisance in the garden and they often choose the best vegetables to eat. You can prevent birds from entering your garden in a number of ways, including: ^{[24] X Research Sources}

Hang shiny balls on stakes around the garden, preferably vinyl balls with scary faces printed on them.
Try putting a thin wire mesh around the tree.
Covering the garden with a net is a surefire way to keep birds out. You can make a frame out of bamboo poles, fence posts or tall stakes, then cover the net around the frame until it hits the ground and secure the net with bent wire to prevent it from being blown away by the wind.
You can also try casting a fishing line or black thread all over the garden. Birds don’t like wires so they probably won’t fly in.
Try applying high technology with a computer system that creates owls and owls’ calls to chase birds away.

Remove snails and bare slugs. Snails and slugs are a few of the most common pests. Despite its small size and slow movement, this animal can eat many times its body weight in just one night! Try the following methods to control snails and slugs in your garden: ^{[25] X Research Source}

A barrier made of diatomaceous earth, a powder of tiny sharp debris that kills slugs, is the best option. Avoid using specialized diatomaceous earth for swimming pools.
Use beer to trap slugs. Pour beer into a shallow container (such as a yogurt box) to about 2.5 cm from the top of the container and bury it level with the ground. Snails and slugs will be attracted to the beer and drown in the can. You should change the beer every few days.
Buy snail and bare slug-resistant copper wire, place the copper strips 5-8 cm wide around the tree. Copper strips are quite expensive, so you should save them for precious plants.
Buy Sluggo Sluggo Slugs and Slugs; This type is not toxic to humans and animals.
Try planting red clover around the garden as a bait plant.
You can also hand catch naked slugs and snails every morning and put them in soapy water to kill them.

Prevent moles. If there are moles in the area, you’ll notice them nibbling on seedlings in your vegetable garden in early spring. Fences are the best way to keep this species out. ^{[26] X Research Sources}

Build a thin wire mesh fence with grooves along the fence.
If you don’t want to put up a fence, try covering the seedlings with a plastic mesh or cloth.

Chase mice and hamsters. Mice and hamsters are similar in appearance and do the same damage to the vegetable garden. These animals are active year-round and eat almost all the greens they can find. Use the following methods to get rid of mice and hamsters: ^{[27] X Research Source}^{[28] X Research Source}

Mix the board stone into the soil around the plants. You can also use soil containing table rocks to grow plants.
To prevent mice from digging up bulbs, put crushed gravel in the planting hole.
Try a rat trap with rolled oats or peanut butter to kill mice, or use a humane mousetrap. You can also buy vitamin D bait to kill mice after a few days of ingestion.
Remove straw and porous mulch in the garden so that the environment is no longer favorable for this animal.
Buy a rodent repellent that contains ammonia at the garden center or home supply store.
Cats are very good at catching mice and hamsters. Sometimes just the presence of a cat is enough to keep the rats away.

Steps

Block the entrance to the garden

Drive the animals out of the garden

Deal with common garden pests

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