Protect Your Garden from Pests & Critters

One of the most frustrating things in gardening is to work hard getting your seedlings going and almost ready to set fruit or harvest and then have them damaged or destroyed by a garden pest.

It’s such a disappointing feeling to see a plant that was thriving get attacked, or just be gone the next time you check on it.

But do not despair, there are things you can do to protect your garden from pests and critters. I have four keys to making sure your plants are as safe as you can make them.

Knowing what might be out there

The first key to protecting your garden is to figure out what you’re up against. You may have to be a bit of a detective here depending on what you find in your garden. Look for signs that might tell you what kind of pest you’re dealing with.

For example:

If the plant is still mostly there, with holes in the leaves or fruits, it may be a bug attack.
If you are missing all the leaves and/or lower branches you may be dealing with an herbivore like a bunny or groundhog.
If the whole plant is dug up or there are holes around the base, you might have a rodent problem like a squirrel or chipmunk.
If the plant is yanked out or just gone, you may have a bigger animal, like a raccoon or deer to thank.
If the fruits have small holes pecked in them, or just the seeds removed, you may have a bird problem.

You may need to look for footprints or tracks, bite marks, or even set up a motion sensing trail cam if you really want to see what nocturnal pest you might be dealing with. The level of protection you will need will depend on the size and habits of the pest, so try to figure out what is attacking your garden so you can plan your defense.

Physical Barriers

The classic physical barrier is a fence around your garden, and that may work against some garden pests. However, deer can jump over fences up to 6 feet tall. Bunnies and other rodents can burrow under some fences relatively easily. You need to pick the right kind of physical barrier to have the best effect.

Some common physical barriers and their pros and cons are:

Garden fence – Pros: not too expensive depending on material and length/height needed, can be decorative, easy to find or build yourself. Cons: may not deter all garden pests, may need to be quite tall or extend into the ground which can make installation difficult and/or expensive. Not effective against pests that can fit over, under or through the fence openings.
Mesh or netting – Pros: can protect against bugs and other flying pests, relatively inexpensive, easy to install. Cons: loses effectiveness if it gets torn or damaged so may need frequent replacement, can shade plants or inhibit growth, not effective against larger or tunneling pests.
Hoop house – Pros: keeps the plastic or netting off of the plants to allow ventilation and growth, can also protect against inclement weather. Cons: needs supports that must be secured in the ground or it might blow away or collapse, only works for relatively low growing plants.
Electric wire fencing – Pros: can deter large pests including deer and pets, can be easier to install than a solid fence. Cons: needs a solar charger or electric connection, can be expensive to buy, can be dangerous for kids, pets, or unsuspecting visitors.

If you have a large or very persistent pest, a physical barrier may be necessary to protect your garden. However, if fencing is not practical for your garden, there are other options that can replace a fence or work with a fence to make the fence even more effective.

Encouraging natural predators

If you’ve done your detective work to understand what kind of pest (or pests) you’re facing, you can also research the natural predators that can help you protect your garden. Of course, you don’t want to invite in an even bigger pest to eliminate your first problem, but some pests have natural predators that don’t have any interest in your garden plants, so you can co-exist peacefully.

Some examples include:

Cats – our barn cats are basically serial killers, they hunt down any rodents that live around our house and barn, even if they are not hungry. They can also kill birds and other small animals, so try to keep the number of cats manageable. We make sure all our farm cats are spayed or neutered and feed them catfood as well to make sure they aren’t hunting all over the neighborhood. However, they do an excellent job of keeping our garden safe from rodents.
Dogs – our farm dog keeps larger pests like raccoons and deer away from our property. He also keeps other predators away from our cats and farm animals, not just the garden. Just be careful that your dog isn’t the one digging up your garden beds!
Beneficial birds – providing housing for beneficial birds like owls that will eat rodents or barn swallows or purple martins that devour bugs can help keep garden pests in check. If your problem pest is a kind of bird, then putting up images or statues of their predators (like owls or hawks) can help keep them away.
Beneficial animals – there are several kinds of frogs and toads who love to live in a garden and eat harmful slugs, insects, or other pests. You can find or build a toad house to encourage them to come back to your garden year after year.
Beneficial insects – if you’re dealing with plant eating insects, then finding out what insect predators they have might help. The classic idea of releasing ladybugs to eat the aphids on your plants fits in this category. But you don’t have to buy predatory insects and release them, just encourage them to take up residence. Use pesticide sprays as a last resort to prevent killing all the beneficial bugs as well as the pests. Check what a particular bug is before you kill it to make sure it’s actually eating your garden plant rather than hunting pests. We have several garden spiders in our beds every year. I consider them friends – even if I don’t want them coming in the house, necessarily.

Natural deterrents and companion planting

The last key category of garden protection is using natural deterrents like scents to keep pests away. This could be using the scents of predators or just smells that certain pests find unpleasant. There are lots of options here and you need to tailor your deterrent to the pest, so again, do your research and see what works best.

Some possible options are:

Predator scents – for large pests, using scents like human, dog, or wolf urine can scare away deer or other prey species. For insects, there are certain pheremones that can be purchased to either attract pests to a trap or repel them from certain areas of your garden.
Repellent scents – some folks swear by using Irish Spring soap shavings to keep pests away (it would keep me away, I think it stinks). Or, using spicy or hot substances like hot peppers, cinnamon, or garlic can repel some kinds of insects or animals. Of course, there are also the classic insect repellent scents like citronella, lemongrass, and others.
Companion plants – instead of using scents, you can actually grow plants that smell or act like a deterrent. For example, marigolds and other bitter smelling flowers have been used as both decoration and to keep bugs away from gardens for years. Or you can grow plants together that both help each other and repel each other’s pests. Some folks swear that growing basil plants near your tomatoes will keep tomato hornworm caterpillars away. There are lots of resources available online about companion planting, so you may find something that you want to grow anyway that may also help protect your garden.
Decoys and scare tactics – there may be some debate on how “natural” these deterrents are, but you can add moving, shiny, or noise making objects to your garden to scare away some pests (especially birds). Some pests are territorial, so putting up a decoy moth or bird might keep the others away. There are even motion activated sprinkler systems, lights, or sound alarms that can scare off garden pests automatically.

The bottom line is that there are lots of options to protect your garden from pests. Some tactics you can incorporate into your garden planning if you know there is a certain amount of pest damage common in your area. Other ideas you may need to improvise once you know what kinds of pests you might be dealing with. Just because you lose a plant or two, don’t give up. Sometimes all you need is a simple deterrent to keep your garden safe for years to come. So, get out there and protect your garden from pests and critters!