As an enthusiastic gardener, you put a lot of work into growing plants for your own pleasure and use.  The problem is that a yard bursting with healthy plants, flowers, and food crops is downright irresistible to many animal pests.  Mammals such as rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, and skunks are common backyard visitors even in urban areas.  You may even see foxes, bobcats, deer, and coyotes if you live closer to the outskirts.  As much as you appreciate wildlife, you probably don’t want animals ravaging your garden and eating up this year’s harvest.  Here are some tips for keeping wildlife pests out of the garden.

Put up physical barriers.  This strategy will work better for some animals than for others.  For example, a tall fence will help keep deer out but will be no obstacle to climbing mammals like raccoons.  If you attach chicken wire to the bottom of the fence, burying it one foot deep into the ground, it will deter some smaller animals and burrowing rodents.  As an alternative, plant thorny plants or prickly hedges around the garden beds.  Roses, barberry, holly, or gooseberry bushes will work for this purpose.

Set up a sprinkler with a motion detector so that animals will trigger it during their nocturnal visits.  A startling dose of water may be enough to discourage animals from trying to raid the garden.

Try sprinkling ground pepper on and around plants that are being chewed.  You can also make a repellent spray.  Here is an easy recipe that works to deter various mammals.  Take two to four hot chili peppers (or two tablespoons cayenne pepper), four cloves of garlic, and one quart of water.  Mix everything in a blender to pulverize the peppers and garlic.  Then strain the mixture and put it in a spray bottle.  Spray on or around tempting plants and repeat frequently, especially after a rainfall.

Garlic is a good pest repellent in the garden.  Plant garlic around vegetation that rabbits, gophers, squirrels, or voles are eating.  Garlic repels many harmful insects, too.

The scent of a predator can keep wild animals at a distance.  For example, a dog marking his territory will impart enough scent to frighten away certain mammals (borrow a dog for the day if you don’t have one of your own to do the job).  You can also sprinkle used cat litter or human hair around the perimeter of the garden.  Many animals are smart enough to figure this trick out so you may have to change what you are using for the predator scent.

If you’re feeling generous, you could always grow extra food for the wildlife in the hope that they will leave yours alone.  Plant some additional vegetables that you won’t mind animals eating.  Grow them on the edges of the garden so they are easily accessible to hungry creatures.  This may be enough to distract pests from finding the more desirable food in the middle of the garden.

No matter where you live, you have to expect that animals will come around for a visit as soon as there are growing things to nibble on.  These tips will help protect your garden from wildlife pests without causing them harm.  You may need to try more than one strategy or use a combination of methods, depending on the severity of your animal pest problem.