We have been working on our garden
plan for this spring and acquiring a few things to help us make it happen. The squirrels have seriously wreaked havoc at
hour little homestead. They are out of
control and I know a large part of it was their efforts to prepare for a hard
winter, which we had. But come on you
guys!
The squirrels stripped the
blueberry bushes to the point they killed them.
They pulled up and absconded with all of the strawberry plants. They also took all of the apples and pears off
our trees. They didn't share a single
one! They did the same thing the year
before too. Little buggers!
We decided not to put in a garden
last year because our summer schedule was way too busy to spend time feeding
and entertaining squirrels. So this year
we will be starting from scratch and needless to say, squirrel control will be
tops on the list. Not to worry, there
will be no pellet guns or poison involved.
We all need to live together, cohesively. Hopefully our tactics will disrupt their
routines and make them uncomfortable enough to encourage them to move on and
look elsewhere. Fingers crossed.
I'll be sharing the things we are doing
with all of you as we get busy and get to work. I'm super excited to get started too. Are you planning to put in a garden this
year? Any squirrel troubles? How do you handle the little blighters?
We do have squirrel and bird problems.
ReplyDeleteOur dog takes care of that, though. He loves to bark and chase them. :-)
- Molly
We haven't had a dog for quite awhile. She did a good job with them too.
DeleteWe have tons of squirrels and chipmunks. They pretty much eat whatever they want. Now when I plant bulbs I intentionally over plant hoping they will leave a few. Sometimes it works and sometimes they just belly up to the bulb buffet.
ReplyDeleteThey have completely rearranged out bulbs. I've got them coming up in the middle of the yard!
DeleteYou will have to trap these and get rid of them. My in-laws live in Nampa and they are out of control there also, Dad traps and kills them as you are more humane you will have to find a way to eliminate them.
ReplyDeleteThey can eat through any fence and netting. Very intelligent little creature.
One sneaked into the chicken coop after their food. He figured out real quick that was a bad idea!
DeleteYou need a dog! Our Charley keeps them up in the trees and away from the chicken feed. (Though I suspect that they're one of the critters who have tried to chew into the garbage cans holding that feed.) Charley is a Golden Lab/Chesapeake mix, and big - he stands almost as high as my hip. Our other dog, Abby, is a Golden Lab and could care less about squirrels. They simply do not exist.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't seen them able to chew through the fine metal mesh...and chicken wire has worked for us, too. (We have raspberries.) Maybe a prickly set of bushes, like raspberries, surrounding the blueberries next time?
We haven't done so well with strawberries, though, unless they're close to the house. The squirrels seem aware that we're in there...and worse, so is That Dog.
They literally pulled the stuffing out of the seats of our lawn chairs. Completely ruined them. They are cute and fun to watch but way too destructive. Not sure I want another dog right now, but yes that would certainly help. Our dog was a black lab golden retriever mix. She looked like a big black retriever. Very pretty.
DeleteThey have done some major damage here also. Squirrels have hands, not paws, and so are able to do all types of naughty things. They figured out that they could jump on top of the netting and reach through to get the strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes, kale leaves, collard leaves, ect.
ReplyDeleteHere, they can enjoy the yard and the woods all they want; but, when they head for my garden...the solution is a crock pot with a touch of barbecue sauce. Just sayin'
We are in the country where only the strong survive.
Jeannie
GetMeToTheCountry.blogspot.com
Oh my gosh. So funny! My daughter wants to shoot them, but I told her she has to eat what she shoots. That didn't go over so well. I have never had squirrel myself, but if they aren't careful......
DeleteOh gosh I misread this and thought your solution was to put out a crock pot of barbecue sauce FOR the squirrels! So that they would stay away from it, like you do with urine and deer! HAHHAHAA.
Delete- Molly
Funny! That was my first thought too! Took me a minute to catch on. Hee hee hee
DeleteI was trying to tactful and only imply we are shooting them. We are only suppose to post "kind comments" here. Yikes!
DeleteJeannie
By the way, it tastes just like chicken.
DeleteJeannie
LOLOLOL Yes, thank you for making sure it was "kind". Personally, I am fine with hunting so I would not be offended by someone shooting and eating squirrels. Much more humane than poison for sure! That I certainly wouldn't do. You have such a great sense of humor Jeannie. :0)
DeleteLooking forward to seeing your garden take shape. I have no problems with squirrels, but my backyard is the haven for all the stray cats in the neighborhood!
ReplyDeleteJust to be clear. I do not recommend barbecuing a cat.
DeleteJeannie
Cats can be trouble too, but so far I'm okay that way. We have three of our own and they keep the strays away. Our big yellow guy doesn't like trespassers.
DeleteAnd yes Jeannie, no kitty BBQs. LOL.
DeleteWe did accidently catch a neighbor's cat in the trap we had set for an opossum in the chicken yard. She was not hurt but boy was she mad at me. I apologize profusely to her but she never forgave me.
DeleteI like cats but they don't seem to like me.
Jeannie
Oh my they are cute but so destructive.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree!
DeleteIf I was you I would think about getting a pellet gun. If they are tearing up chairs it is probably to establish nests which means they are there to stay. Have you ever had squirrel stew? Amazing! My sons favorite way to eat them is to cook them on the grill. He says it taste just like BBQ chicken!
ReplyDeleteI've never had squirrel. I have a friend however that might be interested in "hunting". Hmmmmm.....
Delete