Discovering a damaged cabbage crop overnight is frustrating, requiring gardeners to identify the culprit and implement effective protection strategies. Understanding the natural behavior of garden wildlife is the first step in safeguarding a harvest of crisp, healthy cabbage heads. Learning how to prevent pest access can determine the success of the growing season.
Confirming the Culprit: Squirrels and Cabbage Consumption
Squirrels are omnivores and will readily incorporate vegetables like cabbage into their opportunistic diet, especially when their preferred food sources are less abundant. They consume a wide variety of plant material, including leaves, stems, and buds. The damage often appears as ragged edges on the leaves, or the destruction of young seedlings and the tender heart of the cabbage head.
Distinguishing squirrel damage from other common garden pests, such as rabbits, is important for effective control. Rabbits generally leave a clean, angled cut on stems and leaves, often close to the ground. Squirrel damage, in contrast, is frequently more scattered and involves the animal climbing onto the plant to access upper leaves or tender new growth. Evidence of digging around the plant base is a strong indicator of squirrel activity, as they often dig to bury food.
Understanding Squirrel Foraging Behavior
Squirrels are driven to forage by their need for both calories and hydration, which influences their interest in garden crops. They are active year-round and must constantly seek food, utilizing a strategy called scatterhoarding where they bury individual items for later recovery. Cabbage becomes an appealing target particularly when natural foods like nuts, seeds, and berries are scarce, such as during drought conditions or late in the season.
The high moisture content of cabbage and other leafy greens makes them a readily available source of water, especially during dry periods. This search for hydration and tender foliage often leads them directly to cultivated gardens where plants are reliably watered and succulent. Squirrels select food items that provide the most benefit relative to the energy expended, making a dense, easily accessible cabbage patch a high-profit target.
Physical Exclusion Methods for Cabbage Protection
The most reliable strategy for protecting cabbage is the use of physical barriers that prevent access completely. Fine mesh wire or hardware cloth is far more effective than lightweight bird netting, which squirrels can easily maneuver around or chew through. Constructing small cages or hoop structures over individual plants or garden beds will provide a solid deterrent.
Physical barriers must be secured firmly to the ground, often by burying the bottom edge a few inches deep or weighting it down. This prevents squirrels from digging underneath the barrier to gain access to the plants.
For larger areas, a perimeter fence made of 1/4 or 1/2 inch wire mesh is recommended. The fence should be tall enough to discourage climbing and may feature an outward-facing bend at the top to make scaling difficult.
Taste and Scent Deterrents
Using taste and scent deterrents involves making the cabbage less appealing without physically blocking the squirrels’ path. These methods target the animal’s sensitive sense of smell and taste. Capsaicin, the compound that gives chili peppers their heat, is a highly effective taste repellent for mammals.
Applying a homemade spray made from cayenne pepper powder or commercial capsaicin-based products around the plants will deter nibbling. This method requires consistent reapplication, however, as its effectiveness diminishes rapidly after rain or heavy watering.
Strong scents that squirrels dislike can also be used, such as peppermint oil, garlic, or predator urine. Placing cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil or sprinkling crushed garlic cloves around the garden perimeter creates an offensive environment. Deterrents work best when rotated regularly and used in combination with physical exclusion methods.