Protecting a garden from foraging wildlife can be a significant challenge for any gardener. The sight of newly planted seedlings clipped to the ground or favorite ornamental shrubs stripped bare is a common frustration. Animals constantly seek food sources, and cultivated gardens often provide easily accessible, nutrient-dense meals. Effective strategies are needed to deter them without causing harm.
Identifying the Culprit
Developing an effective defense requires identifying the animal causing the damage, as solutions for one species may be ineffective against another. Damage patterns provide the necessary clues.
Deer lack lower incisors, resulting in a torn or ragged edge on leaves and stems consumed a foot or more above the ground. They often browse the tender ends of young trees and shrubs, particularly during winter. Rabbits leave behind a clean, angled cut on stems, usually close to the ground, reflecting their sharp teeth.
Damage below the soil line often indicates burrowing rodents. Voles chew on plant roots and bulbs underground and may also girdle the bark of young trees. Slugs and snails leave large, irregular holes in foliage, often with a trail of shiny mucus. Identifying the specific feeding behavior is the foundational step for selecting an appropriate control method.
Physical Exclusion Methods
Physical barriers offer the most reliable long-term protection by directly preventing animals from accessing the plants. The structure and height of the barrier must be tailored to the target animal’s abilities.
Excluding large animals like deer requires significant vertical height, as they can jump seven feet or higher. A permanent deer fence should be at least seven to eight feet tall to be effective. Alternatives include using an angled fence or two shorter fences spaced several feet apart, which confuses the deer’s depth perception and discourages jumping.
To deter rabbits, a fence only needs to be about two feet high, but the barrier must extend several inches below the soil line to prevent digging. The mesh used must also be appropriately sized, as rabbits can slip through larger openings. For targeted protection, row covers, wire cages, or cloches provide a temporary physical shield. Underground barriers, such as wire baskets made of hardware cloth, can protect vulnerable roots from voles and gophers.
Taste and Scent Repellents
Repellents work by modifying the palatability or odor of the plant, making it unattractive to the foraging animal. Unlike physical barriers, these methods are temporary and require consistent reapplication.
Commercial repellents utilize active ingredients that create a noxious taste or smell. Putrescent whole egg solids are common in deer and rabbit repellents, using a sulfurous scent that mimics predator activity or decay. Thiram, a bitter-tasting fungicide, acts as a taste deterrent, though its effectiveness varies depending on the animal species and feeding pressure.
Repellents must be reapplied frequently, particularly after rain or new plant growth, to maintain efficacy. Some gardeners use homemade solutions, such as sprays made from capsaicin (the irritant chemical in hot peppers) or strongly scented garlic and soap mixtures. While less expensive, these natural sprays often require more frequent application than commercial formulations. Scent-based deterrents, like predator urine analogs, are sometimes used to trigger a fear response, but their success is highly variable.
Cultural and Habitat Management
Long-term protection strategies involve altering the environment to make the area less appealing to common garden pests. These cultural practices focus on prevention rather than immediate reaction.
Plant selection is a powerful preventative strategy, focusing on species naturally unpalatable to herbivores. Animals tend to avoid plants with strong scents, fuzzy or tough leaves, or milky, toxic sap. Less preferred plants include alliums, which have a strong onion or garlic odor, and plants like foxglove or hellebores, which contain toxic alkaloids.
Sanitation practices also reduce the attractiveness of the garden environment. Removing brush piles, tall weeds, and debris eliminates sheltered resting and nesting spots for animals like rabbits and voles. Clearing fallen fruit and vegetables promptly removes easy food sources that draw in pests. Companion planting, or intercropping, involves planting strongly aromatic herbs near vulnerable crops to mask their scent and confuse foraging animals.