The sight of overturned flower pots and scattered soil is a common frustration for gardeners, signaling a visit from one of nature’s most persistent foragers: the squirrel. These small mammals are driven by instinctual behaviors that involve a great deal of digging. Understanding why a squirrel views your carefully tended pot as a prime location is the first step toward protecting your plants.
The Drive to Cache: Burying Supplies
The primary reason squirrels dig is to prepare for the future through a practice known as scatter hoarding. Eastern gray squirrels, for example, remain active throughout the winter, requiring a reliable food source. To secure this, they bury individual nuts, acorns, and seeds across their territory in thousands of small, temporary caches.
Loose, soft potting soil offers an ideal, low-effort medium for this caching behavior, providing much less resistance than compacted earth. While they successfully recover a high percentage of their caches, typically between 40 to 80 percent, the constant process of digging new holes and checking old ones leads to the repeated disturbance of container gardens.
Foraging for Immediate Meals: Bulbs and Grubs
Squirrels also dig when actively seeking food already present in the soil. One common target is freshly planted flower bulbs, particularly those of tulips and crocuses, which are rich in protein and carbohydrates.
The squirrel’s keen sense of smell detects the scent of newly disturbed earth, signaling a potential food source that they may mistake for a large, nutrient-dense seed or nut. Additionally, damp, rich potting soil often provides a favorable environment for insects, larvae, and grubs. Squirrels are opportunistic omnivores and will dig to hunt for these protein-rich snacks, leaving small, conical holes as evidence of their foraging efforts.
Why Container Gardens are Prime Digging Spots
Potted plants present physical features that appeal directly to a squirrel’s instincts. The aerated, lightweight nature of commercial potting mix makes it exceptionally easy to manipulate for both burying and retrieving food. This soft substrate requires minimal effort compared to compacted garden soil or turf.
The elevated position of many container gardens also offers a sense of security. It provides a raised vantage point and often sits near structures like decks or patios, which feel safer than open ground. A freshly planted pot, with its recent soil disturbance, acts as a clear visual and olfactory invitation to a squirrel searching for a ready-made digging site.
Safe Strategies to Protect Your Plants
Protecting your containers relies on making the soil surface unappealing or physically inaccessible. One effective method is creating a physical barrier across the top of the pot by placing a layer of heavy, decorative gravel, river stones, or lava rocks, which the squirrel is reluctant to move.
Alternatively, a layer of chicken wire or hardware cloth can be cut to fit the pot’s circumference and laid on top of the soil, with small openings cut out for the plant stems. For a sensory deterrent, utilize scents that squirrels naturally dislike, such as cayenne pepper, coffee grounds, or garlic powder, lightly sprinkled on the soil surface. These repellents require reapplication, especially after rain, but the strong odor and taste can quickly train a squirrel to avoid the area.