How to Deter Squirrels from Eating Your Fall Bulbs

If you want to try hot pepper, the Humane Society recommends using a hot pepper wax spray, which adheres to plants and is less likely to get into animals' eyes. And avoid using mothballs; they're toxic when ingested and may add unnecessary toxins to your soil.

Tips for Deterring Squirrels with Repellents:

• Spray (or sprinkle) deterrents early in the season, before your garden plants are even available to munch on. This can help to prevent your garden from becoming a favorite spot.
• Alternate between different types of repellents, so that rodents don't become used to your tricks. Keep them guessing!
• Be more mindful of applying repellents after long winters or dry spells, when food sources are scarce. This type of weather encourages competition between all kinds of garden critters in their search for food, and you may notice more activity than you have seen in the past.

Squirrel Proof Barriers

Some gardeners go so far as to dig out the entire planting bed, line it with chicken wire, plant the bulbs and then wrap the chicken wire up the sides and over the top of the bed. The squirrels can't dig through the wire mesh but the bulbs can easily grow through the holes.

Hyacinth & Daffodil Early Spring Delight Mix

Squirrels are particularly attracted to newly planted bulbs — when the diggin' is easy! Covering the planting area for the first month or two after planting may be enough to let the soil settle and trick the squirrels. You can cover it with anything squirrels can't dig through but rain can permeate, like chicken wire, hardware cloth or window screens. Planting bulbs later in the fall, after the squirrels have done most of their food cacheing, may prevent some loss of bulbs, too.

Other Squirrel and Rodent Garden Proofing Tips

Instead of planting a solid bed of tulips and crocus, you can try interplanting with some of the bulbs mentioned above that are usually avoided by squirrels. That may offer some measure of protection.

Ideally, you want squirrels to make their meals away from the garden. This may require some trickiness on your part!

• Keep bird feeders away from the garden, or make an effort to clean fallen seed up off teh ground regularly. You can always use the old "if you can't beat them, join them" attitude and set up a special squirrel feeding station. By offering the squirrels a ready supply of easy-to-access food, you might keep them from digging.
• Keep the area mowed and free from rock and wood piles, which offer the perfect habitat. Tidy up after planting, too. Don't leave bulb debris (like the papery "tunics" that fall off tulip bulbs) around the planting area, because it acts like a breadcrumb trail to the bulbs.
• Trees, clotheslines, and other structures near the garden can offer squirrels a sense of comfort and protection when maneuvering through the area. If possible, limit these 'jungle gym'-type networks close to your planting beds.
• The regualr presence of a cat or dog is a powerful way to deter squirrels!

Hopefully, these techniques will help you foil foraging squirrels this fall, so you can enjoy colorful blooms next spring.