How to Keep Squirrels From Chopping The Heads Off Flowers
Toronto being Canada’s largest city, it’s plentiful wildlife populations may come as a surprise. Urban gardeners in Toronto have to contend with their own special breed of critters; the fearless (insert choice swear word) squirrels. These small, fluffy creatures are ballsy and will easily destroy your flowers and vegetable garden, leaving fruit and flowers with one single nibble, to taunt you on your front step.
How to Keep Squirrels From Chopping The Heads Off Flowers
Provide a source of water
Plant diversion crops
Plant more then you need
Run screaming into the yard, in questionable attire.
Get a dog.
Each point is broken down further below but if you don’t like any of them, you may need to resort to tactics such as this:
Provide a source of water.
Often the reason that only one nibble is had from a strawberry or a tomato is that the squirrel is thirsty. Our juicy, well-watered crops come into season right as Southern Ontario begins to dry out with the heat of summer. Our summer storms are often short and fierce and do not leave pools of water for pollinators, mammals and birds. We don’t like open ditches and instead channel most of the water into storm sewers, removing it from the area where nature, and squirrels could use it.
Plant diversion crops.
Everyone deserves to eat, and humans continue to create gardens that do not support the surrounding ecosystem that we have displaced. Squirrels are not performing these acts strictly to spite you, even if it feels that way. When we realize that these furry little *bleeps* are just performing basic survival tasks it makes it much easier to empathize. Grow a plant that they love (sunflower) in an area of your yard that they frequent, but that is away from your prized plants.
In my garden I plant a row of sunflowers along the back fenceline. This is the ‘squirrel highway’. I also fill up the birdfeeder, which is emptied not by the birds, but rather the squirrels. But you know what? They don’t mess with the rest of my garden. Sometimes a new squirrel comes along and acts big and brave, but the last tip of this list quickly changes that opinion.
Plant more then you need.
Most farmers and more experienced gardeners account for loses. They start more seeds then necessary, they hold back a few seedlings just in case, and they plant more then they intend to harvest. Between pests and weather, no harvest is guaranteed.
If you plant 5 tulips and one gets beheaded you will be crushed. If you have just one basket of strawberries that grows four berries and a squirrel takes a snack break there, you might find tears burning in your eyes. Alternatively, if you have 30 tulips and 5 disappear, you may not even notice. A bed of strawberries will still allow you to harvest even if the squirrels and birds beat you to a few.
Run screaming into the yard, in questionable attire.
This method has been less effective as the time goes on. The squirrels have realized that my bark is all I’m packing. This method does keep the neighbours from chatting with you though…
Get a dog.
By far the most effective crop protection method I have utilized to date. A dog with a prey drive is key. We have two dogs, one (husky x lab) is a natural hunter. She keeps the garden harvests for our household and ensures that the squirrels stay on their highway or in the apple tree. The tulips are kept close to the front window where her bark reminds the ecosystem that she is watching their every move. Our other dog (leonberger) watches the squirrels and could not be bothered to get up on our behalf.
