A sweet young woman asked me for ideas on how to keep pets and wildlife out of the garden. There's so much more one can try, but this should get you started! -your "Aunt" W
My gardening areas are spread out over our acreage. Currently, I have more of a problem with my own pets than I do with wildlife. The two areas that get invaded the most by our pets are our approximately 2700 square feet garden, which is enclosed with 6' tall chain link fencing, and the large container garden on the deck. I have beds and plantings around in several other places, but these are my two main gardening areas.
My three pound toy poodle, Maggie, will lay right on top of seedlings! Argh! To her, they are no different than grass. I have to keep her out of our fenced in garden until the plants are bigger. She pouts over this. I make her an elevated spot on bags of soil or a overturned container in the shade just outside the fence of our largest garden where she can sit and watch us work. She also alerts us to the presence of the cats she pretends she despises, but she often is caught playing or napping with them.
I put plastic forks, spoons, and knives in some of my container plants to keep the cats and Maggie out of them. It costs nothing since I wash and reuse the ones we get from restaurants. It is very effective when the plastic utensils are placed close enough together. People never cease to ask me if I am growing plastic ware either.
Our closest neighbor is a little more than 1/4 of a mile away, so neighbor's pets are not usually an issue, but there are many things you can use to scare domestic animals and wildlife away. DVD's hung on fishing line, plastic owls, and fishing line criss-crossing an area work for birds. Scents that repel them work better with wildlife than bold pets, but it is worth a try.
Coyote urine keeps rabbits and other animals away. A good old fashioned hot wire (electric wire) is very effective in deterring unwanted creatures. A radio playing at low volume or wind chimes have worked to deter wildlife for me and others. Garlic and cayenne pepper seem to deter both pets and wildlife somewhat. It has to be reapplied after rains.
What works to deter predators from livestock might work to keep them out of a garden. My birds were getting hit hard by a coyote. A solar powered two eyed predator light, placed at a knee height, worked to stop those issues. Solar string lights seem to have helped with other pens I have.
The nesting area my geese use was getting robbed of eggs by some nighttime four footed marauder. Living with no close neighbors, I asked my husband and two of my sons to urinate around the area for a couple of days. Their scent stopped the nightly egg thefts. One could also urinate indoors in a container, and then spread the scent. I had an opossum stealing my almost ripe pears off of my tree one year. My men folk applied their urine in the area of the tree, and it worked to stop that pesky 'possum too. This trick is not going to impress the pretentious or people disconnected from nature's ways, but it is simple, inexpensive, and works well.
Wildlife cams are very informative. They are worth setting up so you can record what is doing the damage in your garden. If it is a neighbor's pet, you can then take the pictures and attempt to work through the issue in a neighborly fashion. If they are good neighbors, they will offer to pay you for damages and stop allowing their pet to be a nuisance animal. If they are irresponsible pet owners who allow their animals to roam and cause problems for others, you can call animal control. You may also be able to litigate for damages their pet caused.
Know your target animal. What attracts and repels them. What are their habits in your yard/garden?Use that knowledge to your plants benefit.
This is not an exhaustive list, but it should get you started. Experimentation is your friend. I know how frustrating it is to have plants damaged or destroyed. Hopefully you find something that works so you can coexist peacefully with nature and neighbors.
