How to get rid of squirels in the garden

Happy March everyone, Spring is here! This month we are answering two of your amazing questions.

Our first question is “How can I get rid of squirrels in the garden?”

This is something people deal with a lot and it can be really hard to deal with. Some squirrels will respond to every treatment that you choose and others won’t.

When it comes to squirrels it comes down to physical barriers, making them the most useful and effective thing you can use to protect your valuable vegetables or fruits. For some, that means floated row covers, to avoid the squirrels messing with the seeds until the plants are big enough.

Most of the time it’s fruit trees you are trying to protect from getting eaten; nectarines, plums, peaches, apricots, cherries. that’s where I would use bird netting. You want to cover the entire tree and close it up at the bottom so that they can’t get up underneath. Check daily to be sure you don’t trap anything that is not supposed to be in there. If the tree is too big to drape the entire thing you can always wrap clusters, cover a branch that is starting to grow fruit, and secure it at the base of the branch.

I’ve tried the shavings of Irish spring soap, which have seemed to keep squirrels away. Chili pepper sprinkled on top is often used too to deter them as well. If you have a garden bed you can build a cage covering it.

Our second question this month is “What is happening to my money tree?”

I believe the damage I see here is sunburn damage. sometimes this happens when you change the light drastically. if your new leaves are coming out beautifully, I wouldn’t’ t worry. if the new leaves are also burnt, I would move them to a lower-lit area or a bit farther from the current window. if the leaves curl that means it is inconsistent watering. if it is getting under-watered, it will turn all brown and crispy like fall leaves. if it was over-watered the leaves would turn yellow, another sign of over-watering is the leaves will turn brown and will be soft, and the stems or trunk of the plant might turn mushy and soft.

If you would like me to answer one of your questions next month you can send your question to me at [email protected] attention Ask Anna and be sure to stop by Harvest on the corner of Vincent Massey and Powerdam and also at 75 Cornwall Centre Road to pick up your copy of The Seeker each month.