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Posted by Jamie McIntosh Jun 30, 2008 |
This time of year, many organic gardeners anticipate harvesting the first ripe tomato on the block. We nurtured our little seedlings in cold frames or windowsills, we amended the soil with ample amounts of compost, and we plucked hornworms off plants or chuckled as beneficial wasps laid their egg cases upon the caterpillars. However, as the first blush appears on our fruits, there’s one more critter to contend with: squirrels. It seems that the first hint of orange acts as a calling card to squirrels, even if you thought you didn’t have much of a squirrel population.
It might not be as infuriating if the little tree rats didn’t behave as if they were mischievous children sticking their fingers in each chocolate in the box, trying to find a hidden favorite. The wasteful rodents take one or two nibbles, and then discard the fruits on the ground.
You can repel squirrels from your organic garden without resorting to chemical squirrel repellants:
- Provide several drinking stations around your garden. Sometimes squirrels bite into unripe fruit seeking moisture, rather than nourishment.
- Choose tomato varieties that remain green after they ripen. You’ll harvest ‘Green Zebra’ tomatoes before the squirrels notice them.
- Distract them with a squirrel feeder. You can buy squirrel food made from compressed corn that lasts longer than kernel corn and leaves no mess behind.