Quote:
Originally Posted by bitterwort
Bill, as far as protecting seedlings from squirrels, you might want to make some of what my husband calls 'squirrel-proof cages'. He cuts a square of hardware cloth large enough to comfortably fit two standard-size flats. Then he cuts a length of hardware cloth and zip-ties it around the square with the ends slightly overlapping. Attach a handle made of plastic-coated wire clothesline to the top (knot each end) so that you can lift it up off the flats of plants to tend them. Voila, the perfect squirrel-proof cage for hardening off seedlings in a yard full of the critters. As extra bonuses, the wire mesh keeps hail off the seedlings and you can cut the zip-ties and fold everything flat when you're not using them.
|
The problem with that solution is it does nothing to protect the plants once they are set out in the garden. Last year I lost all but two Brussels sprout plants the day after I set them out and had to keep sprinkling the replacements with blood meal all season to keep the squirrels at bay. They did the same with most of my broccoli and cabbage so I ended up spending a fortune on blood meal. It has to be spread fairly often because rain just washes it into the soil and it doesn't deter them any longer. I will say it is the most effective barrier that I have found that isn't lethal but it is a lot of trouble and one slip up and they feast on the plants. Thinning the herd is the only really practical solution and it usually works for a couple of years before they get bad again.
Bill