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Skewers to Keep Squirrels Out of Planting Containers


Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 204 Posts

During the summer, I plant vegetables in containers and keep them on my deck. In the past, I've had a great deal of difficulty keeping the squirrels from digging up my new sprouts. A friend gave me an idea which has worked well. What you do is get a package of bamboo skewers, which usually runs about a dollar, and stick the skewers into the soil, with the points sticking up out of the soil and over the edge of the pot.

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This deters the squirrels from climbing into the pots to dig up the seedlings. It's worked very well, no squirrels have been injured, and my vegetables are allowed to flourish.

By Marie from West Dundee, IL

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June 6, 20071 found this helpful

What a great idea. I just put four newly started avacado trees on my porch banister to enjoy the sun. The first day I went out, two were uprooted--I quickly replanted them. The next day, the pits and stems were eaten. I never thought about squirrels liking avacado pits. They left a few chewed chards in the pot for me.

 
December 29, 20071 found this helpful

Another good idea is to use moth crystals to keep away unwanted animals, including the neighbours cat. Just place them around your garden or pots, base of trees and you won't have anymore issues.

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I had to use this method to keep porcupines out of my trees.

 
April 20, 20100 found this helpful

I am going to try this right now. I planted 6 beautiful flower pots and came home from work today and they were all dug up. It is the same squirrel- we have been battling for 2 years now. He plants his peanuts and then digs them up and vice versa. Thank you for the suggestion.

 
Anonymous
March 9, 20160 found this helpful

Tried this today for my potted tulips ! Thanks so much ! I loved it that I already had a package of $0.97 skewers !

 
Anonymous
April 14, 20160 found this helpful

I'm going to try the crushed peppers fist if that doesn't work on the squirrels then I'll try the bamboo spikes !! I plant my vegetables every spring but the squirrels dig and there goes my starts I lost 4 large planters of lettuce and two tomato's last year now I have MORE squirrels I haven't even been able to plant they are digging in my dirt I just was getting ready to plant in !!

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I hate to kill them BUT ! Squirrel sounds good for a different dish to eat . lol

 
March 22, 20171 found this helpful

Sorry but crushed pepper doesn't work.

 
Anonymous
May 18, 20160 found this helpful

Merci, Marie,
I will stop at the dollar store on my way home.
--Janice from Toronto

 
May 17, 20170 found this helpful

Geraniums or a bird feeder near your garden or potted plants will keeps squirrels from digging up your plants. They avoid geraniums and the bird feeder gives them an easier source of food

 
May 23, 20170 found this helpful

I have geraniums and squirrels dig still.

 
May 28, 20170 found this helpful

I've had squirrels dig around my geraniums

 
May 28, 20170 found this helpful

Really not so about geraniums. I have a bird feeder just 5 feet from my geraniums and they have dug them up out of the pots and destroyed several of my beautiful geraniums.

 
June 2, 20170 found this helpful

My squirrels just dug into my geranium plant and scattered all the dirt all over my porch so the geranium thing did not work for me LOL

 
Anonymous
June 2, 20170 found this helpful

They are digging up my Geraniums

 
May 6, 20230 found this helpful

I planted geraniums,& marigolds. Put dryer sheets in the dirt,sprinkled with cayenne pepper & red pepper flakes. They still dug them up. Right now I have bamboo skewers in my pots but ordered stainless steel ones! We will see.

 
June 16, 20171 found this helpful

HERE is the best solution to keep those pesky critters from tearing up your deck plants. My hubby got a trap, placed peanut butter in small bowl inside the trap. CAUGHT 3 squirrels in 3 days.......took them immediately after trapping to a park and let them loose in their new environment. After 2 weeks I asked my husband why all the other squirrels on property have stayed off the deck......simple he says....they are territorial

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Now it has been nearly 3 weeks and no plants distirbed....no squirrels digging up my plants....I am loving it.

 
May 7, 20180 found this helpful

Did not work for me. The squirrels dug them out.

 
June 9, 20180 found this helpful

Ive tried the skewers but the little buggers still get in! I hate when Im sitting on my patio looking out into the garden and seeing 1000 skewers poking from my pots looks awful!

 
Anonymous
August 8, 20180 found this helpful

Doesnt work.. they eat the skewers.

 
November 19, 20180 found this helpful

I have already used skewers, loads of them, but they still uproot my plants and I am really desperate and don't know what else I can do.

 
April 26, 20190 found this helpful

how close together do you put the skewers? I would like to try that one.

 

Silver Post Medal for All Time! 267 Posts
April 26, 20190 found this helpful

I did this with some of my plants to keep my cat out. I had the skewers every couple of inches with the points down.

Later, I switched to using medium sized river rocks on top of the soil.

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That might be a more attractive option to keep them out, as long as they aren't too small to be moved aside.

 
May 27, 20190 found this helpful

I tried this technique. The squirrels chewed off the sharpened point, pulled the skewers out and proceeded to dig up my plants.

 
June 20, 20191 found this helpful

A friend told me to try peppermint oil and I did and its working. I bought it off of amazon for $10 it came with a droplet so a few drops on the soil and I no longer wake up to dirt all over my door step.

 
April 18, 20200 found this helpful

Mix coffee with your soil. It helps the plants grow and squirrels hate the smell of it.

 
Anonymous
July 1, 20200 found this helpful

The following worked for me like a charm. I sprinkled garlic, cinnamon or cayenne pepper sprayed around the pot's perimeter and ON the soil around the potted plant. No rabbits or chipmunks or squirrels so far. You will have to repeat it after a rainy day.

 
April 20, 20211 found this helpful

You need to buy a BB gun and a shovel.

 

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