How to Keep the Rascals OUT of YOUR Garden

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases (more).

Awww! So adorable! Right? Wrong! Don’t be fooled! This sweet little hippity-hop-bun-bun is one of the most notorious scoundrels to ever descend upon the gardener’s plot. It’s the reason you need garden pest prevention done right. The dinky darling and his gang of miscreants can and will wreak havoc on your flowers and your veggies, turning your hard effort into a nibbled up knoll of nothing in no time. In addition to the bunny troubles, to make matters even worse for me, two of my very favorite varmints in life are on Team Bunny Foo Foo too – my puppy love and my whippersnapper toddler. Together, these three have an incredible offense based on cuteness and innocence. They are a constant force working against me when it comes to gardening. Along with the inappropriate munching, one gleeful romp from the dog turns my well planned and identifiable veggie patch into an oversized tossed salad come harvest time. And you can only imagine what a Tonka truck in the hands of the two year old can do. It’s a tomato plant’s worst nightmare. Please read on for a few basic tips on garden pest prevention.

Operation Garden Rescue

I’ve tried to entice these three with treats and with fun and games to lure the conspiracy away from the garden. There must be some cryptic magnetism though, because the garden is a consistent source of intrigue and destruction for these three. I am forced to build a fence around my garden this year as a result of these rascals in spite of the fact that we have fenced in our entire yard to keep out the BIGGER garden nemeses – the deer. Sigh.

So, as a desperate defensive maneuver, I made a trip to Home Depot and found this awesome green colored mesh ON CLEARANCE. Yay! (Have I mentioned that I’m a frugal gardener?) I was going for chicken wire when I found this option instead. It was cheaper than the chicken wire, it is easier to work with, and it looks nicer. I think it will hold up better against the Three Amigos too, so I’m feeling like I have a bit of an advantage over the competition.

garden pest prevention
The garden areas that I am fencing in sit on the perimeter of my yard. The perimeter is fenced itself, so I will only need to provide three sides of the garden with fencing.

A Garden Pest Prevention Fence

There are a couple of options for attaching the fencing to your garden. You can choose to purchase the stakes that are made for this type of rolled wire fencing. Or you can use wood stakes. Since I have wood just lying around, I decided to make my own wooden stakes rather than to buy the metal ones. The metal stakes would work better for those who live in humid conditions where wood rots quickly, but I don’t have a wood rotting issue of epic proportion.

I found a couple of wooden stakes that were already made in my woodpile, and then I chose a couple of 1x2s to cut for the rest of the stakes I’ll need. The fencing that I purchased is 24 inches tall, and I’m fencing in two raised garden beds that sit 6 inches above ground. I cut my stakes 30 inches long so that after I attach the fencing, I can drive them down six inches.

After cutting the stakes, I grabbed my staple gun. Each roll of wire mesh is 5 feet long, and my gardens are 4×4 squares. I am able to staple one end of the mesh to one stake that I will place in the back corners. Then, I just pull the mesh forward from there. I staple the mesh to the insides of my garden frame too, so it’s nice and smooth. The mesh ends 1 foot across the front of the garden where I have another stake. I just staple that end of the mesh to the second stake. This plan leaves me a 2 foot space to access my garden if I need to, and I can still reach into the garden over the sides, too.

garden fence
Now the wee little charmers are forced to stay clear of the goods in this garden. I cringe to think where they will strike next…

The Low Down on Garden Pests

Garden pests come in all shapes and sizes, so, unfortunately, there is no one technique that will conquer all garden nuisances. No matter how abominable the specific scoundrel is to your garden, there’s usually a simple solution. Fencing is a favorite for keeping small and large animals out, but there are many garden pests that are too small for fencing. While there are plenty of insecticides out there for the bugs that can devastate a crop, traps are the best solution for the ordinary gardener with edible plants. There are different traps for different bugs, so learn about your pests. Learn their weaknesses. Then use their weakness to your advantage.

For example, snails and slugs love beer. No kidding. Just pour a little into a shallow dish, and sink the dish to ground level. The slimy little critters will leave the plant they are chomping on and drown in the brew. Sticky tape traps work well for many types of flying pests. Ladybugs keep aphids at bay, so they are always welcome in my garden, along with a spider or two, which I LOATHE, yet I appreciate their ability to keep the veggie-eating type pests in check. Anything to keep the rascals out!

By the way, gardening is a practice of patience. If you lose a good plant to some beastly pest, like a baby bunny, just try again next year. Best of luck!

Photo of author

About Amy

Amy spent her early years roaming a neighbor's corn field, much to her parents' distress, and eating tomatoes like apples in her Midwest grandmother's garden. She learned to snap green beans like a machine by the tender age of four. Later, as a Colorado gal, she battled the elements and finally had success growing a celebratory rhubarb plant in a high altitude garden setting. At that point, there was no turning back. She gave in to her green thumb and, in order of priority, is currently growing vegetables, flowers, kids, and pets on the high plains south of Denver.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get access to free prizes, product sneak-peeks, reviews, how-to's and much more!

More Info | Email Privacy

3 thoughts on “How to Keep the Rascals OUT of YOUR Garden”

  1. Deer and rabbits started nibbling on our hosta and lilly plants this week. My husband mixed up a batch of homemade deterrent of hot sauce; chili powder; eggs and a little oil then sprayed it on the plants. This is the first time we have made our own and are hoping they will take one taste, decide they don’t like it and move on.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.