I don’t know about you, but while pumpkins are easy to grow, what’s not easy is keeping the critters away from them! I need help to keep animals from stealing pumpkins.
I have seen squirrels abscond with tennis-ball size pumpkins year after year. They just take them off the vine and run off with them. I guess they’re smarter than I give them credit for: I bet they wait until they’re just big enough so they can carry them off, and not too large that they can’t.
I like wildlife, and I enjoy having them visit my backyard. I wish them no harm. But fer cryin-out-loud, can I for once grow a pumpkin to maturity? Let’s research how to keep animals away from pumpkins and let my Jack-O-Lanterns to-be grow!
Image, Bob Knight, flickr
| There are a few ways you can try to protect your pumpkins from being stolen by animals: Physical barriers: You can use chicken wire or a similar mesh material to create a fence or cage around your pumpkin patch. This will make it difficult for animals to get in and steal your pumpkins. Make sure the fence is at least 2 feet high and buried at least 6 inches in the ground to prevent animals from digging underneath it. Companion planting: Planting certain herbs and flowers around your pumpkin patch can help deter animals. Marigolds, for example, have a strong scent that many animals dislike. Planting them around your pumpkins can help mask the scent of the pumpkins and make them less appealing to animals. Scare tactics: You can also try using scare tactics to keep animals away from your pumpkins. Hanging shiny objects, such as CDs or aluminum foil, near your garden can help scare off birds. Placing a motion-activated sprinkler near your garden can also help deter animals. The sudden burst of water can startle animals and make them think twice before coming back. |
No, the stand-out ideas here for me are:
1. Planting marigolds around my little pumpkin patch and letting their natural smell deter animals, and
2. Dangling old CDs around my pumpkin patch to scare critters away.
Fashioning a wire stand and stringing up a half dozen CDs is an attractive project idea.
