Imagine getting down on your hands and knees to make new planting beds and carefully laying down seedlings for a new farm season, only to have chipmunks and groundhogs get to them before they even have a chance to germinate. Or, even imagine that your once-green-and-thriving vegetable garden has turned to a cluster of jagged leaves.
Damage like this can be any gardener’s worst nightmare and you may be left wondering who may be the culprit. Insects can do some serious damage, but they are nothing when compared to four-legged animals with insatiable appetites. Which animals take chunks of your vegetables and leave them wilting, frustrating your efforts?
We’ve put together this piece to help you determine the animals that have been digging up tunnels and generally wreaking havoc in your garden.
Here Are The 10 Worst Animal Pests for Your Home Garden
[1] Deer:
These infamous plant-eating machines will chop off huge chunks of plants and can clear a vegetable garden in no time. Deer are the dreadful enemy of flourishing plants and green vegetables, while they graze they leave tracks on the soil which you can use to identify these culprits. A simple fence around your garden will keep these insatiable ruminants at bay.
[2] Groundhogs:
Groundhogs are relatives of squirrels and it takes them very little time to wreak havoc in a vegetable garden. They’ll burrow into the ground and attack legumes and roots of plants, especially carrots, peas, broccoli, lettuce, etc. while breeding and hibernating. The easiest way to spot these pests is by looking out for ground tunnels and fresh piles of dirt in your garden.
[3] Rabbits:
Rabbits will hop around in your garden moving from plant to plant and taking chunks off each one. They’ll chew up sprouting seedlings and lush vegetation. If you see rough edges on foliage, that’s the work of a rabbit. And if you look closely you will also see black pea-sized droppings around your garden.
[4] Voles:
These tiny rat-like mammals are expert tunnel diggers. Their big feet are well adapted for constructing well-defined and visible tunnels. Voles majorly feed on tubers and roots of plants, when they find your beets, carrots, or radishes they’ll help themselves to very generous portions without a moment’s hesitation. A vole will kill plants in your garden by chewing up their roots and stems. As nocturnal animals, voles only feed at night but the tunnels they leave behind will make their presence evident.
[5] Raccoons:
Raccoons are very fond of corn, succulent fruits, and berries, and they will most likely harvest your plants before you can get to them. You can deter raccoons by ensuring there are no piles of wood, compost, or garbage, access to such things will only make them thrive in your garden. If you can’t seem to keep raccoons away from your garden, consider installing electric fences.
[6] Squirrels:
Squirrels prefer the seeds and fruits of plants to vegetables. These rodents will ignore leaves and attack ripe fruits and vegetables like tomatoes and berries. Squirrel attacks are more frequent just before winter. Making your garden rodent-proof is the only way you can keep them away. If they are causing too much problem for you, you need to check is squirrel poison legal at the place you live in.
[7] Woodchucks:
Like rabbits, woodchucks will nibble on your green veggies and leave behind scraggy-looking foliage. Woodchucks even cause more damage than rabbits because they trample on plants as they feed, so the ones that don’t get eaten are trampled on. Woodchucks also have a taste for corn, peas, and beans, and they burrow in woodpiles and shrubs close to where they feed.
[8] Chipmunks:
Another expert tunnel digger is the chipmunk. They will tunnel under your flower beds, woodpiles, shrubs, trees, and even under sidewalks and porches. Chipmunks will dig holes around your garden and property, they’ll chew up your garden produce, and crawl into tight corners beneath the ground. Because they’re diggers, they attack and eat up plant roots and sprouting seedlings.
[9] Skunk:
Skunks may not feed on your fresh garden produce but you don’t want these foul-smelling animals anywhere around your home. They don’t just stink, they also have a way of making everything around them stink like them. Besides their unpleasant smell, they are also renowned diggers because they feed on grubs and underground insects. In their search for these delicacies, skunks can ruin your plants by digging up their roots. They’ll leave tunnels everywhere and mess up your garden.
[10] Opossum:
The opossum’s diet consists mainly of crawling insects, toads, slugs, rodents, and snakes. In a way, having them around can be a good thing for your garden, right? Don’t think that, because when they can’t find these little animals to prey on they’ll turn right to your fruits, especially very ripe and low-hanging fruits, because they are omnivores.
Tips for Keeping These Animal Pests Out of Your Garden
- Install an electric fence around your garden to deter these animals from raiding your garden.
- Make your garden uninhabitable for animal pests by ensuring there are no piles of wood, stones, garbage, or anything at all that may attract them.
- Use repellents made for animal pests. You can also experiment with certain natural animal pest repellents like garlic, hot pepper, sulfur, etc.
- Contact animal control experts to inspect your garden and help you build a wildlife-proof garden.
