Squirrel-proofing a Garden?

[TheIT]

A friend of mine is an avid gardener. Most of her back yard is taken up by vegetable beds, containers to grow more vegetables, and fruit trees. Last year the local squirrels found her garden, and this year they're back in force. She's having a hard time preventing the squirrels from eating everything in sight. The moment something sprouts, it's gone.

So far she's tried netting, but the squirrels have found ways to circumvent it. Does anyone have any suggestions for ways to keep the squirrels out?

Thanks in advance!

[Ldyjarhead]

Wow, that's odd.

I've got loads of squirrels here and plenty of things in containers, and not a single squirrel has touched it. Are you sure it's squirrels?

We do have rabbits galore here, and at least two groups of babies that I see several times a day. I started everything in smaller containers, then 'potted up' as I needed to.

Obviously the baby bunnies 'needed to' before I did, because they ate every one of my bean plants that they could reach! Nothing has bothered the tomatoes or cucumber, but the beans were an apparent delicacy. The only few they didn't get were those already in a taller container than they could reach.

What has she got planted that they find such a delicacy? If she's sure it's squirrels, maybe putting out food specifically for them might help.

[Jersey Chick]

I use cayenne pepper around my plants. Sprinkle it into the soil and nothing bothers them. I don't know if that's feasible for such a large garden, though...

[TheIT]

She's seen them, so she's sure it's squirrels. She's also tried the cayenne pepper trick and says it works for about two days, then the squirrels think it's Mexican food and chow down. Apparently the squirrels have a sophisticated palate. :D

Someone suggested hanging CDs around the garden. Apparently as the disks twirl in the breeze, the flashes of light are enough to scare the squirrels off. A scaresquirrel rather than a scarecrow, I suppose. She's going to give it a try.

[Jersey Chick]

ALuminum pie plates might also work.

Hmm.. my squirrels must be unrefined. They stay away from the pepper :D

[Fenika]

She can get in touch with a local hawker if she's not in suburbia.

Seriously.

[awatkins]

Tell her she can borrow my beagle. :D

[Haggis]

http://adaptagun.com/shotgun0.JPG

[TheIT]

Definitely suburbia, so she's looking for non-lethal solutions. She's hoping that her neighbor gets a dog.