As someone who tends to plants, you know the frustration of having local wildlife, like deer, rabbits, and squirrels, wreak havoc on your lovely vegetable garden.
They’re the usual suspects when it comes to wrecking vegetable patches, as they’re willing to munch on just about anything.
Sure, you could resort to animal repellents to fend off these pests, but all those chemicals aren’t great for your harvest or your health. Spraying repellents might harm your veggies, and you end up consuming those chemicals when you enjoy a salad made from your homegrown produce.
Thankfully, there’s a cheap and chemical-free method to protect your vegetable garden: plastic forks.
Yes, those utensils we use for meals on the run can serve as a natural deterrent for pests. It’s simple: Take a bunch of plastic forks and scatter them generously across the garden, inserting them into the soil with the prongs facing upward. See how your vegetables thrive now that they’re shielded from pests.
Why it works
You might be wondering how sticking forks in the ground discourages squirrels, rabbits, and other critters from loitering in your vegetable patch.
For one, animals mistake the forks for predators and keep their distance.
To them, no vegetable is worth risking an encounter with a fierce predator. If they do venture into the garden, they’ll quickly realize it’s a hazardous place with sharp objects that could injure them. A single poke to the paw, and that squirrel will think twice before returning.
Another reason animals are deterred by plastic forks is because they can detect human scent on them.
They know to avoid anything emitting our odor because it signals the presence of a bigger predator nearby. When you add up all these factors, you end up with a garden free of pests. And if any forks happen to break, they’re easy and cheap to replace.
Other chemical-free pest deterrents
There are plenty of natural pest-repellent alternatives you can employ to keep animals away from your vegetable garden, like mint. Deer, squirrels, and other veggie thieves detest the smell of mint, so planting some in your garden can deter them.
The same applies to peppermint essential oil; squirrels, especially, can’t stand it. To use it as a repellent, mix 10 to 15 drops of peppermint oil with 1 cup of water. Spritz your plants occasionally to maintain the strong scent.