Best Squirrel Deterrents for the Garden: Beds, Bulbs and Crops

The best squirrel deterrent for a garden is the Orbit Yard Enforcer, a motion-activated sprinkler that sprays squirrels the moment they start digging. Amagabeli's 1/4-inch hardware cloth protects bulbs and seedbeds underground, RIFNY's bird netting keeps squirrels off ripening tomatoes and berries, the Broox solar unit covers beds without a hose, and I Must Garden's granules are the repellent to try in pots. Barriers and water do far more than scents in a garden.

Do Squirrel Deterrents Work in Gardens?

Physical ones do. University of California IPM's pest note on tree squirrels recommends covering rows of seeded or established crops with one-inch hexagon chicken wire, while calling the effectiveness of chemical repellents questionable and noting that squirrels pay little attention to frightening devices after a couple of days.

That means a garden plan built on mesh, netting and a sprinkler that is moved around regularly, with repellents saved for small targets such as pots. Squirrels are persistent and learn fast, so the goal is to make digging and picking physically hard rather than slightly unpleasant.

Our guide to the best squirrel deterrents covers attics and feeders as well as gardens, and the squirrel deterrent section has articles on sprays and homemade options.

What Squirrels Do in a Garden

• Dig up bulbs: tulips and crocus are favorites, especially right after planting while the soil is loose.
• Dig in pots and new beds: to bury or recover nuts, scattering seedlings and soil.
• Eat flowers and buds: yes, squirrels eat flowers; tulip and crocus blooms, sunflower heads and rose buds are common targets.
• Take bites from fruit and vegetables: tomatoes, strawberries, squash, corn and stone fruit, often one bite per fruit.
• Chew bark and stems: on young trees and shrubs, especially in late winter.

Watch when and where damage happens. Squirrels feed in daylight, mostly morning and late afternoon, so seeing a squirrel in the act rules out raccoons, birds and rabbits.

Garden Squirrel Deterrent Types Compared

We compared garden squirrel deterrents on what they protect, installation, durability and what buyers report. Our sources were the makers' listings, Amazon's review digests and UC IPM guidance; we did not test the products. We left out squirrel sprays and peppermint balls with mostly negative or marketing-like reviews, netting whose buyers report squirrels biting through oversized holes or rolls smaller than advertised, and listings with few ratings.

Best Squirrel Deterrents for the Garden

Orbit Yard Enforcer: Best Overall Garden Squirrel Deterrent

A burst of water is the quickest way to teach a squirrel that a vegetable bed is off-limits, and Orbit's 2-pack of motion-activated sprinklers delivers one whenever its sensor detects movement up to 40 feet away, per the maker.

• Each unit stakes into the soil and runs from a garden hose; it can also water on a timer, per the maker.
• Buyers report it keeping squirrels, deer, crows and cats out of gardens.
• Durability draws mostly negative reviews, and some buyers say the spray covers one direction.

Choose it for raised beds, bulb borders and vegetable rows where squirrels dig in the morning. Aim it across the bed at ground level, switch it off before you work in the garden and move it every week or two.

OUR CHOICE

Orbit Yard Enforcer Motion-Activated Sprinkler 2-Pack

Needs a hose2 sprinklersMotion sensor

Best for: Beds and borders within hose reach

• ✓Detects movement up to 40 feet, per the maker
• ✓Keeps many animals away, per buyers
• ✓Two units to cover or rotate
• −Durability mostly negative, per buyers
• −Sprays one direction, per some buyers

Editor's Note

It stops digging by surprise. Move it every week or two.

Check Price

Specifications (1)

Unit Count

2 Count

Amagabeli Hardware Cloth: Best for Bulbs and Seedbeds

Underground damage needs an underground barrier, and Amagabeli's 36-inch roll of 1/4-inch galvanized hardware cloth stops squirrels from digging through to bulbs and seeds.

• It is 23-gauge welded wire, galvanized against rust, per the maker.
• Buyers find it strong, easy to cut and good value, and report it keeping critters out of gardens.
• It needs gloves and tin snips, and the cut edges are sharp.

Choose it to lay flat over newly planted bulbs under an inch of mulch, to line the bottom and sides of raised beds, and to cut into circles for pot tops. Shoots grow through the mesh, but squirrels digging from above hit wire.

Amagabeli Galvanized Hardware Cloth 1/4 in, 36 in x 50 ft

1/4 inch meshGalvanized50 ft

Best for: Bulbs, seedbeds and raised beds

• ✓1/4-inch mesh, as UC IPM advises for entrances
• ✓Strong and easy to cut, per buyers
• ✓Keeps rodents and raccoons out, per buyers
• −Takes a day of work to install
• −Sharp cut edges; wear gloves

Editor's Note

Lay it over bulbs under mulch. Shoots grow through.

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Specifications (3)

Material

Hot-Dipped Galvanized

Item Diameter

0.25 inches

Finish Type

Galvanized

RIFNY Bird Netting: Best for Fruit and Vegetables

For tomatoes, berries and fruit trees, RIFNY's 13 by 40 foot net of high-density polyethylene has a 5/8-inch mesh and comes with staples, per the maker.

• The maker says it is UV- and rot-resistant and reusable season after season.
• Buyers find it durable, easy to unroll and effective on berry bushes, and say it holds up in snow without ripping.
• Like any plastic net, a determined squirrel can chew through it, so check it often.

Choose it to drape over ripening tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries and dwarf fruit trees. Pin the edges to the ground so squirrels cannot slip underneath, and support it on a frame or hoops so it does not rest on fruit they can bite through the mesh.

RIFNY Bird Netting for Garden 13 x 40 ft

5/8 inch netting13 x 40 ft

Best for: Tomatoes, berries and fruit trees

• ✓Durable, per buyers
• ✓Easy to unroll and install, per buyers
• ✓Holds up in snow, per buyers
• −Squirrels can chew plastic netting
• −Needs a frame so fruit is not bitten through

Editor's Note

Drape it over ripening crops on hoops. Pin the edges down.

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Specifications (2)

Material

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

Color

Black

Broox Solar Animal Repellent: Best for Beds Without a Hose

Where a hose does not reach, the Broox stake responds to movement with ultrasound and flashing LEDs, per the maker, and charges by solar panel or USB.

• Its sensor covers 20 to 25 feet through a 110-degree angle, per the maker.
• Buyers report it keeping squirrels, rabbits, deer and cats away.
• Durability is mixed, with some units failing within weeks.

Choose it for a far bed or the edge of a vegetable plot. Move it around often, since squirrels get used to light and sound faster than to water.

Broox Solar Animal Repellent

SolarLight and sound

Best for: Beds without a hose

• ✓Motion sensor with flashing LED
• ✓Solar or USB charging
• ✓Effective on deer, rabbits and cats, per buyers
• −Some units fail within weeks, per buyers
• −Not for snakes, per the maker

Editor's Note

It covers far beds. Move it often.

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Specifications (2)

Recommended Uses For Product

Outdoor

Target Species

Cat, Dog, Rabbit, Raccoon, Skunk, Squirrel

I Must Garden Squirrel Repellent Granules: Best for Pots

For containers on a patio or porch, I Must Garden's 3-pound shaker of granules is made to stop squirrels digging in pots and beds, per the maker.

• Buyers find the granules easy to apply.
• Results are mixed: some saw digging in flowerpots stop, others saw no change.
• Value draws mostly negative reviews because of frequent reapplication.

Choose it for a few pots where mesh would look out of place. Reapply after watering and rain, and switch to a hardware cloth topper or a layer of pine cones if digging continues.

BUDGET PICK

I Must Garden Squirrel Repellent Granules 3 lb

Granules3 lb

Best for: Patio pots

• ✓Easy to apply, per buyers
• ✓Stopped digging in pots for some buyers
• ✓Natural ingredients, per the maker
• −Mixed results, per buyers
• −Value mostly negative, per buyers

Editor's Note

It suits a few pots. Reapply after watering.

Check Price

Specifications (2)

Item Form

Granule

Unit Count

48 Ounce

Protecting Pots, Bulbs and Crops

• Plant bulbs squirrels dislike: daffodils, alliums, fritillaria and hyacinths are rarely dug.
• Hide the evidence after planting: clear away papery bulb skins, firm the soil and water it in, so the bed does not look freshly dug.
• Top pots: cover soil with hardware cloth, coarse gravel or pine cones.
• Harvest early: pick tomatoes at first blush and ripen them indoors.
• Remove nut sources: rake up acorns and walnuts and move bird feeders away from the garden.
• Band young trees: wrap trunks with smooth metal and trim branches squirrels use to jump in.

Timing helps too. Squirrels bury nuts heavily in fall, which is also when most bulbs go in, so cover new bulb beds the day you plant them, and keep netting ready for the weeks when tomatoes and berries start to color.

Cayenne pepper sprinkled on soil can also discourage digging for a few days, but it washes off in rain and irritates eyes and skin, so treat it as a short-term helper while barriers go in.

Common Questions About Garden Squirrel Deterrents

Which One Should You Buy?

The Orbit Yard Enforcer is the squirrel deterrent to buy for most gardens. It stops digging in beds and borders by surprise rather than smell, and it never needs reapplying after rain.

Pair it with Amagabeli hardware cloth over bulbs and seedbeds and RIFNY netting over fruit and tomatoes. Use Broox where a hose cannot reach and I Must Garden granules in pots. With any of them, plant bulbs squirrels dislike and keep nuts and feeders away from the beds.

Before you buy, note whether squirrels are digging or picking, since digging calls for mesh and water and picking calls for netting.