How to Keep Pests out of your Garden

Anytime you have a garden, you will have pests. Sometimes one of the more challenging aspects of being a gardener is dealing with the insects, birds, rabbits, deer and other creatures that just can’t seem to stay away from the bounty they find in your garden. Although you may not be able to discourage every pest, you’ll be able to keep most of them out of your gardening space by using a bit of effort.

Covering the plants in your garden can be a highly successful method of discouraging many kinds of pests. Covers around plants are effective physical barriers. Nylon netting draped over your plants will stop deer from being able to nibble on them. Netting also keeps birds away from most fruits and vegetables. If you use netting to cover a tree, though, birds still can get to it by sneaking underneath the netting. Secure the netting firmly all the way around the tree's trunk to keep them out. Netting that is tightly secured to the trunk or to the ground also helps to keep raccoons, skunks and rabbits away.

Certain insects, such as the Mexican bean beetle, can be kept out of your garden with cheesecloth. Use this light, airy fabric to cover an entire row of at-risk plants. Water, air and light can get through the cheesecloth, but the it keeps out pests.

Fencing keeps out many kinds of garden pests, including raccoons, skunks, deer, rabbits and squirrels. The fence must be made of mesh that has holes no bigger than 1 inch to keep out those animals; fencing called chicken wire is an example. Mesh with smaller holes, such as 1/4 inch, also excludes mice and rats. Bury the bottom part of the mesh fencing at least 6 inches underground all the way around the garden. Bend the lower section of the fence – at least the first 6 inches – at a 90-degree angle outward from the garden, and then stretch the rest of the fence perpendicular to the ground to prevent critters from jumping over it. Deer jump just about anything, but deer fence 8 to 10 feet high generally keeps them out. Ensure that deer can see the fence by tying cloth strips, or flags, on it. Otherwise, deer may not see the fence and attempt to walk, run or jump through it.

Deter pests such as raccoons and squirrels, which are notoriously hard to fence out of gardens, by adding a couple of strands of electric wire to the fence. Add one at a height of 2 to 6 inches above ground and another at the top of the fence to discourage them. If you don’t have a regular fence, put strands of electric fence at 6 and 12 inches above ground to keep raccoons away. Use an electric fence charger that is the right size for the electric fence, and hang warning signs on the fence's wires to warn people about their presence.

Plan ahead to exclude groundhogs or gophers from your garden. Because those pests dig deep tunnels and attack plants from underground, it’s best to put barriers in place when you set out your garden's plants.

Shovel

Tape measure

1/4-by-1/4-inch wire mesh

Dig up the area where you will put your garden. Dig to a depth of at least 2 feet throughout that planting area.

Remove the soil from the planting area, leaving the space 2 feet lower than the surrounding ground.

Place a layer of 1/4-by-1/4-inch wire mesh in the bottom of the planting area.

Put the removed soil on top of the wire mesh. Plant your garden.

Loosely wrap bulbs or transplants' root balls in thin wire mesh to discourage underground pests from eating them.

For additional information on garden pest-control, see "Cheap Ways to Keep Bugs Off Plants," and "How to Kill Garden Pests Without Poison."