What do you think of squirrels in your garden?

image from Youtube 

Good morning, it is a bit chilly out this morning with the temperature at 30 degrees, but we have the wind.  Result of the wind with this cold front coming in.  BUT have you seen what the next 10 days going to be…highs in the 60’s.  We will take it. ENJOY and STAY SAFE.  How about those squirrels?  What do you think of them in your gardens? 
​
How to Keep Squirrels Away from Your Garden by Catherine Boeckmann
Non-Insect Pests
Squirrels can be entertaining to watch, but it can be very frustrating if they keep digging up your garden plants or take up residence in your garage. Here is how to keep squirrels away with natural squirrel-repellent ideas.
Squirrels in the Garden
With a fondness for fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers, the common squirrel has long spelled trouble for home gardeners. From Maine to Montana, these wily critters yank geraniums from window boxes, pluck nearly ripe tomatoes from their vines, and strip apple trees like professional pickers. Though their foraging forays can happen any time of year, a squirrel’s raid at harvest time can drive a gardener nuts.
Squirrels are especially active in late summer and autumn when they stock up for winter. They do not hibernate (although they may “lie low” during cold spells), so their underground pantries are vitally important winter warehouses. They have a significant instinct for hoarding food, which helps them to survive.
Although North America is home to several species of squirrels, the suburb-savvy gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis, gives gardeners (and people who feed birds) the most grief. Gray squirrels stash food by burying it scattered around their territory. How did the clever critters find those flower bulbs, anyway? All squirrels have a very keen sense of smell. The nose of these expert foragers is a tiny but powerful tool in searching for hidden nuts, berries, and bulbs.
IDENTIFICATION
Identifying Squirrels
In the garden, the biggest troublemaker is the gray squirrel. Their most famous feature is their bushy tail, a luxurious puff of fur used for warmth, communication, and balance. They have fur that appears gray from a distance and white or light grey underbellies.
There are also smaller red squirrels, which are more active and noisy and cause damage in gardens.
Identifying Squirrel Damage
Spring bulbs snacked on? You’re probably dealing with squirrels, chipmunks, or groundhogs. Squirrels eat the bulbs and also use the ready-made holes to store their foraged nuts.
In the food garden, when you see bite marks on soft fruits such as squash, that’s often a sign of a squirrel. Yes, they’ll take one bite and leave the rest behind!
Often, near the moment your crop is ripe, squirrels will steal the entire fruit, especially squash, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and melons.
Squirrels relish digging up seeds and young seedlings, especially in your freshly-planted beds. Their holes tend to be shallow and small (the size of a golf ball).
They love to dig around in your flower pots, too. Squirrels and chipmunks are known to look for insects or other goodies in containers, and may uproot plants in the process. If conditions have been especially dry, they may also be digging to access the moist soil.
Squirrels will attack not only your gardens, but your bird feeders as well. If you notice your bird food disappearing rather quickly or piling up beneath your feeder, you may have a squirrel problem.
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/pest/squirrels
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected]  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365