G'day Everyone, I hope you are all growing well and harvesting a ton! I have met dozens of you over the past few weeks (out and about) and have thoroughly enjoyed chatting with you about your gardening and life in general - thanks for saying g'day and supporting my vids! Cheers, Mark
Electrocution means death by electric shock lol. It sounds shocking (pardon the pun) because it's killing them. I think the term is just "electric shock".
Trying to personally scare animals could backfire on you because just as with Humans it's 'Flight or Fight' with them and depending on the animal you could get hurt or get someone you love hurt.
The scaring worked! I watched on low volume but when you yelled my house rabbit ran from her hiding spot to my lap for protection. Now she knows to stay out of your garden!
My granddaughter saves the fur from brushing her Great Pyrenees dogs for me. I put it around whatever the deer and other critters are eating. I have dog hair everywhere and have to put out fresh hair every few weeks, but it’s been working well for me.
Good idea and you can put perforated grills oblong or long, around on top of the hairs so the winds and the animals won't disturb them. They'll just come and smell dog and run fast the other way ! 😁
I work as a discount retailer in the "flyover states" of the US. Totally sold over 70 small containers to someone, on discount. Suggested checking you out because of your raised beds/containers. Hope you gained at least one more Hoosier. Best growing to you Sir!
I use shiny pinwheels all around my garden to help keep birds and smaller rodents out. They spin and flash in the sun and are easy to attach to various locations & different heights using zip ties. I like them better than the flash tape, but I also done have nearly as large an area to cover. I also saw someone using mini disco ball tree ornaments for the same purpose.
Possums won't climb anything super wobbly, so when I fence off garden beds, I make the posts shorter than the wire so the top 30cm+ can bend back and forth freely, no more possums. They reach the top, it flops over and they drop off.
Well now I have to go look up what kangaroos do eat.. done. There's a woman in southern California (Robbie) doing container gardening that uses dress making tulle to keep pests away from her plants. It seems to work wonders. It comes in full bolts - way cheaper than garden netting.
I too recommend using tulle to keep your veggies safe. I took Robbie’s advice about using tulle and have had success in keeping squirrels, rats, and birds from eating my veggies. Now I get to enjoy a beautiful harvest.
Kangaroos eat mainly grasses, some soft native herbs & native shrubs. Their teeth aren't adapted to eat vegetables. Possums also eat native fruits & a variety of leaves so happy to eat garden produce. Possums also eat insects & baby birds including fledglings.
I have also noticed other materials similar to purpose-made garden netting that are much cheaper such as some camping mosquito nets and general fabrics. So I agree with you that experimentation using other materials such as netting for the garden can pay real dividends! All the best :)
5:06 - love how your dog just pretended to eat while eyeballing it and then had a go at the bush turkey. I don't think my wee Westie would have been so laid back about it though!!
I plant pots of mint and lemon balm. I put them around my grow area. It deters bugs and critters. I have also put moth balls into an old take out container with a lid. A few holes lets the smell out but the rain from filling out. This did a good job also.
I use snap poppers and a sling shot. The adult version is a firecracker without a fuse. It’s loud. I use them to drive coyote and javelina away from cats and veggies. Conveniently they fit inside my blow gun. Silent accurate delivery.
I make my own windchimes from glass bottles and big, flashy light weight sails and hang them throughout my garden. Seems to keep monkeys, tree shrews and pigeons at a distance. Most importantly, I love the symphony of sounds when the breeze kicks in. Very pleasing to the ear.
Great info! This is my second year with electric fencing from Premier 1 products, a company in Washington, Iowa. I have the deer resistant semi-permanent fence, and nothing has penetrated it that is ground based. My sweet corn is fruiting now and the real test will be with the raccoons. Deer have not attempted to jump, no possums, cats, ground hogs, squirrels, rabbits, turkeys. The bug eating birds like to hang out on it and I have noticed way less insect pests, even the pesky Japanese beetle. I see the Kingbird, Wrens, Bluebirds & flycatchers hanging out. Great product and the first time a low cost solution has made me think the garden is mostly protected. Thanks Mark for the great tips!
Plastic bags tied in a tree or amongst your crop work, because not only does it move randomly in the wind, it also makes a rustling noise, which seem to make most animals nervous. My grandmother used to tie these in her fig tree to keep away sparrows, so I tried it amongst my tomatoes to keep away rats at night, and it worked (they did not eat any of the tomatoes on the plant it was tied to, or the one next to it).
The possums (American) and foxes that come around might occasionally eat a few chicks, but are completely uninterested in my veggies. It's my own chickens that I have to protect my raised beds as they will scratch up my plants. Each bed is fully fenced and covered on top!
Great tips! I also used cattle panel (basic wire fencing) directly as a cover on my raised beds as I used to have a major feral cat problem. Nothing wanted to dig there anymore, and think it would work with the bush turkeys too. Only catch: must be on before planting anything bigger than seedlings, so they can grow up through the wire fence panel.
Cattle panels wouldn't stop feral deer or pigs or native wombats & holes are too big to stop snakes or rats. Possums would climb the panels so could still eat fruit or urinate on produce. Floppy wire best for possums as they prefer a strong structure to climb on. I have removed all fruit trees from my garden due to possums & insect pests except a lemon tree.
Chocolate Pudding fruit, so excited to see that one. I don't have garden space, but I sure enjoy your content. My brother uses children's pinwheels interspersed through the garden to help keep the rabbits out and they're cheap and fun to spot among the flowers and veggies.
@@smas3256 good question. I create lizard habitat all around my raised hugelkultur beds. They eat the insects, but I get good pollination. I use Christmas jingle bells to deter black bear and mule deer, they don't seem to bother lizards or birds. My lizards have lots of hidey holes to escape birds. I hope pinwheels deter squirrels.
Thank you for the information! We've been having racoon problems here in Pennsylvania. Also those bush turkeys and feral pigs look delicious just saying
Alas, bush turkeys are not delicious, many have tried apparently. Also it's illegal to eat feral pigs in Australia because they carry brucellosis which can be deadly, people shoot them purely for fun.
We're saving the silver bags that from wine and water casks, to hang in the fruit trees. Thanks for your content, we've just bought an acre property and it's a blank canvas. Starting an edible garden from scratch, cockatoos and galahs are a big problem here. Another pest which I've discovered is Earwigs, I've had to jump on that, as they were destroying the young nectarine tree.
We were having a problem with critters in our backyard gardens here in Toronto; rabbits, squirrels, and deer that were devastating our garden and plants. My wife put up bird feeders and suet stations well away from the veggie gardens that attracted a wide variety of birds. These soon attracted a family of brown hawks, falcons and even Great Horned Owls that in turn prey upon these foraging critters. Motion detectors pick up deer intrusion and the bright lights scare them off. Since then, our vegetable garden is doing well. Nature taking care of nature! Thanks for the videos, Mark. We really enjoy them and for the time you have taken to relate your experiences and well earned wisdom! From Canada where we are in our summer, but heading into the Fall season (absolutely beautiful) and eventually into a long, cold Winter. Cheers, mate, as I raise a frosty cold Canadian beer to you!
Thanks for sharing your veggie garden success story Norman! It sounds beautiful where you are, and I know that you can't grow anything outdoors during your winter, but I imagine it's picturesque... Cheers :)
May also consider a Shishi-odoshi. Its a very low tech solution used in Japanese water features that scares off deer and other critters. Its the wooden tube or bamboo that fills up with water until it tips over to empty , slamming down with a bonk. Exact designs can vary.
Great video! Loved your jumping up to SCARE us for number 5!!! Got me! After planting my cucumbers, a second time, after either birds or squirrels destroyed my first set of seedlings, I placed window screen over the plantings and voila did the trick so they could grow to a size where they were not longer bothered by critters.
I do this too. Even over seeds for a week or two so they can get a footing. You just check it daily and remove the screens after the seedlings have settled in and grown a bit.
Having a water pistol or sprayer is handy to deter the neighbour's cat from pooping in your (raised) bed. Also sharp and pointy twigs/branches can deter them (and looks more natural). Who likes a stick up their bum? Chicken wire laid on the surface stops digging and I was pleased that my garlic grew through it, but then it was a bugger in the end to extract the garlic from underneath it.
I saw a gardener's video in the US who plants flowers and bushes, etc, that naturally repel certain animals. Lavender, for example, repels deer (& perhaps other animals). I've seen lists and photos of other plants that can help you repel other pests away from fruits & vegetables you're trying to grow!
I covered my kale this year with mosquito netting and it was effective until a harlequin bug found a small hole. Had to eradicate with dust, but better than treating it all summer like the uncovered brassicas. They have been mostly decimated by cabbage white butterfly, harlequin bugs, and aphids. I put up a Japanese beetle trap and it has been very effective! Only a couple on the plants.
My Japanese Beetles mostly stay on my raspberry bushes but putting all the brassicas under a row cover really helped keep the bok choy from getting peppered with holes from flea beetles and chewed to smithereens by cabbage worms!
@@bunhelsingslegacy3549 JBs not much of a problem this year. Too dry, I guess. However, something's taking down my Swiss chard. How do you ID which bug is doing the damage?
Grasshoppers eat holes in my netting, allowing other flying pests through if they find the holes. Fortunately, no cabbage moths have found their way in, except for one. But I did not find any eggs, so perhaps it was looking for a mate. 😵💫
@@groussac I had a problem with gold finches eating my Swiss chard. Last year I surrounded the row with chicken wire. I literarily saw them climbing through the chicken wire and eat the leaves. This year I planted my Swiss chard in large pots and put half inch hardware cloth around and on top of the plants. They can still peck at the leaves growing up against the hardware cloth but I cut the pecked leaves off and harvest the rest.
My garden borders 5 acres of tress full of ground squirrels, birds and forest animals. I have a 6 foot chicken wire fence around it. The squirrels are the biggest pest and dig holes in my raised beds and take a bite out of a strawberry, ground cherry or cherry tomato. I was using bird netting this summer and had to save one bird and 2 lizards. I had to cut several pieces off the lizards. I won't use bird netting again. I purchased more mesh bags and have individually place around a branch of raspberries, strawberries, and juicy tomatoes. I am actually getting a harvest. And now that black berries are ripening, they aren't going after my raspberries. Great video Mark! Cheers from Southern Oregon! Big fan!
Hi Mark For a few years I have enjoyed your videos, and now I would like to tell you, what I use to keep birds and rabbits out of my garden and cherry trees. I use old CD's and DVD'S that I don't like anymore. I use fishing line, to tie the CD to and hang them, some in the tree, and others from the house gutters. When the sun hits the CD it sends a flash of light across the area, and It scares them and they move away! It has worked the last two years. Now I get cherries, blue berry, carrots and lettuce! I hope someone can use this tip, to keep the birds and rabbits away. Keep up the great videos!!
Hi, iam from South Australia. Last year I planted a successful crop of sweetcorn for the first time. But the day before I was going to harvest the corn, my entire crop was destroyed n eaten by roos at night. I witnessed it on my security cameras. I didn't realise how much damage until morning. I was devastated. I had a barrier but failed
Thank you for the well knowledge, you’ve given me great inspiration and confidence to start my garden Channel and spread this passion of self sufficient gardening. Thank you again
Down here in Tassie the wallabies absolutely destroy the vege gardens.....no patch of spinach, carrot or beetroot is safe from the tenacious little hoppers haha. I've had to install some pretty impressive fencing enclosures around my medicinal and culinary herb gardens just to save a few leaves each year haha!
Over here its netting for fruit trees, traps for voles (the ones with the acoustic bang…), ladybugs and darwin wasps for aphids and cabbage flies, sugar and yeast for ants in the house, and proper fences for anything else.
I put sections of chain link fence flat on the ground to keep critters from digging. It's expensive to buy new, so I shop hard for used stuff and odds/ends from fencing companies. I prefer a width of 4 feet, as it's a lot easier to deploy when I'm working alone. I cut pieces 5 feet long for large areas and two feet long for small areas or irregular ground.
This year the most effective was bird net “bunting” around the rim of my raised beds. It has kept the squirrels out, who were doing the most damage with their digging. Love these videos, keep them coming!
I agree with you on living with most wildlife. I have wild rabbits in my yard and I found one weed they love more than my veggies. Other bushes they help trim. I cage all new bushes while small to protect the plants. Once they grow some the rabbits don't destroy them. I do have some birds digging out my garden pots and I haven't had success with yet.
Good advice, thank you. Earlier this summer, I had chipmunks eating the first leaves on my hostas. Quick search on the internet, and I found a recipe for liquid detergent mixed with water and tabasco sauce. I sprayed both sides of every leaf and repeated after every heavy rain fall for about a month. After that, I had only a couple of leaves chewed off then it stopped completely. Inexpensove and expensive.
Thanks for the great tips. I am way over in North Carolina. My main problems have been deer and woodchucks. The woodchucks can find their way through most types of fencing if you are not careful. I have been using wooden raised beds for 20 years, but thanks to you am switching to the Birdies beds. With my wooden beds (~50cm high) cats used to hop up into them to sharpen their claws on the tops of the boards until I put in fencing.
My issue here in Virginia is deer! I have learned that a particular deer family like to bed down just to the east of my garden in the side yard. There's two steep hills on the back corner of our lot so they have felt safe here for awhile. I've gone out and scared them off in the evening with flashlights and I got a orbit water sprayer too. I tried the invisible fence ( fishing line) that that worked for a bit but my sweet potato plants keep getting eaten. I need a permit to build a permanent fence so I'm trying to decide what I want to do for next year. I'm hoping that once the fawns grow up they will learn to avoid our lot.
I mean you “could” get a pew-pew and harvest one, I know you’re a hippy but it might be the only way to avoid them associating humans with safety. Ofcourse if you don’t feel comfortable eating it it would make great fertiliser, and obviously if you’re against that kinda thing altogether disregard this entire comment Edit: I wrote this before watching the video
Not sure how big the area is you want to protect but my parents have an 8x12 foot plot for a garden and they put up 6 foot chicken wire fence. Drove 2x4s in the corners and stapled it to them. It’s worked so far. They do still eat anything that grows outside the fence though.
@@dylanzrim3635 Well my handle on here is more for by business. We eat venison all the time and we are extremely grateful for it. Nothing better than a double Bambi with cheese, tacos or a pressure cooked neck roast 😋. We source local and diverse, trying to cut out as much factory farming as we can. Now being in town we have to be careful as there is not really a safe place to drop one of we miss. Although I'm not apposed to opening my bedroom window and dropping one at very close range.
@@Gardeningchristine I've got 6 4x8 raised beds ( high side like Mark's) with probably 3 feet in between each pair. 2 rows of 3. I've got a big forsythia bush at one end , a steep hill on the back side ( that I can't walk but the deer have no problem) and an open ish area in the back corner. I'm planning to add more beds in the future. I just need to figure out where I want them since we have large in ground rocks over there too. I'd like to combine a fence with a flower boarder since the marigolds have tried to take over the raised beds.
bush turkeys are a pain , I live in suburbia and was surprised to see one demolish my compost mound . spread it over half my yard and ate up all my worms. a few hours of spraying him with the hose whenever he tried to come back to finish the deed worked and he hasnt come back since. first one I have seen anywhere near me that wasnt bushland. My son has lots of them where he lives , he has no garden for this reason.
kangaroos got into my broccoli bed about 3 days before harvest. chomped them down to stubs. had beets in there too but they didn't touch them. Love the vids mate, keeping me inspired
Years ago, I did have a wild wallaby eat a BBQ shape biscuit right out of my hand, so I guess they might be tempted to try other things, but the majority eat grass, as we know, and raised beds definitely help. All the best! :)
Same thing happened to me although I harvest broccoli continually so it's never huge. Lived here just over 3 years and this is first time they've eaten my vegies. I've now put those toddler fences all around my broccoli and it's starting to resprout a bit. Should be flourishing by mid Spring.
Thank you, very helpful I had a problem with rats eating my pumpkins. I was told to try metal screenings. I had 15 pumpkins left and bought 2 rolls , cut them to accommodate the growing pumpkin, and held it in place by pegs. I only lost one after that
I just wrapped my raised beds in netting. I still have a few tomato plants that are exposed because I ran out. But, I am harvesting tomatoes again. I saw that the raccoons tried biting into my peppers. Guess they didn't like that. LOL.
One thing I'll mention with regards to fencing: Deer at least in my area will respond to fencing even if it's not fully surrounding the garden nor too high for them to jump it. Like the raised beds, the extra effort to jump over it that would be necessary if they needed to escape a predator is enough to deter them a lot of the time.
I would love to have a property like yours. Being able to grow my own vegies and fruit is a big dream of mine. I hope to one day follow in your footsteps. Thanks for the vid!
Brilliant Mark! Apparently Teddy Bears deter Bush Turkeys.. Enjoy that Black Sapote, it's a life-changing fruit! Make sure it is super soft and gross looking on the outside until you cut it open!
Ugh, we got chickens last year and they have developed a nasty habit of getting up into my raised garden bed and scratching everything up. I thought they were just targetting the ones near the chicken coop so I thought I'd let them turn it over and fertilise it, I haven't had the time to spend in the garden lately so it seemed a fair compromise. Well... they got into my garlic, first time ever growing it and it was just starting to look amazing 😢 Well I got a bunch of twigs and stuck them up amongst the garlic. So far seems to be doing the job. Also I found a bamboo stake is great for both whacking garden beds and whooshing them above their heads to scare them off, rather cathartic too. They are so very lucky I love their free range eggs so much 😡
oh yeah and there is a flock of doves that hang around to steal the chook feed, while they wait I found them pecking my pea shoots. Doves like salad greens, who knew! Now I know what happened to my cauliflowers. Haven't touched the leeks at least.
I deal with mostly squirrels and rabbits. Started putting water out for them last year which made a big difference. This year I'm redoing my fence because the baby rabbits where small enough to fit through the wire mesh. Watched a rabbit jump up about a foot (30cm) and though a 2" X 4" (5cm X 10cm) hole. Adding chicken wire all the way around the garden this year.
I see your challenges during all seasons but as a grower in N.A. zone 7b I think I would really enjoy the challenges you face. Good on you for what you do.
I had an old horse (over 25 years) she use to test the electric fence with her eye. She would get her eye right up close to the line 👁 I have no idea how that works lol but she did know when it was off. 🤷♀ She'd lean over the line pushing on it to reach into the garden or pick fruit off trees lol
#1 Favorite Deterrent: Squirrel Sauce. There are a few brands, but it's effectively ultra-hot sauce. People usually mix it into wild bird food to discourage squirrels, but it is also effective at keeping mammals off of garden veggies. You just have to make sure to wash any produce that you harvest before eating it yourself.
We have 2 Scare crow motion detectors. A Blue Heron visits our goldfish pond. It dropped one fish in the dirt as it was getting sprayed. We were able to revive it. The year before it swallowed down Big Mama.
We have rabbits, squirrels, field mice & crows mostly to protect against. I'm going to try and grow some veggies in a greenhouse as I know the critters cause lots of trouble to everything (even grass) that neighbors try to grow in our area. Thanks for all the great ideas!
I save my aluminum pie pans from store pie shells to use in my garden. After the pie has been ate, I wash it, then poke a hole in it just below the side, tie a strong string to it loosely on a pole in my garden. You want it to be able to swing around and hit the pole to make noise. I had several all around the entire garden hanging on poles. When the wind blows the pan hit up against the pole and makes a clanging noise, it’s shiny and reflects light that scares off animals. The more pans hanging off poles the better. When the wind pulls hard and splits the pan I did lose some during heavy storms with high wind. I didn’t replace them during the summer, so sad to say the deer for the first time in over 22 years of gardening came in and ate my sunflowers and the little bit of corn I planted. I learned a lesson this year. I’ll make sure to replace any lost pie pans during the entire growing season, because they are very effective from keeping animals out of it. The aluminum pie pans are way cheaper than an expensive sound system or even the flying birds. If you don’t have pie pans, they are usually cheap at a dollar store or ask a friend to save them for you. Some people hang a bunch of tin cans together on strings to make noise, but I found aluminum pie pans work best. Thank you for sharing all your tips in gardening!
Irish Spring bar soap can be put around the garden to repel certain rodent types, possibly deer. It has a mint odor. It can be put in nylon bags, whole or chopped up, and hung around the garden to repel various critters. I use it in my basement prep storage room to repel spiders (no mice issue). Another repellent is cayenne pepper spray. I like it because it supposedly does not impact birds who frequent my garden to eat the bugs. But the critters... they no likey cayenne.
Glad I found your new channel, I've kinda been wondering why I haven't seen any new videos of yours. Gives me something to binge watch now so I can get caught up.
I've had a bat tangled in a cheap e bay net with large 20mm holes that I put over my orange tree. Had to call the professionals in to untangle and remove the bat as it was screaming in the middle of the night. Not something I ever want to go through again. If you're going to net a tree, pay a bit extra and get proper netting not the cheap stuff. It also has the added benefit of being a LOT easier to put on and take off.
Fantastic! We've been blessed to not have any pest issues other than a few naughty insects. A couple of rabbits have lurked around lately and we chased them off with one of our little doggies, and they haven't done anything. These are all awesome tips that will definitely be put to use if needed! We love your channel! Your garden and orchards are amazing! You always have fantastic tips!
Been eagerly waiting for your next video Mark and wasn’t disappointed. Love your compassion, consideration and tolerance for wildlife ( as we all should do ). Thank you for my enjoyable chill time, best wishes from Britain 👍🇬🇧🇦🇺
We use old wine casks from the neighbour and have a bird feeder which we add seed and some fruits to. So far it's working a treat as we now have almost enough chilli's to make our own sweet chilli sauce and that's from one harvest off one bush. If not for the wine cast, it would have taken a year to get enough. Turns out birds like a little spice, who knew. We also use old and nasty beer as a fruit fly trap. Thankfully working as a motel cleaner, I get quite a few free but nasty beers so the traps are cost effective too. Our peas, tomatoes, capsicums and sunflowers (for bird seed) are grown in an old aviary. It has a 2 fold effect, keeps the birds away and provides a trellis.
IN the U.S. we, especially in the southern parts have issues with White Tail Deer! They wreak havoc on ornamental plants, flower gardens and vegetable gardens. One of the ways we have used to deter the deer from grazing in our flower beds and vegetable gardens is human hair. get yourself a sack from your local barber who is usually more than happy to oblige, put a handful in a stocking and hang them around your plants and the deer stay away!
Bush turkeys look tasty. Assume they taste "like chicken?" In Wisconsin, we would pair the bush turkey with locally grown corn and a tomato/basil salad. "relocate" him to the BBQ!
Back in 30s, 40s 50s the bush turkeys graced many country living people's Sunday lunch table. Did for my grandparents. In 60's when they started to invade civilization and chemicals became into intense use. My father stopped taking us on turkey shoots at 5am. As the flavors and textures changed. Today, wouldn't use one even for garden compost as toxic overload due to immense chemical usage. Relocated one once and started following me home. Also as with all nature..another fills the space.
We've had a pair of Broad Wing Hawks nearby for 30 years. Last year for the first time, one of the Fledglings hung around until it got 3 of our chickens. We had to spread netting to prevent air raids! Ironically, one of the chickens, Houdini gets into our veg garden once in a while and makes a mess. Still haven't figured out how.
A couple of motion activated sprinklers have solved my possum problem. At least for the veggie patch. They still go to other parts of the yard. Just not the main patch. I don't have a brush turkey solution, they are diurnal - but so am I and my dog... so the sprinklers are off.
I learned this in electrical theory class. "Electrocution" is DEATH by electricity. Ever since then it really bothers me to hear it used wrong. So "electric shock" is the right terminology for what an electric fence does.
I have a very small vege patch in a very small garden, but we live across the road from a bush land park, & we think a possum / some critter, was feeding on our patch ,which is close to trees. So my Husband put up a spotlight with movement sensor, we’ve had no trouble since! 😄👏💕😍Qld follower 🇦🇺
Roos definitely eat apple fruit... that has been my personal experience and not something I read or heard about and, yes, I have actually seen them do it. I have one solitary apple tree and the bloody roos pilfer from it and they sometimes even eat the bad fruits I toss into the compost. Their muddy paw prints are on my shed door (they got into the rubbish shed sometimes until I put up a simple door to stop them) and their droppings are around the fruit trees (apple and plums), the shed, the water tank and just generally around the yard. I don't know what other kinds of fruit they may try but they might attempt to eat from your apple tree if you have one.
For deterring hawks from my chickens 🐔 I use the pinwheels that I get from the Dollar &1/4 Tree 🌳. Should also work for the garden to. Can't say for sure but seems to help protect them. But these do nothing to deter 🐕 dogs that come in and attack my chickens. (Usually neighbors dogs).
A video just came out from The Weedy Gardener in Australia about bush turkeys, and Geoff Lawton gave him his protection trick of the trade, teddy bear stuffies. He did a video time-lapse of the area and the bush turkey came up, saw the teddy, and left. Interesting idea. Now I am thinking teddy statues with the owl statues, the nomes, the lions and buddha. What a delightful garden that would be.
I heard pepper keeps cats from digging..i bought a big bag and im going to try it..it also helps veges fight various fungus and disease..veges even absorb it apparently and makes them resistant ill let you know how it goes
Aloha. I live on island of Oahu, Hawaii. I really enjoy seeing your videos growing in tropical area and sometimes dealing with rainy weather. We have only a small yard around the house and only recently started yard work since retirement. I hope to one day have a small productive garden with your information and inspiration. Take care.
Hi love your show. I live in bronte Sydney. I had a rat and possum problem on our balcony garden and I used solar powered Xmas flashing light to scare them away. It has seemed to work. And everyday it's Xmas Yay 😊
Ive been having big rat problems with my tomatoes but also with all of my tree fruits and my melons. Ive tried rat traps from the exterminator, coyote pee, mint spray, putting cola out since apparently they drink it then they cant fart or burp and die, having a noise making machine (ultrasonic and sonic siren noises and hawk noises), and most recently putting out buckets of water with peanut butter. Ive finally been catching some with the buckets, hopefully I can get rid of them. This season they've eaten probably like 15 plums (we only had a couple for ourselves), all of the nectarines, dozens and dozens of large tomatoes, and 2 canteloupes. Its been quite bad.
Same rat 🐀 problem here in South AL. Just found these two recipes recently and going to try the baking soda this weekend. Rats can't digest baking soda. Good luck to you! Mix one part boric acid with two parts peanut butter and shape into pea-sized balls. Leave out for the rats to ingest overnight and in a few days your rat problem will (hopefully) be gone. Just be aware that boric acid is poisonous to all animals, including humans!Dec 29, 2016 ~ Combine 1 cup of flour or cornmeal with 1 cup of sugar or powdered chocolate mix. Add 1 cup of baking soda and blend the mixture very well. The sugar or chocolate will attract the rats, and the baking soda will soon kill them after they've consumed it.Apr 21, 2022
I am having a chipmunk problem this year. The little suckers have decided my tomatoes are the thing to eat. I swear they have gotten more tomatoes than I have this year! They can get through any fence and have no problem getting in my raised beds. They even climb up the inside of the Greenstalks to eat the strawberries. I have tried the sprays that are suppsed to repel rodents, didn't work. I don't want to kill them but I am at my wits end, picking everything green to ripen inside so I get a harvest but I am out of room.
The best thing for getting rid of the chipmunks and mice that had taken over the old house I bought is a cat. He keeps up the job of maintenance now and is keeping birds out of the vineyard. It’s a bit of a risk as I’ve had to rescue wild turkey chicks and snakes from him, but he definitely earns his keep on the farm
If you have a sporting goods store, you can buy coyote/fox urine and scent swatches pretty cheaply, I had an issue with squirrels until I bought some fox urine and set out lures near the tomatoes. It's not foolproof but the scent lasts for a while and it does help quite a lot
Haha, I let my friend's chickens into the garden once in the hopes that they'd eat some of the bugs that were plentiful at the time.... they were rapidly shooed back out when one decided she had to peck every ripe tomato exactly once!
I've got an issue with two crows. Last year it was the corn. So far at the start of spring they are all over one of my tomatoes. I'm going to net it as I'm not sure what else to do. The other birds keep them in check most of the time.
I live in the Mountains of Arizona. Oddly, in spite of differences in climate and rainfall, a lot of your advice works well for me. My biggest suggestion: install a dog door. An intelligent medium to large dog is the best deterrent for most of our local wildlife. We have javelinas (South American cousins to the wild pig), coyotes, possums, raccoons, the odd puma, and of course hungry deer. My dogs (both standard poodle crosses) are big and evidently pretty scary. A Prarie dog showed up one day. Both of the dogs had a great time chasing it off. Never saw another one - evidently, he warned all his buddies. I've heard that herding breeds are best for this, but my big boys are a Goldendoodle (golden retriever and poodle cross) and a Borderdoodle (Border collie and standard poodle cross) and they both do sterling work!
G'day Everyone, I hope you are all growing well and harvesting a ton! I have met dozens of you over the past few weeks (out and about) and have thoroughly enjoyed chatting with you about your gardening and life in general - thanks for saying g'day and supporting my vids! Cheers, Mark
Such great advice and entertaining with it. I used your netting solution shown at 9:26 last season and it worked a treat! Thanks, Mark!
Hello Mark from Washington state! G'day mate.
Electrocution means death by electric shock lol. It sounds shocking (pardon the pun) because it's killing them. I think the term is just "electric shock".
Trying to personally scare animals could backfire on you because just as with Humans it's 'Flight or Fight' with them and depending on the animal you could get hurt or get someone you love hurt.
Belly Button Mic - patent pending
The scaring worked! I watched on low volume but when you yelled my house rabbit ran from her hiding spot to my lap for protection. Now she knows to stay out of your garden!
My granddaughter saves the fur from brushing her Great Pyrenees dogs for me. I put it around whatever the deer and other critters are eating. I have dog hair everywhere and have to put out fresh hair every few weeks, but it’s been working well for me.
Wow, using scent to keep animals away! Love it :)
Love it, ❤ I'm a dog groomer so I've got an abundant supply of this. LOL
Good idea and you can put perforated grills oblong or long, around on top of the hairs so the winds and the animals won't disturb them. They'll just come and smell dog and run fast the other way ! 😁
@@SweetChicagoGator I use a lot of cookie racks to keep birds away from young plants. Using them for holding down dog fur is a great idea. Thank you!
I work as a discount retailer in the "flyover states" of the US. Totally sold over 70 small containers to someone, on discount. Suggested checking you out because of your raised beds/containers. Hope you gained at least one more Hoosier. Best growing to you Sir!
I use shiny pinwheels all around my garden to help keep birds and smaller rodents out. They spin and flash in the sun and are easy to attach to various locations & different heights using zip ties. I like them better than the flash tape, but I also done have nearly as large an area to cover. I also saw someone using mini disco ball tree ornaments for the same purpose.
Possums won't climb anything super wobbly, so when I fence off garden beds, I make the posts shorter than the wire so the top 30cm+ can bend back and forth freely, no more possums. They reach the top, it flops over and they drop off.
Well now I have to go look up what kangaroos do eat..
done.
There's a woman in southern California (Robbie) doing container gardening that uses dress making tulle to keep pests away from her plants. It seems to work wonders. It comes in full bolts - way cheaper than garden netting.
I watch Robbie all the time too, and I recommend the Tulle to everyone who is having a problem. I love Mark's channel and his humor.
I too recommend using tulle to keep your veggies safe. I took Robbie’s advice about using tulle and have had success in keeping squirrels, rats, and birds from eating my veggies. Now I get to enjoy a beautiful harvest.
Kangaroos eat mainly grasses, some soft native herbs & native shrubs. Their teeth aren't adapted to eat vegetables. Possums also eat native fruits & a variety of leaves so happy to eat garden produce. Possums also eat insects & baby birds including fledglings.
Huh, I always wondered how well that would hold up under UV light!
I have also noticed other materials similar to purpose-made garden netting that are much cheaper such as some camping mosquito nets and general fabrics. So I agree with you that experimentation using other materials such as netting for the garden can pay real dividends! All the best :)
5:06 - love how your dog just pretended to eat while eyeballing it and then had a go at the bush turkey. I don't think my wee Westie would have been so laid back about it though!!
I plant pots of mint and lemon balm. I put them around my grow area. It deters bugs and critters. I have also put moth balls into an old take out container with a lid. A few holes lets the smell out but the rain from filling out. This did a good job also.
Good idea
Da turds have been deterred
Moth balls are illegal to use outside due to how toxic they are.
Good to know. Old timers here always recommended. Thank you.
@@baddriversofcolga they said it had a lid so only letting the smell out.
I use snap poppers and a sling shot. The adult version is a firecracker without a fuse. It’s loud. I use them to drive coyote and javelina away from cats and veggies. Conveniently they fit inside my blow gun. Silent accurate delivery.
I make my own windchimes from glass bottles and big, flashy light weight sails and hang them throughout my garden. Seems to keep monkeys, tree shrews and pigeons at a distance. Most importantly, I love the symphony of sounds when the breeze kicks in. Very pleasing to the ear.
Great info! This is my second year with electric fencing from Premier 1 products, a company in Washington, Iowa. I have the deer resistant semi-permanent fence, and nothing has penetrated it that is ground based. My sweet corn is fruiting now and the real test will be with the raccoons. Deer have not attempted to jump, no possums, cats, ground hogs, squirrels, rabbits, turkeys. The bug eating birds like to hang out on it and I have noticed way less insect pests, even the pesky Japanese beetle. I see the Kingbird, Wrens, Bluebirds & flycatchers hanging out. Great product and the first time a low cost solution has made me think the garden is mostly protected. Thanks Mark for the great tips!
Great to hear first-hand Kim that this method is working well! Thanks for sharing your experience, cheers :)
Maybe you can harvest the turkeys as well as the veggies :)
Or maybe trap and relocate...to your dining table!
Plastic bags tied in a tree or amongst your crop work, because not only does it move randomly in the wind, it also makes a rustling noise, which seem to make most animals nervous. My grandmother used to tie these in her fig tree to keep away sparrows, so I tried it amongst my tomatoes to keep away rats at night, and it worked (they did not eat any of the tomatoes on the plant it was tied to, or the one next to it).
The possums (American) and foxes that come around might occasionally eat a few chicks, but are completely uninterested in my veggies. It's my own chickens that I have to protect my raised beds as they will scratch up my plants. Each bed is fully fenced and covered on top!
Great tips!
I also used cattle panel (basic wire fencing) directly as a cover on my raised beds as I used to have a major feral cat problem. Nothing wanted to dig there anymore, and think it would work with the bush turkeys too. Only catch: must be on before planting anything bigger than seedlings, so they can grow up through the wire fence panel.
I love it
Cattle panels wouldn't stop feral deer or pigs or native wombats & holes are too big to stop snakes or rats. Possums would climb the panels so could still eat fruit or urinate on produce. Floppy wire best for possums as they prefer a strong structure to climb on. I have removed all fruit trees from my garden due to possums & insect pests except a lemon tree.
Where did you find cattle panels? Are you in Australia as I definitely need to buy some
Yes, I have used this method also, and it works well - thanks for sharing. Cheers :)
@@debbi945 I am in the US, but bought it at a basic hardware store.
Chocolate Pudding fruit, so excited to see that one. I don't have garden space, but I sure enjoy your content. My brother uses children's pinwheels interspersed through the garden to help keep the rabbits out and they're cheap and fun to spot among the flowers and veggies.
sounds like a good excuse to buy pinwheels.
I'm gonna add pinwheels!
Do small birds get used to that? I put scallions around the perimeter to keep bunnies out. The birds eat my snails and slugs and bugs.
@@smas3256 good question. I create lizard habitat all around my raised hugelkultur beds. They eat the insects, but I get good pollination. I use Christmas jingle bells to deter black bear and mule deer, they don't seem to bother lizards or birds. My lizards have lots of hidey holes to escape birds. I hope pinwheels deter squirrels.
I use pinwheels around my garden. Keeps out the deer, raccoons and squirrels.
Thank you for the information! We've been having racoon problems here in Pennsylvania. Also those bush turkeys and feral pigs look delicious just saying
Alas, bush turkeys are not delicious, many have tried apparently. Also it's illegal to eat feral pigs in Australia because they carry brucellosis which can be deadly, people shoot them purely for fun.
@@taviag4302 ugh that is disapointing!
Try firecrackers when you catch them
We're saving the silver bags that from wine and water casks, to hang in the fruit trees. Thanks for your content, we've just bought an acre property and it's a blank canvas. Starting an edible garden from scratch, cockatoos and galahs are a big problem here.
Another pest which I've discovered is Earwigs, I've had to jump on that, as they were destroying the young nectarine tree.
We were having a problem with critters in our backyard gardens here in Toronto; rabbits, squirrels, and deer that were devastating our garden and plants. My wife put up bird feeders and suet stations well away from the veggie gardens that attracted a wide variety of birds. These soon attracted a family of brown hawks, falcons and even Great Horned Owls that in turn prey upon these foraging critters. Motion detectors pick up deer intrusion and the bright lights scare them off. Since then, our vegetable garden is doing well. Nature taking care of nature!
Thanks for the videos, Mark. We really enjoy them and for the time you have taken to relate your experiences and well earned wisdom! From Canada where we are in our summer, but heading into the Fall season (absolutely beautiful) and eventually into a long, cold Winter. Cheers, mate, as I raise a frosty cold Canadian beer to you!
Thanks for sharing your veggie garden success story Norman! It sounds beautiful where you are, and I know that you can't grow anything outdoors during your winter, but I imagine it's picturesque... Cheers :)
May also consider a Shishi-odoshi. Its a very low tech solution used in Japanese water features that scares off deer and other critters. Its the wooden tube or bamboo that fills up with water until it tips over to empty , slamming down with a bonk. Exact designs can vary.
Great video! Loved your jumping up to SCARE us for number 5!!! Got me! After planting my cucumbers, a second time, after either birds or squirrels destroyed my first set of seedlings, I placed window screen over the plantings and voila did the trick so they could grow to a size where they were not longer bothered by critters.
I do this too. Even over seeds for a week or two so they can get a footing. You just check it daily and remove the screens after the seedlings have settled in and grown a bit.
Thank you so much for sharing your discoveries upon the gardening journey! I find it truly fascinating and helpful!🥰💕
Thank you Rebeccah! :)
i love how you said there's usually enough for your family and the animals as well
Having a water pistol or sprayer is handy to deter the neighbour's cat from pooping in your (raised) bed. Also sharp and pointy twigs/branches can deter them (and looks more natural). Who likes a stick up their bum? Chicken wire laid on the surface stops digging and I was pleased that my garlic grew through it, but then it was a bugger in the end to extract the garlic from underneath it.
I saw a gardener's video in the US who plants flowers and bushes, etc, that naturally repel certain animals. Lavender, for example, repels deer (& perhaps other animals). I've seen lists and photos of other plants that can help you repel other pests away from fruits & vegetables you're trying to grow!
Squirrels have been eating my tomatoes and I needed this today
Same!! Every year I’m at war with the little terrorists. The red squirrels are particularly clever and territorial. Godspeed, my friend! 👍
I covered my kale this year with mosquito netting and it was effective until a harlequin bug found a small hole. Had to eradicate with dust, but better than treating it all summer like the uncovered brassicas. They have been mostly decimated by cabbage white butterfly, harlequin bugs, and aphids. I put up a Japanese beetle trap and it has been very effective! Only a couple on the plants.
I found that Japanese beetles like the large marigolds better than anything else in the garden. Another way of dealing with them...
My Japanese Beetles mostly stay on my raspberry bushes but putting all the brassicas under a row cover really helped keep the bok choy from getting peppered with holes from flea beetles and chewed to smithereens by cabbage worms!
@@bunhelsingslegacy3549 JBs not much of a problem this year. Too dry, I guess. However, something's taking down my Swiss chard. How do you ID which bug is doing the damage?
Grasshoppers eat holes in my netting, allowing other flying pests through if they find the holes. Fortunately, no cabbage moths have found their way in, except for one. But I did not find any eggs, so perhaps it was looking for a mate. 😵💫
@@groussac I had a problem with gold finches eating my Swiss chard. Last year I surrounded the row with chicken wire. I literarily saw them climbing through the chicken wire and eat the leaves. This year I planted my Swiss chard in large pots and put half inch hardware cloth around and on top of the plants. They can still peck at the leaves growing up against the hardware cloth but I cut the pecked leaves off and harvest the rest.
My garden borders 5 acres of tress full of ground squirrels, birds and forest animals. I have a 6 foot chicken wire fence around it. The squirrels are the biggest pest and dig holes in my raised beds and take a bite out of a strawberry, ground cherry or cherry tomato. I was using bird netting this summer and had to save one bird and 2 lizards. I had to cut several pieces off the lizards. I won't use bird netting again. I purchased more mesh bags and have individually place around a branch of raspberries, strawberries, and juicy tomatoes. I am actually getting a harvest. And now that black berries are ripening, they aren't going after my raspberries. Great video Mark! Cheers from Southern Oregon! Big fan!
Hi Mark For a few years I have enjoyed your videos, and now I would like to tell you, what I use to keep birds and rabbits out of my garden and cherry trees. I use old CD's and DVD'S that I don't like anymore. I use fishing line, to tie the CD to and hang them, some in the tree, and others from the house gutters. When the sun hits the CD it sends a flash of light across the area, and It scares them and they move away! It has worked the last two years. Now I get cherries, blue berry, carrots and lettuce! I hope someone can use this tip, to keep the birds and rabbits away. Keep up the great videos!!
Hi, iam from South Australia. Last year I planted a successful crop of sweetcorn for the first time. But the day before I was going to harvest the corn, my entire crop was destroyed n eaten by roos at night. I witnessed it on my security cameras. I didn't realise how much damage until morning. I was devastated. I had a barrier but failed
Great content every time! I put your videos on repeat and listen while I’m out gardening. So zen!
Thanks Christine! :)
In my area most four legged pests that like my veggies suffer from a lead deficiency. Once they receive lead the problem seems to be solved.
Lol
Thank you for the well knowledge, you’ve given me great inspiration and confidence to start my garden Channel and spread this passion of self sufficient gardening. Thank you again
channel
And thank you also - all the best with your gardening channel! Cheers :)
Down here in Tassie the wallabies absolutely destroy the vege gardens.....no patch of spinach, carrot or beetroot is safe from the tenacious little hoppers haha. I've had to install some pretty impressive fencing enclosures around my medicinal and culinary herb gardens just to save a few leaves each year haha!
Over here its netting for fruit trees, traps for voles (the ones with the acoustic bang…), ladybugs and darwin wasps for aphids and cabbage flies, sugar and yeast for ants in the house, and proper fences for anything else.
I put sections of chain link fence flat on the ground to keep critters from digging. It's expensive to buy new, so I shop hard for used stuff and odds/ends from fencing companies. I prefer a width of 4 feet, as it's a lot easier to deploy when I'm working alone. I cut pieces 5 feet long for large areas and two feet long for small areas or irregular ground.
Skirts around the base of boundaries and in areas where digging occurs are very effective - thanks for sharing! :)
Thank you
This year the most effective was bird net “bunting” around the rim of my raised beds. It has kept the squirrels out, who were doing the most damage with their digging. Love these videos, keep them coming!
Can you provide more detail on your bunting design/process? Thank you
Yes, please do.
Scallions.
I agree with you on living with most wildlife. I have wild rabbits in my yard and I found one weed they love more than my veggies. Other bushes they help trim. I cage all new bushes while small to protect the plants. Once they grow some the rabbits don't destroy them. I do have some birds digging out my garden pots and I haven't had success with yet.
Good advice, thank you. Earlier this summer, I had chipmunks eating the first leaves on my hostas. Quick search on the internet, and I found a recipe for liquid detergent mixed with water and tabasco sauce. I sprayed both sides of every leaf and repeated after every heavy rain fall for about a month. After that, I had only a couple of leaves chewed off then it stopped completely. Inexpensove and expensive.
Turkey legs make a great addition to any meal! A pellet gun is almost silent...
I come from America. We love turkey for dinner, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Thanks for the great tips. I am way over in North Carolina. My main problems have been deer and woodchucks. The woodchucks can find their way through most types of fencing if you are not careful. I have been using wooden raised beds for 20 years, but thanks to you am switching to the Birdies beds. With my wooden beds (~50cm high) cats used to hop up into them to sharpen their claws on the tops of the boards until I put in fencing.
My issue here in Virginia is deer! I have learned that a particular deer family like to bed down just to the east of my garden in the side yard. There's two steep hills on the back corner of our lot so they have felt safe here for awhile. I've gone out and scared them off in the evening with flashlights and I got a orbit water sprayer too. I tried the invisible fence ( fishing line) that that worked for a bit but my sweet potato plants keep getting eaten. I need a permit to build a permanent fence so I'm trying to decide what I want to do for next year. I'm hoping that once the fawns grow up they will learn to avoid our lot.
I mean you “could” get a pew-pew and harvest one, I know you’re a hippy but it might be the only way to avoid them associating humans with safety.
Ofcourse if you don’t feel comfortable eating it it would make great fertiliser, and obviously if you’re against that kinda thing altogether disregard this entire comment
Edit: I wrote this before watching the video
Not sure how big the area is you want to protect but my parents have an 8x12 foot plot for a garden and they put up 6 foot chicken wire fence. Drove 2x4s in the corners and stapled it to them. It’s worked so far. They do still eat anything that grows outside the fence though.
@@dylanzrim3635 Well my handle on here is more for by business. We eat venison all the time and we are extremely grateful for it. Nothing better than a double Bambi with cheese, tacos or a pressure cooked neck roast 😋. We source local and diverse, trying to cut out as much factory farming as we can. Now being in town we have to be careful as there is not really a safe place to drop one of we miss. Although I'm not apposed to opening my bedroom window and dropping one at very close range.
@@Gardeningchristine I've got 6 4x8 raised beds ( high side like Mark's) with probably 3 feet in between each pair. 2 rows of 3. I've got a big forsythia bush at one end , a steep hill on the back side ( that I can't walk but the deer have no problem) and an open ish area in the back corner. I'm planning to add more beds in the future. I just need to figure out where I want them since we have large in ground rocks over there too. I'd like to combine a fence with a flower boarder since the marigolds have tried to take over the raised beds.
I strongly recommend having a look at 3D fencing. It stopped them cold at my place when my garden was the only green spot during a long drought.
bush turkeys are a pain , I live in suburbia and was surprised to see one demolish my compost mound . spread it over half my yard and ate up all my worms. a few hours of spraying him with the hose whenever he tried to come back to finish the deed worked and he hasnt come back since. first one I have seen anywhere near me that wasnt bushland. My son has lots of them where he lives , he has no garden for this reason.
kangaroos got into my broccoli bed about 3 days before harvest. chomped them down to stubs. had beets in there too but they didn't touch them. Love the vids mate, keeping me inspired
Years ago, I did have a wild wallaby eat a BBQ shape biscuit right out of my hand, so I guess they might be tempted to try other things, but the majority eat grass, as we know, and raised beds definitely help. All the best! :)
Same thing happened to me although I harvest broccoli continually so it's never huge. Lived here just over 3 years and this is first time they've eaten my vegies. I've now put those toddler fences all around my broccoli and it's starting to resprout a bit. Should be flourishing by mid Spring.
Thank you, very helpful
I had a problem with rats eating my pumpkins. I was told to try metal screenings. I had 15 pumpkins left and bought 2 rolls , cut them to accommodate the growing pumpkin, and held it in place by pegs. I only lost one after that
I just wrapped my raised beds in netting. I still have a few tomato plants that are exposed because I ran out. But, I am harvesting tomatoes again. I saw that the raccoons tried biting into my peppers. Guess they didn't like that. LOL.
Here in northern California we grow enough for ourselves plus deer,bears and other pest .good video mark
One thing I'll mention with regards to fencing: Deer at least in my area will respond to fencing even if it's not fully surrounding the garden nor too high for them to jump it. Like the raised beds, the extra effort to jump over it that would be necessary if they needed to escape a predator is enough to deter them a lot of the time.
I would love to have a property like yours. Being able to grow my own vegies and fruit is a big dream of mine. I hope to one day follow in your footsteps. Thanks for the vid!
Brilliant Mark! Apparently Teddy Bears deter Bush Turkeys.. Enjoy that Black Sapote, it's a life-changing fruit! Make sure it is super soft and gross looking on the outside until you cut it open!
Ugh, we got chickens last year and they have developed a nasty habit of getting up into my raised garden bed and scratching everything up. I thought they were just targetting the ones near the chicken coop so I thought I'd let them turn it over and fertilise it, I haven't had the time to spend in the garden lately so it seemed a fair compromise. Well... they got into my garlic, first time ever growing it and it was just starting to look amazing 😢 Well I got a bunch of twigs and stuck them up amongst the garlic. So far seems to be doing the job. Also I found a bamboo stake is great for both whacking garden beds and whooshing them above their heads to scare them off, rather cathartic too. They are so very lucky I love their free range eggs so much 😡
oh yeah and there is a flock of doves that hang around to steal the chook feed, while they wait I found them pecking my pea shoots. Doves like salad greens, who knew! Now I know what happened to my cauliflowers. Haven't touched the leeks at least.
I deal with mostly squirrels and rabbits. Started putting water out for them last year which made a big difference. This year I'm redoing my fence because the baby rabbits where small enough to fit through the wire mesh. Watched a rabbit jump up about a foot (30cm) and though a 2" X 4" (5cm X 10cm) hole. Adding chicken wire all the way around the garden this year.
I absolutely love seeing the native Australian wildlife. Especially loved seeing the lorikeets!
I see your challenges during all seasons but as a grower in N.A. zone 7b I think I would really enjoy the challenges you face. Good on you for what you do.
I had an old horse (over 25 years) she use to test the electric fence with her eye. She would get her eye right up close to the line 👁 I have no idea how that works lol but she did know when it was off. 🤷♀ She'd lean over the line pushing on it to reach into the garden or pick fruit off trees lol
#1 Favorite Deterrent: Squirrel Sauce.
There are a few brands, but it's effectively ultra-hot sauce. People usually mix it into wild bird food to discourage squirrels, but it is also effective at keeping mammals off of garden veggies. You just have to make sure to wash any produce that you harvest before eating it yourself.
We have 2 Scare crow motion detectors. A Blue Heron visits our goldfish pond. It dropped one fish in the dirt as it was getting sprayed. We were able to revive it. The year before it swallowed down Big Mama.
We have rabbits, squirrels, field mice & crows mostly to protect against. I'm going to try and grow some veggies in a greenhouse as I know the critters cause lots of trouble to everything (even grass) that neighbors try to grow in our area. Thanks for all the great ideas!
I save my aluminum pie pans from store pie shells to use in my garden. After the pie has been ate, I wash it, then poke a hole in it just below the side, tie a strong string to it loosely on a pole in my garden. You want it to be able to swing around and hit the pole to make noise. I had several all around the entire garden hanging on poles. When the wind blows the pan hit up against the pole and makes a clanging noise, it’s shiny and reflects light that scares off animals. The more pans hanging off poles the better. When the wind pulls hard and splits the pan I did lose some during heavy storms with high wind. I didn’t replace them during the summer, so sad to say the deer for the first time in over 22 years of gardening came in and ate my sunflowers and the little bit of corn I planted. I learned a lesson this year. I’ll make sure to replace any lost pie pans during the entire growing season, because they are very effective from keeping animals out of it. The aluminum pie pans are way cheaper than an expensive sound system or even the flying birds. If you don’t have pie pans, they are usually cheap at a dollar store or ask a friend to save them for you. Some people hang a bunch of tin cans together on strings to make noise, but I found aluminum pie pans work best. Thank you for sharing all your tips in gardening!
Fantastic idea, I'll give it a try.
I spread heavy duty commercial bird netting over my plantings. we don't have bush Turkeys in NZ but we do have neighbours hens
Irish Spring bar soap can be put around the garden to repel certain rodent types, possibly deer. It has a mint odor. It can be put in nylon bags, whole or chopped up, and hung around the garden to repel various critters. I use it in my basement prep storage room to repel spiders (no mice issue). Another repellent is cayenne pepper spray. I like it because it supposedly does not impact birds who frequent my garden to eat the bugs. But the critters... they no likey cayenne.
I really love watching your videos!
Glad I found your new channel, I've kinda been wondering why I haven't seen any new videos of yours. Gives me something to binge watch now so I can get caught up.
I've had a bat tangled in a cheap e bay net with large 20mm holes that I put over my orange tree. Had to call the professionals in to untangle and remove the bat as it was screaming in the middle of the night. Not something I ever want to go through again. If you're going to net a tree, pay a bit extra and get proper netting not the cheap stuff. It also has the added benefit of being a LOT easier to put on and take off.
Fantastic! We've been blessed to not have any pest issues other than a few naughty insects. A couple of rabbits have lurked around lately and we chased them off with one of our little doggies, and they haven't done anything. These are all awesome tips that will definitely be put to use if needed! We love your channel! Your garden and orchards are amazing! You always have fantastic tips!
Been eagerly waiting for your next video Mark and wasn’t disappointed. Love your compassion, consideration and tolerance for wildlife ( as we all should do ). Thank you for my enjoyable chill time, best wishes from Britain 👍🇬🇧🇦🇺
We use old wine casks from the neighbour and have a bird feeder which we add seed and some fruits to. So far it's working a treat as we now have almost enough chilli's to make our own sweet chilli sauce and that's from one harvest off one bush. If not for the wine cast, it would have taken a year to get enough. Turns out birds like a little spice, who knew. We also use old and nasty beer as a fruit fly trap. Thankfully working as a motel cleaner, I get quite a few free but nasty beers so the traps are cost effective too. Our peas, tomatoes, capsicums and sunflowers (for bird seed) are grown in an old aviary. It has a 2 fold effect, keeps the birds away and provides a trellis.
I use tulle bags on things like ripening figs and tomatoes. They have a draw string and are sold on amazon.
IN the U.S. we, especially in the southern parts have issues with White Tail Deer! They wreak havoc on ornamental plants, flower gardens and vegetable gardens. One of the ways we have used to deter the deer from grazing in our flower beds and vegetable gardens is human hair. get yourself a sack from your local barber who is usually more than happy to oblige, put a handful in a stocking and hang them around your plants and the deer stay away!
Bush turkeys look tasty. Assume they taste "like chicken?" In Wisconsin, we would pair the bush turkey with locally grown corn and a tomato/basil salad. "relocate" him to the BBQ!
Back in 30s, 40s 50s the bush turkeys graced many country living people's Sunday lunch table.
Did for my grandparents.
In 60's when they started to invade civilization and chemicals became into intense use.
My father stopped taking us on turkey shoots at 5am.
As the flavors and textures changed.
Today, wouldn't use one even for garden compost as toxic overload due to immense chemical usage.
Relocated one once and started following me home.
Also as with all nature..another fills the space.
We've had a pair of Broad Wing Hawks nearby for 30 years. Last year for the first time, one of the Fledglings hung around until it got 3 of our chickens. We had to spread netting to prevent air raids! Ironically, one of the chickens, Houdini gets into our veg garden once in a while and makes a mess. Still haven't figured out how.
A couple of motion activated sprinklers have solved my possum problem. At least for the veggie patch. They still go to other parts of the yard. Just not the main patch.
I don't have a brush turkey solution, they are diurnal - but so am I and my dog... so the sprinklers are off.
I learned this in electrical theory class. "Electrocution" is DEATH by electricity. Ever since then it really bothers me to hear it used wrong. So "electric shock" is the right terminology for what an electric fence does.
Shiney Iridescent Sparkly 'Pinwheels' 'Spinners' is working well for me this year.
I got some of your fruit bags and they saved 3 apples on a young tree from squirrels! They tore up the bag but we got 3 apples!!! Kujos to you!
I have a very small vege patch in a very small garden, but we live across the road from a bush land park, & we think a possum / some critter, was feeding on our patch ,which is close to trees. So my Husband put up a spotlight with movement sensor, we’ve had no trouble since! 😄👏💕😍Qld follower 🇦🇺
Roos definitely eat apple fruit... that has been my personal experience and not something I read or heard about and, yes, I have actually seen them do it. I have one solitary apple tree and the bloody roos pilfer from it and they sometimes even eat the bad fruits I toss into the compost. Their muddy paw prints are on my shed door (they got into the rubbish shed sometimes until I put up a simple door to stop them) and their droppings are around the fruit trees (apple and plums), the shed, the water tank and just generally around the yard. I don't know what other kinds of fruit they may try but they might attempt to eat from your apple tree if you have one.
Heard of an acquaintance using big mirrors to deter bush turkeys from garden beds. Haven’t tried it myself yet.
I had good luck with bagging fruits like you did & the shiny tape worked well also.
Great tips/ideas for keeping those unwanted visitors out of the garden. We have a issue with deer and rabbits.
Thanks for sharing your experience ❤️
For deterring hawks from my chickens 🐔 I use the pinwheels that I get from the Dollar &1/4 Tree 🌳. Should also work for the garden to. Can't say for sure but seems to help protect them.
But these do nothing to deter 🐕 dogs that come in and attack my chickens. (Usually neighbors dogs).
You are so knowledgable!! Thanks for the tips. I always wondered how you protect your garden from possums and bush turkeys. Now I know
If you got a big spindle full of sold writable CDs you no longer use, they perform the same role as sparkly tape really nicely
Thanks for the tips. This year, I lost my whole garden, to squirrels and chipmunks. The digging damaged the peas, onion, potatoes...etc.
The struggle is real
A video just came out from The Weedy Gardener in Australia about bush turkeys, and Geoff Lawton gave him his protection trick of the trade, teddy bear stuffies. He did a video time-lapse of the area and the bush turkey came up, saw the teddy, and left. Interesting idea. Now I am thinking teddy statues with the owl statues, the nomes, the lions and buddha. What a delightful garden that would be.
I heard pepper keeps cats from digging..i bought a big bag and im going to try it..it also helps veges fight various fungus and disease..veges even absorb it apparently and makes them resistant ill let you know how it goes
I'm from Shropshire England UK 🇬🇧 and love watching your videos
Hey mark, that strawberry farm is beautiful, went there last week and my mum was wondering what that flying bird was.
Aloha. I live on island of Oahu, Hawaii. I really enjoy seeing your videos growing in tropical area and sometimes dealing with rainy weather. We have only a small yard around the house and only recently started yard work since retirement. I hope to one day have a small productive garden with your information and inspiration. Take care.
G'day Millie, all the best with your garden in retirement! Cheers :)
Best of luck with your gardening & retirement! Our youngest and sil & grand just got transferred to Oahu! She was born there! (Military)
Great stuff. I have issues with moles.
Hi love your show. I live in bronte Sydney. I had a rat and possum problem on our balcony garden and I used solar powered Xmas flashing light to scare them away. It has seemed to work. And everyday it's Xmas Yay 😊
Ive been having big rat problems with my tomatoes but also with all of my tree fruits and my melons. Ive tried rat traps from the exterminator, coyote pee, mint spray, putting cola out since apparently they drink it then they cant fart or burp and die, having a noise making machine (ultrasonic and sonic siren noises and hawk noises), and most recently putting out buckets of water with peanut butter. Ive finally been catching some with the buckets, hopefully I can get rid of them. This season they've eaten probably like 15 plums (we only had a couple for ourselves), all of the nectarines, dozens and dozens of large tomatoes, and 2 canteloupes. Its been quite bad.
Same rat 🐀 problem here in South AL.
Just found these two recipes recently and going to try the baking soda this weekend.
Rats can't digest baking soda.
Good luck to you!
Mix one part boric acid with two parts peanut butter and shape into pea-sized balls. Leave out for the rats to ingest overnight and in a few days your rat problem will (hopefully) be gone. Just be aware that boric acid is poisonous to all animals, including humans!Dec 29, 2016
~
Combine 1 cup of flour or cornmeal with 1 cup of sugar or powdered chocolate mix. Add 1 cup of baking soda and blend the mixture very well. The sugar or chocolate will attract the rats, and the baking soda will soon kill them after they've consumed it.Apr 21, 2022
I am having a chipmunk problem this year. The little suckers have decided my tomatoes are the thing to eat. I swear they have gotten more tomatoes than I have this year! They can get through any fence and have no problem getting in my raised beds. They even climb up the inside of the Greenstalks to eat the strawberries. I have tried the sprays that are suppsed to repel rodents, didn't work. I don't want to kill them but I am at my wits end, picking everything green to ripen inside so I get a harvest but I am out of room.
The best thing for getting rid of the chipmunks and mice that had taken over the old house I bought is a cat. He keeps up the job of maintenance now and is keeping birds out of the vineyard. It’s a bit of a risk as I’ve had to rescue wild turkey chicks and snakes from him, but he definitely earns his keep on the farm
If you have a sporting goods store, you can buy coyote/fox urine and scent swatches pretty cheaply, I had an issue with squirrels until I bought some fox urine and set out lures near the tomatoes. It's not foolproof but the scent lasts for a while and it does help quite a lot
I live in Central part of the U.S. I enjoy watching your videos Mark and the info is very useful even though we are several thousand miles apart
Thanks Michael! Cheers mate :)
Between squirrels and the neighbor's chickens I feel like my garden is in a constant pitched battle lol
Haha, I let my friend's chickens into the garden once in the hopes that they'd eat some of the bugs that were plentiful at the time.... they were rapidly shooed back out when one decided she had to peck every ripe tomato exactly once!
I've got an issue with two crows. Last year it was the corn. So far at the start of spring they are all over one of my tomatoes. I'm going to net it as I'm not sure what else to do. The other birds keep them in check most of the time.
I live in the Mountains of Arizona. Oddly, in spite of differences in climate and rainfall, a lot of your advice works well for me. My biggest suggestion: install a dog door. An intelligent medium to large dog is the best deterrent for most of our local wildlife. We have javelinas (South American cousins to the wild pig), coyotes, possums, raccoons, the odd puma, and of course hungry deer. My dogs (both standard poodle crosses) are big and evidently pretty scary. A Prarie dog showed up one day. Both of the dogs had a great time chasing it off. Never saw another one - evidently, he warned all his buddies. I've heard that herding breeds are best for this, but my big boys are a Goldendoodle (golden retriever and poodle cross) and a Borderdoodle (Border collie and standard poodle cross) and they both do sterling work!
that turkey is determined to get "invited" to Thanksgiving dinner