Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
How to Deter Mice & Rats in the Garden
How to Deter Mice & Rats in the Garden. Rats and mice are a normal part of the local animal population in many areas, and homeowners must take precautions to keep their numbers under control. Gardens are particularly vulnerable to rats, since compost bins and many garden plants provide food and shelter for the animals. Make your garden as...
Rats and mice are a normal part of the local animal population in many areas, and homeowners must take precautions to keep their numbers under control. Gardens are particularly vulnerable to rats, since compost bins and many garden plants provide food and shelter for the animals. Make your garden as unappealing as possible to rodents to prevent them from eating your plants and potentially invading your house.
Things You'll Need
Pruning shears
Handsaw
Squirrel guard
Sheet metal
Elevated compost bin
Keep potential food off the ground. Do not spread birdseed or breadcrumbs near your garden, and remove garden fruits and nuts from the ground as soon as possible.
Cut back or remove blackberry bushes and overgrown shrubs, particularly ones near your house. Remove low branches from ornamental shrubs to provide less cover for rodents. Pull out ivy, jasmine, honeysuckle and other dense ground cover, particularly near your house where they can encourage rodents to enter.
Remove seeds or seedpods from bushes before they fall. Rats and mice feed on many types of nuts and seeds.
Install squirrel guards on any bird feeders in your garden or remove feeders entirely.
Plant fruit trees where they will not touch fences, other trees or wires, or prune them so they are no longer touching these objects. Cut off low branches that touch the ground.
Bend a 2-foot-wide piece of sheet metal around the base of each fruit tree to form a rat guard. Attach the ends with an adhesive such as epoxy, and push the rat guard slightly into the ground to make sure there is no space for rats to climb under it.
Place your compost in an elevated bin, at least 1 foot off of the ground. Stir your compost frequently and cover all food waste with dirt to avoid feeding rodents.
