National Squirrel Appreciation Day (A.K.A. “I Appreciate You… From Over There”) 🐿️🪴

National Squirrel Appreciation Day is January 21, created to encourage learning about squirrels and their role in nature… even if they’ve personally declared war on our pots. 😅

So today, we’re doing this the container gardener way:

* Appreciate their athleticism and determination…

* while also politely declining their help with our soil, bulbs, and seedlings.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬 (𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥… 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲)

Containers are basically a squirrel playground because:

* loose potting mix = perfect digging material

* fresh soil smells interesting

* bulbs and seeds = snack treasure hunt

* mulch looks like a place to bury “future snacks”

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫’𝐬 “𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭” 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤

If you only do one thing, do a physical barrier. It’s the most reliable and the least “constant reapplying stuff.” Extension resources generally group deterrents into barriers, scare tactics, and repellents. Of these, barriers tend to be the most dependable for small areas like containers.

𝟏) 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐭 “𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞”

𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:

* Chicken wire / hardware cloth cut to fit the top of the pot (leave space for the plant stem)

* Decorative rocks or heavier mulch layers to reduce digging

𝐏𝐆𝐒 𝐭𝐢𝐩: For seed-started pots, cover just until plants are established, then remove or widen the opening.

𝟐) 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚 “𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭”

* Move pots temporarily to break the squirrel habit (they’re persistent once they pick a spot)

* Hang baskets / raise containers where possible (harder access)

𝟑) 𝐀𝐝𝐝 𝐚 “𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫” (𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬)

* Motion-activated sprinklers/lights can safely scare off nuisance wildlife

𝟒) 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 (𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐟𝐮𝐥… 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

* Commercial repellents can work, but they typically need reapplication (especially after rain)

* DIY “spicy” sprays are commonly suggested, but always test a small spot first and reapply regularly. (And keep anything spicy away from eyes/pets/kids.)

𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 (𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲)

Squirrels are clever, busy, and excellent at surviving winter, which is honestly… relatable. So we can appreciate the species while still setting firm boundaries with Steve who keeps digging up the lettuce pot.

𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: What “squirrel crime” do you deal with most?

A) Digging in pots like a tiny backhoe

B) Stealing bulbs/seeds

C) Taking one bite of everything (the audacity)

D) They leave me alone (how does it feel to be blessed?)

𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐬: What’s your most effective deterrent so far... wire cover, rocks, moving pots, sprinklers, repellent, or something else?

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