Many of us enjoy looking out our windows and seeing birds at a feeder or pretty butterflies flitting over the flower garden. But if you’ve ever had a deer eat your plants, a skunk camp out on your back patio, or moles dig up your lawn then you know that not all wildlife is good to have in your yard.
In Texas, common wild animals that cause problems in yards include mice, rats, moles, voles, rabbits, opossums, skunks, raccoons, deer, crows, and a variety of insect pests. These animals might eat garden plants, dig up the lawn, break into garbage cans, or take up residence under your home or in an outbuilding.
The good news is, there are ways to prevent or minimize the damage that wild animals can do in your yard. In this article, we’ll look at several tips you can use to keep wild animals from damaging your yard without hurting animals (including pets) or discouraging animals that you might want to have in your yard.
Fence or Put-Up Barriers
One of the most straightforward ways to keep wild animals out of your yard is by using fences or other barriers. Fences have the added advantage of keeping your pets in the yard if you have pets. Plus, they don’t prevent beneficial birds or insects from accessing your yard.
Fences should be at least three feet tall for animals like rabbits, and at least 8 feet tall if you need to keep out deer. If you’re trying to keep out burrowing animals, the fence should extend at least a foot underground.
You can also use smaller barriers to protect specific parts of the yard. For example, plant covers, netting, or chicken wire can effectively protect plants. Exactly how you set up the barrier depends on the type of plant you’re protecting and the animal you want to protect it from. For example, to protect flowering bulbs from digging animals, you can plant them under a layer of chicken wire. To protect fruit bushes from birds, you can build a frame over the bushes and drape netting over them.
Garden With Plants that Animals Don’t Like
If you have deer in the area or other animals that eat garden plants, one way to keep them from eating your garden is to plant things they don’t like. No plant is 100% deer-proof, but they are less likely to damage plants with strong scents or with foliage that is prickly, sharp, fuzzy, milky, or sappy.
You can also use plants to discourage animals from coming into your yard and digging up the lawn. Most animals don’t like plants with strong scents, and if you plant these types of plants in the yard they can act as natural deterrents. Fortunately, in many cases, plants that animals don’t like are herbs that smell pleasant to humans or edible plants that you could use in cooking. Plants in this category include lavender, yarrow, rosemary, lemongrass, basil, peppermint, onions, and garlic.
Use Repellents
Repellents are another thing that you can try to keep animals from damaging your yard. There are many different repellents available, and a lot of them are all-natural and won’t harm either your yard or the animals. Sprinkling cayenne pepper around the yard is one easy, natural repellent. You can also purchase commercially available repellents designed to keep animals away.
Before using repellent, make sure you read the instructions and warnings carefully. Make sure that the repellent is designed to work on the type of animals that you want to keep out of the yard. Also, if you have pets, make sure that the repellent isn’t going to scare or irritate them. Always read and follow label directions.
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Secure Garbage and Clean Up Food
Many types of animals, including mice and raccoons, are attracted to food. Make sure that outdoor garbage containers are secure and animal-proof. You’ll also want to cover your compost if you are composting in your yard.
If you eat outdoors, make sure you clean up any leftovers or spilled food promptly. This also holds true for pet food. If you feed pets outside, make sure not to leave leftover food outside overnight. Even bird feeders can attract pests when the seed falls on the ground. If your birdfeeders start attracting unwanted wildlife, you can bring the feeders in at night.
Sealing Your Home
Another common problem with wild animals in Texas is when they move into your home or outbuildings looking for shelter. Mice, snakes, and raccoons are common pest animals that do this.
One of the best ways to keep animals from making a home in your house or outbuildings is to keep the yard clean. However, if you’re finding evidence of animals in or under your house, it’s best to get your foundation checked by a professional for any cracks.
Clean Up the Yard
A good way to prevent critters from hanging out in your yard is to keep the yard clean. That means quickly clearing out any brush piles and other yard waste and trimming any overgrown parts of the yard. If there’s nowhere for wild animals to hide in the yard, they’re less likely to stick around to damage the lawn and landscaping. This is also a strategy that helps prevent wild animals from trying to move into sheds, garages, or your home.
A string-line trimmer will be a very useful tool for keeping grass around the edges of the yard and outbuildings from getting too tall. Other useful tools for yard cleanup include blowers, shredder/vacs, and sweeper attachments for multi-tools. Here at Richardson Saw, we carry top brands like Stihl, Echo, and Billy Goat to help you handle your outdoor cleanup needs.
