Does every little furry and feathered creature scurry to your garden patch to eat? That’s great, if that’s what you planted the garden for. If not, here are humane ways to keep them away.

Fencing: If you have rabbits or skunks, encircle the garden with an 18" high wire fence. Bury your fence about 8" below ground as well to deter them from digging beneath. For gophers and squirrels - who like to burrow and eat the roots of vegetables (although ground squirrels will eat just about anything) - bury your fence about a foot below the surface. You’ll also need to bury chicken wire under all the beds and around trees and shrubs. For deer, install fencing at least seven feet high, since they supposedly cannot jump any higher than this unless they have an uphill advantage.

Scarecrows: Owl or snake scarecrows tend to work only temporarily, since animals ultimately catch on when the scarecrow doesn’t move.

Netting: You can drape netting over your garden until the plants are fairly large, well-established, and can handle the occasional nibble from mammals. Some netting can injure birds who get tangled in it, so make sure your deterrents won’t harm other creatures. For example, if you kill insects with poison, you may also kill the butterflies and birds who eat the insects.

Plants: You can also plant vegetation that you know certain animals will not like to eat. Lavender and sage tend to keep squirrels away. And deer don’t care for such plants as calendulas, irises, lavender, basil, marigolds, and fleabane. Check gardening books or call your local extension office for a specific listing of plants that thrive in your area.

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