I've seen posts here and there, within the gardening part of the forum, about the harm that squirrels do to gardens, and I know that they can. But I have several Eastern Gray Squirrels here, yet I haven't seen any damage to our garden from them. Each year, we plant a garden, some thing from seeds, and others that have been started in the house, yet I haven't seen any indication that the squirrels are bothering any of it. Because we don't use insecticides, we have some losses from insects, particularly if I'm not paying close attention, but the squirrels seem to leave everything alone. Perhaps this is because I feed them. Maybe because there is always food out for the squirrels, they don't feel the need to work for it by digging in the garden. In fact, the few times that I've seen them digging in the garden, it has been to bury nuts that they have taken from the squirrel feeder, but that's in the fall after we've already harvested our crops. At one time, a few days ago, we counted twelve squirrels that we could see through one window, but that was because I had just put new food out for them. Only one eats at a time so it's kind of fun watching them chase one another around the trees and away from the bowl.
I'd say you're pretty lucky there, @Ken Anderson ! Lots of squirrels here, too, and we feed them as well... a lot. I saw one of them take off with a half ear of feeding corn in his mouth this afternoon... don't ask me how his mouth was big enough, but he hooked onto it somehow. When they're not stealing the ears whole, they "plant" the kernels all over the yard and the neighbors' yards as soon as the ground is thawed and corn stalks start coming up. And bulbs they take my tulip and daffodil bulbs and run across the street to "replant" them in my neighbor's yard. Maddening, those little rascals! I realize that's not destroying a garden, but I don't have a garden with veggies... just the flower bulbs. I have a feeling that if I'd have one, they'd find a way to ruin it for me. The problem here with garden destruction back when we *did* have a few veggies out, was due to rabbits and deer and not so much the squirrels.
Yes, they go for the bulbs, especially tulips. Most varieties of daffodils are too bitter for them, so they tend to survive the squirrels.
I feed the squirrels and birds. I have not seen much damage from the squirrels if any to the plants in the yard.
I wonder when I will see real squirrels on the loose. When my husband was in London, one of his first letters said something about the squirrels in the park, climbing trees and probably picking the fruits (or nuts). And there was that letter that he saw a dead squirrel on the road, probably ran over by a vehicle. There are no squirrels here although our tarsier monkeys in the island of Bohol is considered a tame squirrel. But that's a different story altogether. With real squirrels, I guess I just have to be content with the articles that I read and the posts here.
We have not actually had problems with the squirrels damaging the garden once it is up and growing, but they sure did dig up the seeds and eat those. This year, I am starting everything in the house, and then setting it out after it is growing. We are also feeding the squirrels more, although I am not entirely sure that this was a good idea or not. Before, we had a few squirrels ; but now that we are feeding them, I think they have notified all of their aunts and cousins, and the Whole Squirrel Family ! The birds have done that, too. For the last year or so, we had a cute pair of little mourning doves that would promenade through the yard and look for whatever goodies that I had set out for them. Now that we have the two bird feeders on the front deck, and the squirrel feeder on the cedar tree, we have at least 20 mourning doves that come in the yard and hunt for goodies . Of course, Bobby and I enjoy watching all of the birds and the squirrels ; so feeding them is a good thing.
We feed the birds and our ducks. The squirrels eat most of the bird food and the geese help themselves to the duck food. I've never had a problem with squirrels in the vegetable garden but they do like the tulip bulbs. My big problem with squirrels is the fruit trees. They will eat everything, not waiting until the fruit is fully ripe.
I think I shared my squirrel stories already but I don't recall if I shared how I prevented the squirrels from digging up the bulbs in my yard. It's really simple just cover the area with a screen until the sprout appears. Not the nylon type because they chew through it. I do container gardening as well and found squirrels digging very deep to the roots and destroyed my flowers. So I cut smaller pieces and lay them at the base and then cover it with moss that is used in artificial flower arrangements. I don't see small piles of soil around my containers any more. Yea!
Since I started this thread a couple of years ago, we have had a few bulb plants pop up in places other than where we had planted them. One that I had planted in the front yard flower garden turned up in the back yard vegetable garden, and a couple of others were replanted in another part of our front yard. I figure the squirrels must know what they're doing. I have also found that if I don't have food out for them on the fire escape now, they start slapping at the window. Entitlement in action, I suppose.
Haha... cute squirrels! I see a couple in my back yard but I have to chase them away before I let Pickles out...you should see how fast those little legs of his can run if he sees a squirrel or bird.
That's great @Ken Anderson I personally welcome any wildlife I see. Cute how they are arranging your garden for you!
We have mostly gray squirrels here. Although a pair of red squirrels show up every now and then, they are much smaller than the gray squirrels so I am guessing that they get run away from the feeder. While the two red squirrels seemed to have no problem being at the feeder at the same time, the gray squirrels never do that. One gray squirrel will run another off before approaching the feeder, and sometimes they spend all their time running one another off, and the blue jays fly away with all the peanuts. Anyhow, what I have noticed, with the gray squirrels, is that they seem to have a quota in the morning. When they first show up at the feeder, they will haul stuff away to stash away somewhere. Then, at some point, they seem to have met their quota, and they will eat their fill, usually in the area of the feeder. When there are nuts, they will pick a nut out of the feeder, carry it onto the railing, and then eat it while looking over the yard. The feeder is on a second-floor fire escape. Unlike the gray squirrels, the blue jays will work together. Usually in pairs, one of them will stand watch on the railing while the other grabs a peanut and flies sway. Then the one that had been standing watch will grab a peanut and fly away with it. Pigeons, on the other hand, are like cockroaches. Dozens of them will be at the feeder at the same time, often knocking it over. There are four pigeons that are usually together. When they come alone, I don't mind so much, because they don't make a mess. But they are usually then joined by uncountable numbers of others. Pigeons eat too much anyhow, so I usually chase them away. Unlike the blue jays or the squirrels, the pigeons will fly away when Ella (the cat) slaps the window from the inside. The blue jays, on the other hand, will look at her as if to say, "There's glass, you idiot. You can't touch me." The squirrels will come up to the window for a closer look, which drives Ella mad.
I thought I should amend my opening post because this is the first year that the cute little ingrates raided my garden. Although they leave behind the corn that is in the squirrel food that I feed them, they pulled up most of the corn in my garden, as well as a lot of the beans. Before this, the only damage they caused seemed to be from digging holes to bury nuts. I don't know for a fact that it was the squirrels because have other critters around as well, such as skunks and raccoons, but my money is on the squirrels.
We have lots of squirrels, brown bunnies and deer around our property. The squirrels and birds share the same feeder. I have found the Red Cardinals are kinda on the "bossy" side and run off the squirrels and little birds that are feeding. But when they get done, the little ones come right back! It does keep me busy making sure the feeders are full! Had to put a wind chime on a shepard's hook around my "Knock Out Roses" to keep the deer from stripping the bush every Spring!