Although we encourage a diverse range of animals in a garden designed for them, think of lizards, echidnas, wombats and some birds, sometimes others can be a pest. It is common for people to complain of wallabies, deer and rabbits eating up their vegetable crops and decorative gardens.

Below are some non-toxic ideas for each common pesky animal that may be turning your precious gardens into a buffet.

Rodents- Mice and rats can be a nightmare in your garden. They eat your veggies, leave their droppings everywhere, spread disease and are masters at hiding while multiplying at ridiculous speeds. If you notice any, you will want to get on top of them before the population gets out of control. You want something that won’t harm your plants or damage the environment, plus if you have pets, you want to keep them safe too.

Hold off on mulching until you have the problem under control, as rodents love to bury themselves in and make their nests inside.

Plant some mint, basil, echinacea, garlic and thyme. The smell is a natural deterrent for rodents, plus they make a great addition to any garden. Keep a few pots around the outside of your garden space and inside your greenhouse. Scattering dried mint around will also help, as will soaking cotton balls in peppermint oil, just refresh them every few weeks.

Ultrasonic repellents are a great option if you have access to power, or there are solar powered ones available too. The frequency is set specifically to rodents so the sound won’t be noticeable to you or your pets.

Birds- Birds are an important part of the ecosystem and we need to give them space to live, it just doesn't need to be our veggie patches. Birds aren’t as stupid as some people give them credit for. They know that the scarecrow that has been in the same position for weeks isn’t going to harm them. It’s the same for other ‘scaring’ devices such as pinwheels, ribbons and decoys etc. To keep them at bay, you need to switch things up regularly. Scarecrows need to be moved each week and clothing and accessories changed regularly too. Reflective cd’s need to be put out for a week or so then removed or moved for the same period of time before replacing a month later.

The best option is bird safe netting with holes under 1cm so they can’t get their beaks, head or legs stuck. Keeping it pulled taught is safer too. Invest in high-quality UV resistant netting and it will last for years. The cheaper stuff shreds and breaks and becomes a hazard and a waste of money very quickly.

Chicken wire laid flat over the ground can help protect newly sown seeds or tubers. As your plants grow you can raise it up to give them space.

Plastic decoys such as owls and snakes work pretty well as long as they are regularly moved around. Ones that move or make sounds are even more effective.

Birds aren’t fans of flashing lights so mirrors, cd’s and silver tape moving around can be very effective if moved around regularly. Wind chimes have a similar effect as they blow in the breeze, shiny metal ones are even better.

 

Possums- Possums are a protected species so be sure not to harm them. By making your garden less appealing you can help deter them. Possums love stripping the skins off of citrus fruits and eating almost every veggie in your gardens, so what are the best ways to deter them?

Possums use their sense of smell so are less likely to enter your garden if they feel vulnerable to attack from potential predators. Menthol rubs smeared on areas that have overhanging branches and structures that may encourage possums to enter your garden is a great idea. Your can protect surfaces by wrapping in cling film first.

Hanging moth balls in trees and in areas that possums frequent as well as stockings full of blood and bone will deter them too. Although the blood and bone may be a bit stinky for yourself and your neighbours.

Setting up a motion sensor light that will come on when the pesky possum goes near your fruit trees or having a garden owl ornament with motion sensor eyes that light up will help too.

Sonic emitters and clickers work as a deterrent, but aren’t good for dogs, whereas hanging a radio in your fruit trees and moving each night is good if you have a large enough yard that the noise won’t keep you awake.

Rolling fence tops prevent possums getting a grip and being able to climb over. Floppy, loose fences are great too. Running an extra length of chicken wire across the top of existing fences or around the outside of your beds and keeping it loose will make it difficult for them to climb.

 

Wallabies- Wallabies will eat almost anything, so most plants in your garden look pretty appetising to wallabies. The best way to keep them out is to build a fence. One that is 1-2m high made from wire mesh that goes around 30cm into the ground too will deter most wallabies. Wallabies will try to squeeze themselves underneath and can jump quite high, as well as squeeze themselves through fairly narrow gaps.

Wallaby proof plants surrounding your garden can be a great deterrent. They don’t like strong aromatic herbs like possums, or other aromatic or prickly plants. In the veggie garden they aren’t a fan of the brassica family as well as taro and arrowroot.

Other plants that are likely to survive foraging wallabies are native laurel, matted pea bush, Tasman flax lily, banksia, lomandra, callistemon, dianella, lepidosperma, melaleuca, ferns, prickly currant bush and grevillea.

 

Deer- The most effective way of keeping deer out of your gardens is to build a fence, at least 8 feet high. It should extend party underground and have no gaps wider than 15cm. Draping shrubs and small trees with bird netting can also help.

Deer easily scare so setting up some noise using whistles, wind chimes, noisemakers, radios and even electric wires that hum work great.

Although they won’t completely avoid them, deer are much less likely to nibble on the following trees: Cedar, false cypress, gingko, hawthorn, Japanese maple, magnolia, oak, palm trees and spruce.

Deer isn’t keen on the following shrubs: abelia, golden and heavenly bamboo, barberry, boxwood, butterfly bush, currant, daphne, holly, lilac, mahonia, mountain laurel, viburnum and yucca.

Lastly here are some perennials that deer don’t really like: Agave, aster, catmint, ferns, iris, lambs ears, lavender, mint, rosemary, salvia, thyme and verbena.

 

Cats- Although they won’t eat your crops, cats will dig and scratch your beds as well as spray to mark their territory. Giving them a squirt with a water pistol or a hose is a good idea if you have the time to keep vigil and there are also some motion sensing sprinklers that with send a three second pulsating spray of water on the market. There are a few different ultrasonic deterrents that are motion activated as well as some smelly sprays and granules.

Chicken wire laid flat over empty areas will stop them digging and using it as litter box and smelly things such as pepper, chilli flakes, lavender, citronella, blood and bone garlic and citrus sprays will deter them too.

Adding a taut string along the tops of fences or rolling tops prevents them climbing as does smearing Vaseline.

 

We hope that this guide helps to deter the animals that can quickly turn your garden into a buffet. Some times you may need to try more than one thing or to rotate through them all, but persistence is key.