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4 ways to keep pests out of the garden

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There are many pests that can cause real damage to your garden. Because they range from large mammals like deer and rabbits, insects like tomato worms and gastropods like slugs, there needs to be solutions that are tailored for each particular annoyance. These tips are designed to be used before moving onto the more lethal measures like poisons and neurotoxins and are especially helpful if you have pets and do not want them to be harmed by these poisons.

1. Coffee grounds

Coffee grounds keep the slugs and cats away and sometimes deer are also put off by the smell of the coffee. As an added benefit, they also add nitrogen to the soil and increase the acidity which will be beneficial for certain plants. Many coffee shops also give away their grounds so it is not a problem if you don’t drink coffee at home.

2. Copper

If the coffee grounds do not work for slugs, copper definitely will. Slugs and snails cannot stand copper and will keep away from pots that are rimmed with copper tape. Copper sheeting can also be used for plants that are planted into the ground with rings made around the plant keeping the snails and slugs away from the plants. Copper gardening mesh is also available for those with extensive gardens and a problem with slugs and snails.

3. Bloodmeal

Bloodmeal which comes from meat packing plants is dried and flaked blood that animals do not like the smell of. Rabbits and deer will keep far away from the smell of blood and not bother your garden. Use a lot of it to make sure that it works. Like coffee grounds, it also contains a lot of nitrogen and will help the plants.

4. Strong smells

This is an effective way to keep animals like deer away from your garden. Any strong smell like scented soap and cheap perfume will keep deer away. You can use stakes planted around the garden to hold the soap up and keep the animals away.

With these methods, there is less risk of fatalities to your own pets and also these means are more humane in that they keep the pests away but do not kill them. If they do not work, it is always possible to go to your local gardening store and pick up some poisons to stop the problems altogether.