How to Protect Your Garden From Pets This Spring
Pets and gardens don’t always get along well. If you have both, it’s important to keep them out of each other’s business so that everyone stays happy and healthy.
How to protect your garden from pets
This is easier said than done, of course. Dogs love to dig, and cats love to find new interesting places to poop, which for some reason always become your beds. But with some common sense and a little work, you can keep pets and other assorted critters out of your garden and out of trouble.This video from HomeAdvisor provides many great tips for protecting any garden from pets:
Take the wire mesh
You probably already know that wire mesh is great for keeping cats, dogs, and other small animals out of the garden – and that you should stick to pet- safe fertilizers and plants in case they outsmart the wire mesh – but plants are not just a potentially hazardous part of your garden to pets. Birds can transmit diseases such as Salmonella to you and your pets , so if you have a bird feeder it is important to clean it regularly and keep it away from pets (and children).
Add some baits
Keeping animals out of trouble requires near constant supervision, and bait can come in handy. We already know that giving pets a yes for every no is an effective way to change their behavior ; Marking the corner of your yard for unlimited digging (or a catnip buffet) should make your plants less interesting compared to them.
In general, you can avoid a lot of headaches by giving your pets a private, cozy spot next to the garden without being in the garden. This could be a kennel, a plot of land full of toys, a personal catnip and wheatgrass grove, or even outdoor furniture suitable for pets. You may still need a wire mesh, but if you’re lucky, your pets will be so busy enjoying their private seating area that they won’t even look at your tomatoes.