Anyone with a garden knows how frustrating it can be when their plants are damaged by garden pests or invasive native wildlife. Animals such as squirrels, mice, rats, foxes and even deer often find themselves in domestic gardens looking for food over the colder months as the usual plants they feed on grow more scarce, the Daily Express reports.
While largely harmless, they can end up digging up lawns, chewing through newly planted saplings, digging up winter planted bulbs, damaging valuable planters, and leaving unsanitary droppings behind, amongst many other things.
Bulbs are particularly tasty to foraging creatures. When you combine that with the fact December is a great time to plant winter bulbs like broad beans, onions, garlic and lettuce for the coming year – you basically end up with a disaster waiting to happen.
However, the good news is that one very common – and cheap – household item can be used to deter cheeky wildlife and keep them away from your plant beds: a simple bar of soap.
If you chop, grate or shred a bar of fragranced soap, then place it around your garden, the pungent smell of the soap is enough to deter animals – the same animals that enjoy chomping on your plants.
As House Digest says: “Some animals have sensitive noses, and the smelly scent of a fresh bar of soap could be enough to keep them out of your plants. In this case, the more pungent soap, the better — so look for something like Irish Spring that is known for its potent scent.
“Opt for fresher soap, too: the longer it sits out, the more it loses that initial powerful aroma. If your bar’s scent seems to be fading, cut it into chunks to release more fragrance.”
GardeningKnowHow adds that soap can also keep insects from chewing on your new saplings, as well as larger creatures too: “Got a deer problem? What about mice? Gather up those strong-smelling soap shards and place them in a mesh bag or old tights that you can easily hang from trees in the garden, or around its perimeter,” they say.
“Deer tend to avoid areas with fragrant soap,” the advice continues. “Likewise, you can keep mice away by placing pieces of soap in areas of the garden you want them to steer clear of. Sprinkling soap shavings in garden spaces is also said to help keep a number of insect pests from feeding on your plants.”
However, there are some garden visitors that you definitely should feed in winter. Namely, blackbirds. Gardeners who regularly see blackbirds in their garden have been given a warning by ornithology experts.
It’s vital that you put food out for them and report any issues you see, because of a new virus which is putting this native species under threat: the Usutu virus, a mosquito-borne illness that has already reduced blackbird numbers meaning they need extra help and food this winter.
Blackbirds are soft-billed birds, meaning that they prefer soft foods like fruit, berries, sunflower hearts, and peanuts, according to the Woodland Trust. You can also offer them mealworms, flaked maize, uncooked oats, waxworms, or even dog food.
However, there’s a chance that the cheeky wildlife mentioned earlier, like squirrels, might try to pinch bird food. Thankfully, there’s also a hack for that as well – you should sprinkle chilli powder on bird food.
Birds are immune to the fiery taste of chilli, while squirrels and foxes detest it, leaving more for your feathered friends.
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter.