Do you have a neighborhood cat or a cat of your own that has taken a little bit too much of a liking to your garden? You work so hard to grow your delicious vegetables, just for them to be used as a litter box. This is concerning for your vegetable garden because cats’ feces contain parasites that are not found in the manure that is safe for our gardens. The following are ways to safely keep those paws out of your garden!
Scents
There are certain scents that can help keep cats out and away from your garden. Firstly, cats tend to stay away from citrus scents. You can sprinkle peels of oranges, lemons, or limes directly into the soil of your garden. This may be a difficult option for you unless you eat a lot of citrus fruit. Secondly, certain scents of essential oil such as Rosemary, Citronella, and Orange bother cats’ scent receptors, keeping them away safely. This is a very easy method that only takes about 10 drops of the oil in a cup of water, then sprinkle it into the soil. A common method that should be avoided is using mothballs. Mothballs are actually a pesticide that can be harmful to cats.
Distraction
If your cat has somewhere else to use the bathroom outside, they may be less likely to go into your vegetable garden. Building them their own litter box outside can help distract them from your garden. Although this method is not foolproof and may not keep all cats away, building an outside litter box with kitty litter can give your furry friend an option for using the restroom that is not your garden.
Are these tips and tricks still not working? Then you can head into The Plant Gallery and we can help you pick out fencing for your garden to keep the cats out! You can build a fence that is around and over your garden to ensure they do not use your garden as a restroom.
