Wild animals are always on the lookout for warm places with food available. If you have a greenhouse in your yard where you grow flowers or vegetables, it is an attractive place for wild animals. Here are some steps you can take to keep wildlife from sneaking into your greenhouse and eating your plants.
It is best to avoid using poisons to keep wild animals such as rats out of your greenhouse. This can be cruel and can also make your pets sick if they consume them.
One of the best ways to discourage animals from entering your greenhouse is to spend a lot of time there. Tending to your plants on a daily basis may be enough to frighten away wild animals and prevent them from creating nests and disturbing your plants.
Keep your greenhouse neat. There should not be any piles of equipment or trash, stores of seeds, animal food, or other sources of food in places where wild animals could get to them.
Check your greenhouse for holes that wild animals could use to gain access. If you find any, plug them with coarse steel wool, wadded up aluminum foil, or metal mesh designed to exclude animals. If your greenhouse has dirt floors, cover them with concrete, sheet metal, or another material so that animals cannot burrow through them.
Electronic ultrasound devices can repel some animals. Keep fresh batteries in the devices or wire them directly into the electrical system. These may not keep all animals out of your greenhouse.
You can also use smells to keep animals away. Soak cotton balls or cotton cosmetic pads in peppermint oil or another product designed to repel wild animals. Place them throughout the greenhouse, including on shelves and between plants. Place them close together to create even, heavy coverage throughout the structure. Apply more peppermint oil when the scent starts to fade. Check the label on other products to see how often to refresh them.
A cat in the greenhouse can be another effective way to keep wild animals out. It is best to have the cat live exclusively in the greenhouse. A cat that roams outside can bring insects into the greenhouse that could harm your plants.
