The sweet flavor of strawberries is nothing to disdain, but are these toothsome fruits in the list of squirrel’s preference vivers? Do squirrels eat strawberries?
Is your garden loaded with strawberries, and you are afraid that the many squirrels in your locality would eat them?
Squirrels are not that selective when it comes to food and can snack on about anything. So, it will help to know if squirrels are a threat to your garden or not. Please get a seat as we traverse this fruit and know if it’s a thing for squirrels.
This article has been reviewed by Dr. Linda. Read more about our knowledge control process here.
Contents
Do Squirrels Eat Strawberries?
Yes, squirrels eat strawberries. These bouncy furballs have a good appetite for any berry they can succeed in getting. If you’re lucky to see how a squirrel devours strawberries with enthusiasm, you can tell they love it.
If strawberries are missing on your farm and you suspect squirrels to be responsible, there’s a high chance you’re right. Squirrels are greedy about strawberries, and they eat them up from strawberry plants.
Will squirrels eat both ripe and unripe strawberries? Actually, squirrels prefer ripe strawberries over unripe ones. Squirrels are watching and know when your strawberries begin to ripen. They know it’s time to invade and steal the fruits.
These critters will not only pig out on strawberry fruit but are also destroyers of strawberry plants. You can imagine if there’s anything to survive if squirrels invade your garden. Although small, these creatures can sometimes be a nuisance.
How to Keep Squirrels Out of Strawberries?
Don’t wait for the last moments after squirrels have succeeded in turning your farm into a mess to start looking for a solution. It’s very possible to make your strawberry farm a no-go zone for squirrels without having to kill them.
Relax! You don’t need to be a whole day in your garden chasing squirrels. We have three functional and viable ways to help keep these intruders out of your strawberries.
Here is how to go about it; cover strawberries with mesh or netting, build enclosed containers, or landscape change surrounding your strawberry. See! You don’t need to go extravagant ways to deter squirrels from your strawberries.
Cover Strawberries with Mesh or Netting
Most people encircle their gardens with a chicken wire, which effectively keeps out squirrels and other animals that would eat the growing crops. Another alternative to chicken wire is garden mesh which is relatively cheap and durable.
Some people with small gardens construct wooden frames and wrap their beds with the net. But you can also choose to wrap the garden netting around smaller trees before your berries start to ripen.
Build Enclosed Containers
Encaging a strawberry plant is also a viable solution to keeping squirrels out. Remember that you’re dealing with squirrels, which can be highly destructive in the process of searching for food.
Squirrels will try any means to go through anything; they can even dig through the soil to reach a plant. Raised seedbeds, including the wood plank side, will prevent squirrels from digging.
Moreover, fix a completely enclosed material, e.g., chicken wire or wood above ground. Encaging your plants is always a good thing.
Landscape Change Surrounding Your Strawberry
We have certain varieties of herbs and flowers that repel squirrels and also landscapes your garden. Some of these herbs are effective in deterring other destructive intruders that will destroy strawberries in your garden.
A few of the top-most flowers and herbs that can nauseate squirrels include daffodils, alliums, hyacinth flowers, peppermint, lily of the valley, bleeding heart, fritillary, Galanthus, mint, etc.
These plants release a powerful scent that is disgusting to squirrels, thus keeping them away from your strawberry farm. You can plant such herbs around strawberries, but remember that some herbs like mint must be grown in containers.
Besides Strawberries, What Else Do Squirrels Eat in Your Garden?
Strawberries are not the only plants that will attract squirrels to gardens, but there are certain varieties of plants that these rodents like. Squirrels love snacking on apples and broccoli and will not back off gardens with these plants.
Squirrels passionately collect and consume about anything they get their hands on and will therefore eat almost every kind of plant growing in gardens. And this indicates these creatures have an extensive list of edible foods.
Some of the other squirrels’ favorite edibles available in our gardens are avocados, grapefruits, bananas, pineapples, green beans, parsley, dandelion greens, zucchini, radishes, cantaloupe, papaya, etc.
How to Protect Your Garden from Squirrels?
If you continue keeping squirrels in your garden, you will either have few products to harvest or nothing at all. Your garden is the most precious asset generating your income and needs protection from pests like squirrels.
Many different ways are valid and practicable in protecting your garden from squirrels.
A few of the best methods to embrace include filling and enclosing your garden with chicken wire or garden netting, inorganic mulching, plant squirrel repellents, etc.
To get more potent ways of repulsing squirrels, visit the article on 9 humane solutions to protect your garden from squirrels.
Last Sentences
Typically, squirrels will eat just about anything, but among their favorite vivers are strawberries. They often invade gardens looking for strawberries and can also destroy strawberry plants.
Compared to unripe strawberries, squirrels have an increased appetite for ripe strawberries, which are sweet, juicy, and mouth-watering. Despite being cute and entertaining, squirrels can cause a myriad of problems, e.g., destroying gardens.
The good thing is that it’s possible to keep our gardens free from squirrels without taking life nor using chemicals.