You’ve planned, planted, and pampered your garden. All that’s left is to watch the produce mature and get ready for the harvest, right? But what can be more disheartening than only to watch the wildlife destroy your hard work?! At first, you may not know what’s happening, only that holes appear in your garden at random points in the day. You check your garden one day to find dirt spread all over out of pots or raised beds. Precious plants toppled, buried, or – worst – missing altogether. If you see holes appearing in your beds, chances are that chipmunks and/or squirrels are to blame. Deterring chipmunks and squirrels from your garden can be a real chore. With the right techniques and a little persistence, you can keep your garden safe.

It’s almost not fair how cute these little rodents can be. Their mischievous antics can be adorable to watch, and tempting to encourage. But once chipmunks and squirrels start causing their shenanigans in your garden, it’s time to take a firmer hand.

Why do Chipmunks and Squirrels Dig Holes in Gardens?

Both chipmunks and squirrels dig holes in garden soil. Chipmunk holes are generally smaller (about 2 inches in diameter). While squirrels are far messier, leaving larger holes and dirt scattered all around. Garden soil is generally softer and more aerated than natural soil. So it’s easier for the rodents to burrow into.

They may dig to look for food like seeds or bulbs. Or they may be planting a stash of their own in your garden. If you find a cache of acorns, fruits, or seeds in newly disturbed earth, clear them out. Note the location so you can watch for future visits to that same location when they may return.

The Friendly Approach: A Personal Buffet

Sometimes, a little nudge is all chipmunks and squirrels need to figure out that you’re not pleased with their mayhem. Rodents are pretty smart creatures. They’ll generally figure out what’s in their best interest as long as you’re clear on your message. Start light and get firmer only if the gentle touch isn’t convincing them to shop elsewhere.

One solution to saving your garden from chipmunks and squirrels involves less deterrent and more distraction. Draw their attention away from the part of your garden you’re interested in harvesting for yourself. To do this, entice them with a buffet of their preferred foods. Display the treat in a way which is a lot less work for them. They’ll prefer easy access to those foods rather than tearing up your garden.

This technique is much like the garden technique of trap cropping. In trap cropping, gardeners plant a kind of plant they know local wildlife likes. The plant acts as a sort of tithe, distracting them from the rest of the garden.

Chipmunks and squirrels alike love peanuts above all other kinds of garden produce. It’s way easier for them to take a peanut from a tray than to dig up your garden. So, they’ll be more attracted to the tithe and less to destroying your hard work.

This technique can backfire on you, however. Once you establish your place as a source of food, you’ve placed yourself on the hook to keep providing for them. If there’s no food in their feeder when they want it, they may decide your garden is their backup buffet.

The Barrier: Decorative Stones Say, “Don’t Dig Here”

We encountered these adorable but destructive critters shortly after we began setting up the back patio. They came about when we moved our potted river birch to our back deck. [This river birch tree has a long, and lovely story which we shared for Arbor Day last year.] Our friendly local chipmunk, whom we affectionately named Chuckles, decided to start digging holes in the river birch’s pot. To deter our chipmunk friend from causing damage, and to protect our beloved tree, we covered the top of the soil with decorative stones.

If you attempt this route, ensure you cover all the dirt in the pot. Otherwise they may just move aside the offending stones and go after their preferred digging hole anyway.

Companion Planting for Deterring Chipmunks & Squirrels

There’s a lot of information out there that says marigolds are good deterrents for rodents. On the contrary, we’ve noted the opposite here at Eastborn Gardens. We planted marigolds to deter aphids in our garden without much thought as to whether they would deter chipmunks. [Deterring aphids is another chore altogether, which you can read about in this article.] As it happened, they’ve been unimpressed with our marigolds to the point of digging directly underneath them.

The reason it’s natural to think that marigolds deter rodents is due to the plant’s strong scent. Chipmunks and squirrels don’t like strong smells, so pungent scents tend to deter them. The failure of our marigolds to deter our rodents may simply be due to the variety currently in bloom. I’d be interested to hear if you have a different experience!

Chemical Warfare: Deterring Chipmunks and Squirrels with Capsaicin

If companion planting marigolds doesn’t work for you, you can take the idea of strong scents a step further. Capsaicin is particularly good at deterring rodents like chipmunks and squirrels from digging in your garden.

Capsaicin is the chemical contained in capsicums such as hot peppers like cayennes and habaneros. It’s what gives those peppers their distinctive flavor and causes the burn on your tongue. While a lot of people love this spicy flavor (including us!), rodents can’t stand it at all. So it makes for a successful repellant for chipmunks and squirrels.

When we started having issues with chipmunks in our gardens, we decided to plant a medium-sized pot of habaneros. This decision was partly out of spite for the chipmunks’ habit of eating our herb seeds, and partly because, well, we wanted habaneros. We’ll never forget the day Chuckles’ younger cousin Vinny dug up our recently planted habanero seeds. The chirp of his disapproval was epic. For months, we had no further issues.

The most effective method we have found to naturally deter chipmunks and squirrels is a soil drench of capsaicin. Read on for our recipe.

DIY Recipe for Chipmunk & Squirrel Repellant

Creating a capsaicin soil drench to deter chipmunks and squirrels is simply a matter of infusing water with the spice. The most effective way to infuse capsaicin into water is to boil a tablespoon of red pepper in a quart of water. You can also add other natural ingredients such as garlic or onions to your water. Stronger scents are more effective deterrents. But if all you have is red pepper in your spice cabinet, it’s sufficient on its own.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of red pepper
• 1 quart of water
• Optional: minced garlic or onions for added potency

Instructions

1. Boil the Spice: In a pot, bring water to a boil and add the red pepper. If you’re using garlic or onions, add them as well.
2. Infuse the Water: Let the spice simmer in the water for a few minutes to infuse it with the capsaicin.
3. Cool and Strain: Allow the mixture to cool, then strain out the solid particles. Strain two or three times if you intend to use in a spray bottle or particulate will clog the sprayer.
4. Application: Use the infused water to drench the soil in the affected areas of your garden, including the borders of raised beds or planters.

This spicy soil drench will effectively deter chipmunks and squirrels from digging in your garden, protecting your hard work and precious plants. Capsaicin is not dangerous to plants in any way so you can pour it directly onto your soil.

A capsaicin soil drench only lasts a couple days, and even less if it rains. So be vigilant and apply every other day until your chipmunk and squirrel neighbors have gotten the hint.

Deterring Chipmunks and Squirrels has Never Been Easier

It’s heart-wrenching to see your hard work in the garden destroyed by chipmunks and squirrels. These adorable creatures can quickly turn into a nuisance, leaving holes and chaos in their wake. However, you can use these various strategies to deter both chipmunks and squirrels from wreaking havoc in your garden. By implementing these techniques, you can peacefully coexist with wildlife while safeguarding the fruits of your labor. Now, you can enjoy the beauty of your garden without the worry of it becoming a wildlife buffet.

Ok, maybe you’re just here because chipmunks are cute (they are). You might be interested in these other cute animal photos of the wildlife in and around our garden: 2023 Garden Visitors: All Creatures Great & Small.