Winter Wildlife in Your Garden: Protecting Plants While Supporting Local Animals
Observing Wildlife in the Winter Garden
OLATHE, KS: Tucked away for the year, your vegetable garden is likely currently a picture of suspended momentum. Tufts of soil packed under frozen mulch, remnant plants draped in snow and ice, even the air itself finds a certain stillness to it – waiting for the new year to arrive. Underneath all this quiet, however, life stirs. A trained eye may find colonies of mice piling nests of debris under buckets and tubs, groups of voles tunneling under groundcovers and mulch, and families of squirrels scavenging for remnant food sources. Even in the stillness of the season, wildlife remains a factor to consider when maintaining the longevity of your gardens and landscapes. This begs the question, “How can I support this wildlife? … while also sending them elsewhere.”
Non-Lethal Methods to Deter Rodents and Protect Plants
Several non-lethal and effective options exist for deterring rodents from a garden area, and it all comes down to the environment. You’re either A) attempting to exclude them altogether, or B) making their current living conditions so less than ideal that they opt to go elsewhere.
Repellents for Persistent Pests
Option one, high-value crops and young trees, can be protected using wire cages, hardware cloth, and tree wraps. While ideally completed by now, adding these elements at this point in the year will help keep plants protected through the remainder of the off-season. Luckily, with the late arrival of cool weather, wildlife is likely not yet needed to turn to eating perennial plants for sustenance. Moving forward, the utilization of raised beds, row covers, and netting over plant stands can also help in these exclusion efforts.
Supporting Wildlife Responsibly
When considering guiding wildlife away from your garden, keep in mind their primary goals in finding a nesting habitat: food, shelter, and water. These should be provided thoughtfully, with the goal of guiding the animals away from behaviors that limit their survival.
To do so, clear away areas of dense brush, leftover mulch, and plant debris within your vegetable garden. If you plan to use birdhouses and feeders, place them on the perimeter of your property, away from garden areas. Also, be sure to monitor for evidence of wildlife on a regular basis, noting tunnels, footprints, and droppings. Discovering and addressing their presence promptly prevents the problem from becoming more serious as populations grow.
Coexisting with Wildlife for a Healthy Garden
With those pesky squirrels, in particular, physical barriers will once again be your best friend for protecting plant specimens. When reinforcements are necessary, repellents containing capsaicin (the chemical responsible for the heat of peppers) have been proven effective. Blood-meal-based repellents can also be utilized, helping to scare wildlife away by tricking it into thinking a predator is nearby; however, these repellents will need to be reapplied periodically, especially after every precipitation event.
Don’t forget, however, the wildlife can utilize your help too! While simply remembering to fill the bird feeder is a great start, watering dishes, thickets for shelter, reducing predator risks, and planting berry-bearing plants later in the season can all be helpful. Tackled thoughtfully, you and your wildlife friends can live in harmony.
by Anthony Reardon, Horticulture Small Farms Agent, 2025
K-State University Resources for Nuisance Wildlife Control