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Non-Toxic Ways to Get Rid of Four Garden Pests

Sep 7, 2010; 8:56 AM ET

Gardeners usually try to embrace nature as much as possible. They live with the soil under their fingernails, welcome the rain as much as sun, and invite birds and bees into their yard. Yet they also try to avoid, as vehemently as possible, some of nature's not so-savory aspects. Because the good, like rose blooms and apple blossoms, always comes with the bad, like aphids and rodents.

Often we turn to extreme measures to get rid of our four-legged and two-winged "friends." A friend of mine recently told me that her mom bought a BB gun to use on the squirrels eating her apricots. While I'm not totally convinced she's up for the task of blowing a squirrel's brains out (they are kinda cute), I did remember how close I was to reaching for my grandma's air pistol when I saw a big rat in my blackberry bush. Guarding the fruits of one's labor can make even a pacifist turn quite violent.

Yet the poison and death route can get more than a little messy, and can sometimes even be toxic for the animals we do want like Fido or Kitty. So what to do? Are there more natural or safer ways to get rid of the critters that plague our landscapes?

Gophers

Pocket gophers leave a telltale sign of activity--mounds of fresh dirt in garden beds or on lawns. (Remember Caddyshack?) As they tunnel beneath the surface, they can disrupt patches of lawn, pull down small plants into their burrows, and eat the roots of vegetables and ornamentals. The best way to stop pocket gophers from eating your greens and bulbs is to line the bed or planting area with chicken wire. Dig down one or two feet and line the entire area--making sure there are no holes--with chicken wire. Stabilize sides with wooden posts and then fill in the hole with the soil you're using.

You're up against more of a battle with the gophers in already planted areas, like a big lawn. Traps are the most effective way to catch the critters, but you do have to deal with body disposal. There are many animals that prey on gophers--cats, dogs, raccoons, coyotes, hawks, and owls among them. Setting up a barn owl box can encourage these predators to visit your yard. Note that if you do use poison, like strychnine, you can also poison the predator that eats the gopher.

Brie Cadman for DivineCaroline.com

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