Keep Skunks At Bay By Adding This Vegetable In Your Garden
Skunks have a pretty bad reputation. Despite being relatively shy and giving plenty of warning signs before they spray, these black-and-white striped critters are often met with horror. If you've ever been sprayed by a skunk and had to figure out how to get the smell off, then you know why — it's not a pleasant experience. So, if you have a skunk in your garden that is munching on your flowers and vegetables, it is completely understandable if you are looking for ways to get rid of it. While you can go out and purchase commercial skunk repellent if you are looking for a natural option, the answer may just be in your fridge: fresh jalapeños.
Skunks hate the scent of jalapeños because they have a sensitive sense of smell. Because of this, simply adding fresh peppers around your garden is enough to irritate their noses and cause them to avoid the area entirely. This works because hot peppers evolved to be spicy to taste and smell bad to most animals and deter anything (except birds) from munching on them. That's why the scent of jalapeños can successfully deter so many garden pests today. So, how do you do it?
How to use jalapeños to deter skunks
To successfully repel skunks from your yard and garden, you need to make sure that your jalapeños release as much of an odor as possible. To do this, you can chop up your chili peppers into small pieces and then sprinkle them around the perimeter of your garden and areas where skunks like to hang out. Skunks typically come out at night, so doing this in the early evening is a good way to make sure the scent of your chopped chilies is as pungent as possible.
However, the one downside of this method is that you will end up with a bunch of chopped peppers scattered throughout your yard and garden which will take a while to decompose and may not look great. To avoid this, another option is to blend your hot chilis into a paste and then distribute the paste around your yard. This works because smaller bits of food tend to break down and decompose faster than larger pieces.
However, no matter the size of your jalapeño pieces, the pungency of the pepper won't last for too long. This means you will have to add more jalapeños to your yard often to keep the skunks at bay. One solution to this problem is to make your jalapeño skunk deterrent into a liquid.
Making a skunk repellent jalapeño spray
Turning your spicy jalapeños into a pungent spray is a great way to keep skunks out of your garden because you can apply the mixture directly to the plants they are eating to eliminate their food source. You can also spray it under your house or deck, on a wood pile, or around any area where you believe these smelly critters are spending time.
To make your liquid skunk repellent, simply boil some chopped jalapeños in two quarts of water for 20 minutes. Then let, the mixture cool and strain it into a spray bottle or container of your choice. You can also make this skunk repellent stronger by adding a few more ingredients that skunks dislike — such as onions and cayenne pepper — and boiling them in the water with your jalapeños. This spray will be effective for around three to five days and should be reapplied after you water or it rains. Make sure to always wear gloves when applying the mixture and avoid spraying on windy days to avoid ending up with spicy jalapeño juice in your eyes, nose, or mouth.
As we know, skunks aren't the only critters that forage for food in your yard. If you are looking for a natural way to keep squirrels out of the garden, try cinnamon.