I have two 4X4 raised beds.
What is the best way that is safe for all to fix this? I am at a loss, our family is really relying on produce this way as costs have gone up on everything. Thanks in advance for everyone’s help :)
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Neighbor’s cat gnawing on my vegetable starts I just got going!?
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Don’t know if this works yet, but it is something I am going to try.
http://www.planetnatural.com/site/dog-cat-repellent.html
I had this problem with my dogs. I don’t know how well it would work for a cat, because they can get into things so much better – but my troublemaking dogs stay out of the areas that I surrounded with chicken wire fencing. I’m sure they could dig under if they wanted to, but that fence is a barrier that says “no” to them. You could try it – it wouldn’t be too expensive if it’s not a big garden.
the best way from my experience is to never leave nice crumply soil uncovered (that’s good for suppressing weeds too).You can try some legouminous plants for cover (to sacrifice them later and increase fertility) or some hungarian rye if you are growing plants that prefer organic matter to nitrogen.
Some people cover the ground with thin layer of plastic sheet and drill holes in the plastic to plant seedlings
Cats develop habits and sooner or later it’s gonna find other place if it doesn’t find space to dig
Since your beds aren’t very large, perhaps a topical spray of bitter apple on the plants could work. It makes the plant (or whatever your pet is chewing on) taste bad. It washes off – the down side is that if it rains, you have to re-apply it, but that’s a pretty minor thing, especially if you actively tend your small plot.
Double check the label on the bottle (spray bottles, sold in pet supply stores) to make sure it’s safe on veggies. I’ve used it successfully on the outside of ears of ripening corn to keep squirrels at bay. We also use it on our artificial Yule tree to keep our indoor cats from chewing on that (yes, go figure!)
Try putting multiple mouse traps throughout garden, It works for dogs. Never tried it on cats.