Garden Detective: Protecting fruit from squirrels
Though it's tough to repel squirrels from fruit trees, capsaicin, the spicy compound in hot peppers, has been shown to deter them. Credit: Fotolia
Although there are repellents on the market, I wouldn't use any on edibles. Capsaicin, the spicy compound in hot peppers, has been shown to deter squirrels, but it may penetrate your peaches' thin skin and alter the flavor of the fruit. Still, it might be worth a try.
Depending on the size of the tree, you can cover it with netting. If that isn't practical, you might install a motion-sensored sprinkler, like the Havahart Spray Away (which I'm experimenting with to keep my dog out of my perennial beds).
Speaking of my dog, I trained her to stay off the couch by covering the seating surface with slightly crumpled aluminum foil sheets, on the advice of a friend. It worked (for a while), so I was inspired to wrap the pear trunk with foil last year, and it did seem to deter the squirrels, until a windy storm blew it all away. Tape likely would have avoided that mishap -- and family cooperation likely would have kept the dog off the couch.
Emma Pnini, 6 1/2, of Roslyn is at it again. Last year, the adorable novice gardener tried her hand at tomatoes and entered the Great Long Island Tomato Challenge. This year, with some experience under her belt, she added snap peas, string beans and lettuce to her garden. We'll see you in August, Emma!
Are you in? The 2012 Great Long Island Tomato Challenge will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 24, at Newsday, 235 Pinelawn Rd., Melville. Bring your biggest, heaviest ripe tomato to the event, where I will weigh it and name this year's Tomato King or Queen. In the meantime, send a photo of yourself with your plants and a note about your growing methods to me at jessica.damiano@newsday.com, and you might be featured next.
