When planting a garden, the potential for unwanted critters digging up seeds and plants is possible. Using plant safe repellant sprays or building a fence around the garden can assist is keeping those unwanted animals or bugs away; however, University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator Chris Enroth offers another tip he discovered in helping to keep raccoons away from his home garden:
“Raccoons do not like the sound of human voices, at least most of our wild raccoons. What I would do is I would take a radio, I would put it outside, I would put it on talk radio, and put a bucket over it, and those muffled voices, human voices, it would keep them away all night long. If you are suffering from raccoon trouble and you are at your wits end, give that a try. It will take probably a week, maybe two weeks to break that habit of them coming into your yard, but just keep that up. Now that actually sweet corn is getting ready to harvest, we are going to bring the radio back out and we are going to start playing talk radio again to keep them off of sweet corn.”
As for lawn maintenance, Enroth advises planting grass seed in your lawn and in those bare patches between August 15th and September 15th.
**Written by WMOI/WRAM Director of Communications Kelsey Crain**
