Something has been eating your tomatoes, mowing your green beans down to nubs overnight, or turning your flower bed into a construction site, and you want to know who's responsible and what will make them stop. In this episode, we're working through the full lineup of backyard garden critters, starting with the animals most home gardeners deal with every season: squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, deer, and raccoons. Then we're digging into two animals that caused real trouble this year: groundhogs, which mowed down entire rows in my own garden, and armadillos, a first-time visitor here on the farm.
For each one, we'll cover how to identify their particular style of damage, what university research shows works to deter them, and where fencing, repellents, and scare tactics fall short. Whether you're dealing with a woodchuck built like a small, determined bulldozer, or an armadillo rototilling your flower bed at two in the morning, you'll walk away with a real plan instead of another myth to try. Let's dig in!
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References and Resources
Squirrels
- University of Missouri Extension — Tree Squirrels: Managing Habitat and Controlling Damage (G9455): extension.missouri.edu/publications/g9455
- Penn State Extension — Chipmunks: extension.psu.edu/chipmunks
- University of Georgia Extension — Chipmunks Publication: extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?pk_id=7652
- University of Missouri Extension — Preventing and Controlling Damage Caused by Cottontail Rabbits (G9441): extension.missouri.edu/publications/g9441
- Iowa State University Extension, Yard and Garden — How to Protect Gardens From Rabbits: yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/how-protect-gardens-rabbits
- University of Missouri Extension — Controlling Deer Damage in Missouri (MP685): extension.missouri.edu/publications/mp685
- Colorado State University Extension — Preventing Deer Damage: extension.colostate.edu/resource/preventing-deer-damage
- University of Minnesota Extension — Winterizing Plants: Animal Damage: extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-news/winterizing-plants-animal-damage
- University of Missouri Extension — Managing Raccoon Problems in Missouri (G9453): extension.missouri.edu/publications/g9453
- Kansas State University Extension — Protecting Sweet Corn From Raccoons: extension.k-state.edu/news-and-publications/news/stories/2025/07/horticulture-raccoons-sweet-corn.html
- Iowa State University Extension, Yard and Garden — How Can I Keep Raccoons Out of My Sweet Corn?: yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/faq/how-can-i-keep-raccoons-out-my-sweet-corn
- Iowa State University Extension, Natural Resources — Raccoons: Damage Management: naturalresources.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/raccoons-damage-management
- University of Missouri Extension — Managing Woodchuck Problems in Missouri (G9452): extension.missouri.edu/media/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/Pub/pdf/agguides/wildlife/g09452.pdf
- UNH Extension — Dealing with Woodchuck Damage (fact sheet, includes capsaicin repellent trial results): extension.unh.edu/sites/default/files/migrated_unmanaged_files/resource000562_rep584.pdf
- Missouri Department of Conservation — Groundhog Control: mdc.mo.gov/wildlife/nuisance-problem-species/groundhog-control
- University of Missouri Extension — Armadillos in Missouri: Techniques to Prevent and Control Damage (G9456): extension.missouri.edu/publications/g9456
- Oklahoma State University Extension — Managing Nuisance Armadillo Damage: extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/managing-nuisance-armadillo-damage
- Oklahoma State University Extension — Tips for Managing Nuisance Armadillo: extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/tips-for-managing-nuisance-armadillo
- University of Missouri Extension — Garden Critters: 'Frenemies' in Grow Places: extension.missouri.edu/news/garden-critters-frenemies-in-grow-places
- University of Missouri Extension — Solving Wildlife Damage Problems in Missouri (G9425): extension.missouri.edu/publications/g9425
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