How to Keep Animals Out of Mushroom Patches

Your mushroom patches might need additional protection.

You probably do not care if wild animals disturb wild mushroom patches on your property. If you are growing a specific type of mushroom in your home's garden, however, you are most likely very interested in protecting the mushroom patches from wild animals who may wish to make your crops a feast. Try several tactics to protect your garden and your mushrooms from hungry or destructive wild animals.

Things You'll Need

• Raised garden bed
• 24-inch-high wire fence
• Prickly plants
• Scent repellents
• Motion lights

Instructions

1. Plant your mushroom patches on a raised garden bed. Burrowing animals will have a much harder time getting to the mushrooms if the bed is raised a few feet off the ground.

2. Surround your garden and your mushroom patches with a 24-inch-high wire fence. The wire fence helps keep out land-dwelling animals, such as rabbits and squirrels. Make sure the mesh holes are smaller than one inch because wild animals can squeeze through surprisingly tight spaces.

3. Add prickly plant varieties around your mushroom patch as a type of guard. Anything with rough foliage, such as, sedum, eryngium, euphorbia or echinops works well.

4. Try out some scent repellents to keep animals away from your mushroom patches. For example, garlic, hot peppers and castor oil are known to repel a variety of wild animals.

5. Install motion lights around your garden. When the animals come near, the motion light will be triggered, which can scare them off before they have a chance to steal your mushrooms.

References

• Hobby Farms: Keep Your Garden Protected: Rhoda Peacher
• Novative Online Media: Keys to Keeping Animals Out of Gardens