Do Squirrels Eat Plants


The answer is yes.

Although squirrels, such as the grey squirrel, typically prefer seeds like acorns, sunflower seeds, walnuts, pine cone seeds, etc… When seeds and nuts are not readily available squirrels will eat your fruits, vegetables and flowering plants.

There are several methods you can use to prevent squirrels from eating your plants, all of which I discuss on this website.

Here are a few:
How to keep squirrels out of your garden
Offering the squirrels something else to eat
Scarring Squirrels


3 Responses

  1. Could you recommend which potted flowers, if any, squirrels will not eat? I understand they do not like the fragrance of marigolds but are there others they will avoid?

    1. Hi Sally,
      Thanks for visiting How To Stop Squirrels. I have another article in which I list a few flower species that squirrels don’t like to eat. It’s certainly not a complete list but it’s a good start. The article is titled “How to Keep Squirrels Out of Your Garden

  2. I’ve tried it all and the squirrels that hang out in my yard don’t find moth balls, hot peppers, garlic, coffee grounds, or tabasco sauce offensive. I’ve probably left out a few other things I’ve tried. One squirrel in particular will jump on the bird feeder, flip the lid off and sometimes remove the plexiglass window. At times when the lid is off sparrows went down inside the feeder. Finally I had it when twice mourning doves got stuck inside. Toss up who was more stressed about this….me or the dove. Finally the only solution is to get a bird feeder that is weight sensitive to keep the bums off