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When it comes to your veggie patch, the possum is a relentless pest.
According to the book The 1-Minute Gardener, the best solution isn’t to get mad, it’s to get even.
“The only time-tested method to protect a patch is by preventing access to it,” authors, Fabian Capomolla and Mat Pember write.
A simple way to do this is to block their route with stink bombs.
How to make a stink bomb
Simply grab an old sock and fill it with a handful of blood and bone fertiliser. Identify the possum’s main point of entry to your garden and secure your stink bomb to block their path.
If the smell isn’t enough to deter possums, you might have to hook up a netting system over your patch.
Other possum deterrents
Other tips featured in a past edition of Your Garden magazine sent in by readers include led lights and fish oil.
LED lights to deter possums
“We’d tried everything to stop possums eating the plants on our front deck, which they accessed via a large lilli pilli. Chicken wire cages over the pots were successful but unsightly. But since we put up some solar LED bud lights in the lilli pilli, we haven’t seen a possum at all and the lights look very pretty at night,” one reader wrote.
Fish oil to deter possums
Additionally, another reader came up with a way to stop possums eating their rose shoots using fish oil.
“Add about half a cup of oil to one litre of water and spray it on the shoots. It won’t harm the roses but the possums hate the smell. Naturally, you’ll have to put more on after it rains but it works a treat and is very cheap.”
Have any of these worked for you?
This article originally appeared on Better Homes and Gardens.
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