Your Kitchen Has The Secret Weapon To Repel Skunks From Your Garden

When you consider pests that may appear in your garden, odds are you may not consider skunks unless you've already had an encounter with one. However, they actually are a much more common visitor to household gardens than you might imagine. Skunks tend to end up in gardens for the same reasons we grow them –- food. Since they are nocturnal, you may not even realize they are there unless you see signs of their activity or happen to surprise one that has decided to bed down in the plants.

Once someone realizes they have a skunk squatting in their garden, their thoughts inevitably turn to how to get rid of it. There are a variety of solutions, including live trapping and relocating the animal (or calling animal control to do the same). However, while this may solve the immediate issue of the present skunk, it does nothing to prevent that one or others from returning. To that end, many gardeners have taken to planting crops that repel skunks naturally or installing a motion light pointed at their garden. While those measures do help, it's likely your kitchen has a secret weapon to repel skunks from your garden that can add to their effectiveness. If you are a coffee drinker, you are already halfway to implementing this measure.

There are some unexpected uses for leftover coffee grounds, including, among other things, warding off mosquitos at campsites. In fact, many campers have actually discovered coffee grounds are an effective way to repel skunks from campsites. Gardeners can apply this same trick to their plot of tilled soil –- and reap some additional benefits for their plants along the way.

Ironically for an animal known for its smell, skunks are driven away from coffee by the same strong scents that draw us to it. Some believe the skunk's strong sense of smell is simply offended by the odor of coffee, while others suggest the scent of coffee alerts skunks to the presence of humans. Regardless of why, it is agreed that skunks are repelled by the smell of coffee. Using coffee to ward off skunks, therefore, is as simple as making the soil of your garden smell strongly of coffee. This can be a process that happens over time by simply scattering the used grounds from each pot you brew throughout your garden. Start by sprinkling them around the perimeter of your garden and continue to apply throughout your garden as often as possible. As an additional bonus for gardeners, coffee grounds are known to enrich soil, giving plants an added shot of nutrients.

Most people who see the iconic stripes of this creature immediately worry about being sprayed by the skunk. This very real concern is perhaps the main reason why people want to banish skunks from their gardens. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, there are actually some benefits to having a skunk around, as they tend to eat grubs, worms, and insects that can harm your plants. However, this benefit is usually offset by the aforementioned threat of spraying as well as the damage skunks cause to gardens while digging and rooting for grubs and insects. Skunks also tend to pluck their share of fruits and vegetables from the garden.

Additionally, while typically not aggressive, skunks are very capable of attacking, clawing, and biting humans if they feel threatened. Compounding this problem is the fact skunks commonly carry rabies and, rabid or not, are typically seen as a threat to household pets such as dogs and cats.