Anyone who gardens knows that at some point pests find your beloved plants. What’s a gardener to do? I have had plenty of wars with the local critters, and have found a few ways to scare them off. I’ve used water balloons, created scarecrows, spread around offensive odors with garlic, soap, dirty diapers, etc. All my weapons have worked to some degree, some better than others. My most recent attempt, the Rasta Raga Girl Scarecrow worked pretty well until the wind and rain blew her in half. 😦

Last week, once again, I went out to check my garden and found the tops of several pea vines bitten off. Because the level of the bite was rather high, and because I saw one of the rascals sitting in the middle of my raised bed, I knew it must be rabbits. A well-aimed dust brush scared the varmint off for a while, but I knew he would be back as quick as the sun would set.

As I pondered a new preventative tactic, I remembered the strange round globes with eyes I had recently spotted in a local farmer’s field.  Maybe a helium balloon with permanent marker eyes might work. Oh my! It works like a dream come true.  As long as the balloon holds onto its helium I think it will keep scaring away the rabbits and rodents.

As you can see from the succession of photographs, tied to a terracotta pot, the balloon sways from side to side at the slightest touch of a breeze. The preventative measure is working well, and best of all, cost only a dollar. I know it will last only a few days, but if I vary my arsenal of  “scary” weapons, perhaps I can keep those pesky critters at bay.