Heidi wrote in message m...
Happy Friday!

We have an open compost bin, in which I toss leaves, grass clippings,
and food scraps. The squirrels in our yard steal all the food scraps
from our compost bin. The compost bin is located in a natural area
filled w/ oak trees, and of course many, many acorns. I would like to
keep the squirrels away from my food scraps, so that my compost may
benefit from the nutrients. The squirrels won't starve..they can eat
all the darn acorns they want.

Any ideas to keep the squirrels out of the compost? Should I be
cautious about any specific things I might add to the compost to deter
squirrels ie: if I put cayenne pepper on the food scraps would this have
any affect to my lawn next year when I spread cayenne infused compost
across it?

TIA!
heidi


heidi

I use an old metal 5 or 6 gallon can that I cut out the top and
bottom. I put the kitchen scraps in the can and put a piece of plywood
on top of the can. Then I put a good size rock on top of the plywood.
That works. It keeps out the squirrels, crows, foxes, coyotes, dogs,
cats and so on. I only do this now in the fall, throughout the winter.
Spring and summer I don't do this because these critters don't seem to
bother with the compost pile. BTW, the metal cans are Thompson water
seal cans. You need to cut out top and bottom so you can put the stuff
in and so the liquids can drain down into the soil while it rots.