Hey, I grow hot peppers. They are very ornamental. I still have some dried left over from last summer. I think I'll grind them up and give it a try. Revenge!

These people use garlic.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hanging gardens of Hampshire

Ludi, you must have gotten your 4 lbs from the same folks I did at Amazon. I too ordered 4 pounds. I mean, who wants to run out before the season is over.

I believe that after a while, the capsican will permeate the soil, leaving behind part of the heat. New squirrels might require a continuing resprinking of the cayenne, but the squirrels who've been in contact with it, hmmm, well let's say, they learn quickly. It's been proven that squirrels in different communities solve problems with a "family" method. One learns how to deal with a problem, and the other family members adopt that habit. I forget where I read about that. Everything that a squirrel does is not simply hereditary -- sometimes it is a learned response.
Like who knows if a smarty pants squirrel can come up with a way to defeat the pepper or not.

It might go beneath the soil when it rains, but it does not go away for a while.

Speaking of squirrels, I spent about an hour today watching videos of Twirling Squirrels, and catapulting squirrels. How did I get the link to that.....it slips me mind.

Glad it worked for you Ludi. We'll have to keep note of how long a test pot remains undisturbed after rain washes the red off the top of the soil. I wonder if the color red is the clue they watch for, or if it is a scent or taste.

Inquiring minds want to know.

Interesting...do squirrels talk to each other? Hoping that raccoons do too. I'm trying to train them to keep out of my back yard. I tried cayenne but perhaps didn't use enough. I thought I killed all the grubs, but the racoons come here by habit. I'm putting straight ammonia on the places they are frequenting. They chewed through some 5" redwood pegs to find something, no doubt delectable, inside the wood. Come on now...people all around here put cat and dog food outside, why do they have to go after my pegs???? These 'coons are 30 pounders, not starving by any means.

Harrumph! Isn't gardening fun?

-Babka

Ludi and Moc; thanks for your original info and for bringing it back up. My bottom lip is trembling hoping my potted hostas are not ALL dead. They have been turned oiver, dug into and dug up all winter long. We finally have gotten some moisture and a little warmth so maybe soon. One plantaginea has broken dormancy.
With 4" of rain forcasted we've managed to squeeze out barely over an inch-not enough to break the drought here in Wilmington.
I have to go. Gotta buy some cayenne pepper if I'm not too late.
Theresa

Good luck on the racoons, Babka. Last year I sprinkled red pepper flakes where they kept digging up my mini hostas. It slowed them down, but I had to re-apply weekly. Planting thrift shop forks tines up around the hostas helped a little, too. My coons were mamas and babies, so I suppose all the little ones will be back with their children this summer.

I got a Scarecrow for Christmas. It's something like a sprinkler, but it puts out a strong jet of water when an animal breaks an infrared beam. I'm hoping I won't have to use it, but looking forward to seeing the raccoons run.

Red pepper mixed with bird seed is supposed to keep squirrels from eating it and the birds don't mind, so I suppose it would work for hostas too. Have to try that.

Black pepper sprinkled over the plants keeps groundhogs from eating my garden. I've done that and I know it works. It doesn't leave a hot taste on my lettuce, either, like cayenne could.

Sandy

Several years back, my nephew was staying here while I went north to MA. He had a big lab, and an equally big bag of dog food, sitting on the screened in back porch. He heard a ruckus and got there in time to see mama raccoon dragging a 25 pound bag of dog food through the damaged screening. Two babies waiting for dinner.

But that problem went away when we enclosed the back porch. They began raiding bird feeders and bird baths, but our huntress dachshund seems to be a deterrent to night time wildlife visitors. It is my belief that squirrels are the problem here now.

I wish I could tell what has staked out one of the bird feeders as a buffet for lunch. When I go to fill it, there is frequently fresh blood on the roof of the feeder. But no feathers exploded on the ground, no body parts anywhere, no nothing. I know we have hawks and owls who can hunt without a trace, but I'd like to see what is being hunted and what is doing the killing. Only one time have I seen a hawk on the back of a garden bench near the feeder. Could not decide what kind it was, but mostly creamy white feathers with streaks of reddish brown. Probably a juvenile something or other.

We now are seeing 4 male indigo buntings at the feeder and I sure do not want to lose a single one of them, or their females which I am not sure how to identify. Plus, we have a few dozen goldfinches, male and female, and the cardinals, so it has become very colorful to watch.

I am wondering whether the red pepper has any effect on the soil or the plants?

I feed the birds in our backyard and have a wonderful view of them at the feeder. Brings me a lot of joy. My favorite is a pair of cardinals. Generally the male and female are usually close by each other, but not generally in the same spot at the same time. Spring has changed that---they now can be seen eating together---and the best part is when they fly to each other and the male feeds the female. How cute!

So feeding the birds means I have a lot of squirrels. One thing I noticed is that they spot anything new in the garden---new plants planted, new pots appearing, pots moved to another spot---and they have to "check" it all out. I have a lot of hostas in pots, but in the early spring when I have to bring them out of the garage, I put them on a table or overturned garbage can because I know that the squirrels are especially hungry in the spring and they will definitely be digging in them. (Only problem is that I am getting more hostas, more pots and running out of room!) I don't know if you may remember my other method of deterring the squirrels in pots---plastic mesh that fit to cover the soil and held down with clips (previous thread). I also have been known to put decorative rocks on the soil around my hostas. I do all that until everything else is growing and then there is more available for the squirrels to eat and they seem less of a problem.

Quite agile they are. One of those captured moments in my backyard.