I have squirrel problems too. One thing that has been pretty good for me are white fabric hairnets, also called bouffant caps - the kind they use in clean rooms. I'll use a larger round pot and plant several seeds about 1" apart or whatever in it. I also top off with chicken grit if I think the seedling can compete with it. Then I stick a chop stick in the middle, put the hairnet over it (they are reusable BTW and last from year to year). Then I put a rubber band around that. It doesn't heat up like plastic, it lets the rain in and keeps the seedlings from drying out, keeps them from being crushed by water, keeps them from scorching in full sun. You can also water through them. Open it up once and a while for circulation if it's particularly damp out for a few weeks. The hairnets will stay on without the rubberbands but animals might take them to make their nests. Here is a link for this type of cap, though I am not sure what brand I have. Here is a link that might be useful: Bouffant Caps

Whats the problem with them finding food and eating it Gosh humans and dogs cant eat it because its toxic and is even banned in some states. Gosh just let them eat They probably don’t have anything else to eat. I read they only eat that if its nothing else around for them to eat. How about you buy them some unsalted nuts instead of trying to throw pee on them. Would you like someone to do that to you if you were homeless and trying to find food to survive? Why be a mean evil person when you SEE THEY ARE NOT HUMAN AND CANT GET A JOB SO THEY HAVE TO FIND FOOD EVEN IF ITS IN YOUR YARD. ITS CALLED WILDLIFE AND TRYING TO SURVIVE JUST LIKE YOU. I GUESS YOU’d have to be homeless to understand that You reap what you sow. I bet those squirrels planted many trees and gardens but humans just mow the garden away and chop down the trees which is their food supply and home. I BET THE SQUIRRELS PLANTED THE SEED THAT GREW THAT TREE WAY BEFORE YOU WERE BORN SO HAVE A HEART Your looking at the tree as beauty but they look at it as surving. Please just try to understand. Thank You!

Vera, I know, isn't it hilarious?!! I wish I had thought to have the camera up and ready when I told him he had to leave. He managed to flip around in there and come up head first. He peered over the edge at me before he skedaddled. It would have made a priceless picture. Lisa

One thing I've tried but sadly, it only works for a short time is this: Spray the pole and every place the squirrels may touch with oily cooking spray. Then sprinkle it HEAVILY with red pepper. They really hate red pepper. The rain will wash it all away and red pepper is NOT cheap in the bigger containers, but it works. I mostly use it when I'm at my wit's end just to get the satisfaction of watching them try to get to the seed but can't. If someone could come up with a good reliable and affordable solution to this, they could make a lot of money! We've tried all the squirrel baffles, supposedly squirrel proof feeders, etc. but they always find a way around it.