6 Best Squirrel Netting to Protect Your Garden Plants

There’s a unique frustration that comes from watching a perfect, sun-ripened tomato disappear just a day before you planned to pick it. More often than not, the culprit is a squirrel, whose acrobatic determination can undermine weeks of hard work in a single morning. Securing your harvest requires a physical barrier, and choosing the right netting is the most reliable defense you can deploy.

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Why Squirrels Target Your Garden Harvest

Squirrels are not malicious; they are opportunistic and incredibly resourceful foragers. Your garden represents a five-star buffet, offering a dense, reliable source of food and water that is far more efficient to raid than foraging in the wild. They are primarily after high-energy foods like nuts, seeds, and fruits, which is why your strawberries, corn, and sunflowers are prime targets.

However, their damage isn’t limited to what they eat. Squirrels are notorious for "caching," or burying food for later, and they will dig up tender seedlings and bulbs in the process, mistaking them for buried treasures or simply clearing a spot. A newly planted bed of garlic or tulips can be decimated overnight not because they ate the bulbs, but because they dug them all up looking for a place to hide a single acorn. This constant digging and sampling behavior is what makes them such a persistent threat to a wide variety of plants, not just the ones they intend to consume.

Key Features in Effective Garden Netting

When selecting netting specifically for squirrels, not all products are created equal. The single most important feature is the mesh size. A mesh with openings larger than one inch will allow smaller, more determined squirrels to squeeze through or get their heads stuck, which can harm the animal and still damage your crops. A mesh size of 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch is ideal, as it’s small enough to block squirrels while still allowing for good airflow and pollinator access.

Material and durability are the next critical considerations. Most garden netting is made from UV-stabilized polypropylene or polyethylene, which resists breaking down in the sun. For areas with intense squirrel pressure, however, plastic netting can be chewed through. In these cases, a metal mesh like hardware cloth or chicken wire becomes necessary, trading flexibility for impenetrable defense. Consider how you plan to use it; a flexible plastic net is perfect for draping over bushes, while a rigid metal mesh is better for constructing permanent frames around raised beds.

De-Bird Garden Netting: A Versatile Choice

De-Bird’s netting is the workhorse of the small garden. It’s a lightweight, UV-treated polypropylene net that’s strong enough to deter the casual squirrel investigator without the cost or complexity of a heavy-duty system. Its 3/4-inch mesh is the sweet spot—small enough to keep squirrels and most destructive birds out, but large enough to let bees and other pollinators do their work. It’s flexible, easy to cut, and simple to drape over bushes or stretch over a basic frame.

This is the right choice for the generalist gardener with moderate squirrel problems. If you need to protect your blueberry bushes for the season, cover a row of ripening tomatoes, or shield a newly seeded bed, De-Bird provides an effective and affordable solution. It’s not chew-proof and won’t stop a highly motivated squirrel, but for most common applications, it provides the perfect balance of protection, ease of use, and value.

Feitore Deer Netting: Heavy-Duty Protection

Don’t let the name fool you; netting designed to stop a 150-pound deer is more than capable of handling a one-pound squirrel. Feitore Deer Netting is made from a thicker, more durable polypropylene than standard bird netting, giving it superior strength and tear resistance. While the mesh is often larger (around 3/4 inch), its robust construction means a squirrel is far less likely to chew through it or create a hole by force.

This is the netting for someone protecting a larger plot or a long row of valuable crops, like a prized raspberry patch. Its strength allows you to pull it taut over longer distances without sagging or tearing, making it ideal for building fence-like enclosures or covering large cold frames. If you’ve had issues with cheaper nets tearing or you need a single, durable solution for a bigger area, the added toughness of Feitore is a worthwhile investment.

Gardman Grow Tunnel: For Easy Row Coverage

The Gardman Grow Tunnel is less a roll of netting and more of a complete, out-of-the-box system. It consists of a series of wire hoops integrated into a sleeve of fine mesh netting, creating an instant cloche that you can expand over a row of plants. The setup takes seconds—just unfold it and push the wire ends into the soil. This design keeps the netting off your plants, preventing squirrels from simply pushing down on the net to reach the foliage or fruit beneath.

This is the perfect solution for the time-crunched gardener with vulnerable row crops like lettuce, strawberries, or bush beans. Its convenience is unmatched; there’s no cutting, no separate frame to build, and no complicated securing process. While it’s not suited for large bushes or sprawling vine plants, for protecting neat rows of low-growing crops from squirrels and cabbage moths alike, the Gardman Grow Tunnel is the most efficient and hassle-free option available.

Amagabeli Hardware Cloth: Chew-Proof Metal

When you are facing a relentless squirrel assault and plastic netting has failed, it’s time to bring in the ultimate defense: metal. Amagabeli Hardware Cloth is a galvanized steel mesh, typically with 1/2-inch or 1/4-inch openings, that is absolutely chew-proof. Squirrels, rabbits, and even raccoons cannot break through it. It’s rigid, allowing you to build sturdy, self-supporting cages, lids for raised beds, or underground barriers to stop burrowing pests.

This is a permanent solution for high-value, high-risk areas. If you have a dedicated kitchen garden in a raised bed or need to protect a specific fruit tree espalier, hardware cloth is the definitive answer. It is more expensive and requires more effort to cut and install, involving wire snips and gloves. But if you are tired of replacing damaged netting year after year and want a fortress for your plants, this is the only choice that guarantees complete physical protection.

VIVOSUN Bird Netting: A Flexible Drape-Over

VIVOSUN offers a lightweight, flexible netting that excels in one key area: draping. Its soft, pliable material easily conforms to the shape of irregular plants like grape vines, sprawling squash, or densely packed fruit trees without damaging tender stems or leaves. The fine mesh is effective against squirrels and birds, and its light weight means it won’t weigh down delicate branches. It’s easy to gather and secure at the base of a plant with zip ties or twine.

This is the go-to choice for protecting individual, non-uniform plants rather than entire beds. If you have a single prized cherry tree or a few blueberry bushes that need temporary protection as fruit ripens, VIVOSUN is an excellent, low-impact option. It’s not designed for high-tension applications or permanent structures, but for quick, effective, and gentle coverage of specific plants, its flexibility is a major advantage.

Agfabric Netting: An Affordable Garden Staple

Sometimes, the goal isn’t perfect protection but broad, cost-effective coverage. Agfabric offers netting in large, bulk rolls at a very competitive price point, making it a practical staple for any hobby farm. The quality is solid—it’s a standard polypropylene mesh that does the job—but its main selling point is the sheer quantity you get for your money. This allows you to double it up for extra strength or cover a very large garden area without a major financial outlay.

This is the right product for the pragmatic gardener on a budget or someone with a large area to protect. If you need to cover an entire patch of corn, a long run of peas, or several large beds, buying Agfabric in bulk is the most economical way to do it. It provides a solid baseline of defense that will stop most opportunistic pests, and if a section gets damaged, cutting a patch or replacing it doesn’t feel like a significant loss.

Proper Netting Installation for Best Results

Simply throwing a net over your plants is a recipe for failure. A determined squirrel will crawl underneath, push the netting down to reach the fruit, or find a loose corner. The key to success is creating a sealed enclosure. The netting must be suspended above the plants on a frame or hoops and must be securely fastened to the ground or the sides of a raised bed.

For ground-level beds, use garden staples or rocks to pin the netting firmly to the soil every few feet, leaving no gaps. For raised beds, you can staple the netting to the wooden frame for a more permanent seal. It’s crucial to ensure the net is taut; a loose, sagging net can still allow a squirrel to press down and access the plants. Take the extra 30 minutes to build a simple PVC or wood frame—it will make the difference between a minor deterrent and a truly effective barrier.

Combining Netting With Other Deterrents

Netting is your best physical defense, but it works even better as part of a multi-pronged strategy. Squirrels are creatures of habit, and disrupting their comfort zone can encourage them to forage elsewhere. Start by making your garden less attractive. Remove other food sources like fallen fruit from trees and secure your bird feeders with squirrel-proof baffles so they don’t see your property as a reliable food court.

Next, consider sensory deterrents. Products containing predator urine (like coyote or fox) can be sprayed around the perimeter of the garden to create a sense of danger. Many gardeners also have success with strong scents that squirrels dislike, such as cayenne pepper, peppermint oil, or crushed garlic, sprinkled on the soil around vulnerable plants. While these methods are not foolproof on their own, when used in combination with well-installed netting, they create layers of defense that make your garden a much less appealing target.

Ultimately, protecting your harvest from squirrels is about choosing the right tool for your specific situation and installing it with care. Whether you need a simple drape-over net for a few berry bushes or a permanent metal cage for a raised bed, the right barrier will ensure that you, not the wildlife, get to enjoy the fruits of your labor. A little planning and a secure installation can turn a season of frustration into one of bountiful success.