I thought this was the year. The year that I finally figured it out. You’ve probably been hearing me complain for years about our squirrels eating my pumpkins, digging up my plants, eating my flowers. The squirrels in Prairie Village, Kansas are vicious. They take no prisoners.

And this year…I thought I figured it out. Figured out how to squirrel proof my pumpkins from becoming soon-to-be hibernating squirrels food.

Every year, I put out my sweet little pumpkins, and everything looks cute and fall-ish for a week at best. And then, they find the pumpkins. And they chew through them like they aren’t being fed off-cast seeds from my bird feeder every dang day (which they are. They are very well fed squirrels.).

I had a small success. Maybe with my outrageous squirrels you’d call is more than just small success…but this year, my pumpkins were out for well over a month before they met their fate.

Here’s what I did….

• Clear semi-gloss spray paint
• Red pepper

Squirrels hate, unless they are idiots like my squirrels, spicy things. That’s why bird stores sell hot pepper bird seed and suet! Keeps those pesky squirrels away.

So this year, beyond just spray painting my pumpkins, I gave them a good shake of red pepper all over while the paint was still wet.

And it worked. For a long time.

Until they got so hungry and desperate they decided to eat though the I’m sure not good for them spray paint and red pepper powder….

Anybody have a way that really works to keep away squirrels?