The Best Way To Squirrel-Proof Your Bird Feeder

About This Episode

The best way to squirrel-proof your bird feeder. Plus, Grumpy shares his plant of the month, Goodness Grows Veronica.

Question Of The Week

"We have a great question today from Jill. My squirrel-proof bird feeder doesn't work. Squirrels shimmyright up the post and eat all the seeds. Any advice?"

Grumpy Answers: Squirrels are relentless and hateful and they will find a way to get to the seeds, no matter how squirrel-proof the feeder says it is. This is just one of the many reasons I wish squirrels tasted better, so we could catch and eat them on a nation-wide scale, just like Nellah grew up doing.

Don't worry about the birds because birds don't react to capsaicin. So, if you wanna try these special pepper-ant treated seeds, I've tried them, and they work. It's really a lot of fun. Try these products from Cole's, that's C-O-L-E-'S. They have a couple different products. One of them is called HotMeats and what those are, are shelled sunflower seeds, or they also have a Blazing Hot Blend, which is a blend of seeds that appeal to a wide variety of birds. Now, you can order these seeds online, justGoogle, uh, Cole's Hot Meats, or bird seeds, or whatever.

The more you feed squirrels, the more babies that they have, and the more bird feeders they attack, and the more attics they invade. So, everyone out there listening, if you have a problem with squirrels.

Plant Of The Week

Goodness Grows Veronica, it's a perennial, common name is Speedwell. I have it in my garden and I love it. It's a compact perennial that forms a clump about a foot wide. And, starting in spring, you'll see spikes of showy violet-blue flowers, which are good for attracting butterflies. They stand, um, one to two feet tall. And, they start appearing in spring. And, if you cut off the dead flowers as they fade, they will bloom all the way through the summer time. And, they're really easy to grow. And they are good for people who live in USDA zones three to eight.

About Ask Grumpy

Ask Grumpy is a podcast featuring Steve Bender, also known as Southern Living’s Grumpy Gardener. For more than 30 years, Grumpy has been sharing advice on what to grow, when to plant, and how to manage just about anything in your garden. Tune in for short episodes every Wednesday and Saturday as Grumpy answers reader questions, solves seasonal conundrums, and provides need-to-know advice for gardeners with his very Grumpy sense of humor. Be sure to follow Ask Grumpy on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen so you don't miss an episode.

Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript does not go through our standard editorial process and may contain inaccuracies and grammatical errors.