Urban and rural foxes are clever, persistent, and surprisingly resourceful. While they’re fascinating creatures, they can cause headaches for gardeners and allotment holders – digging up flowerbeds and crops, scavenging in bins, damaging equipment, chewing through irrigation systems, and even leaving behind an unpleasant mess.
If you’re struggling to keep foxes out of your garden, here are some practical steps to protect your plants, tools, and peace of mind.
Understand Why Foxes Come into Gardens
Before you can stop foxes digging in your garden and causing trouble on your plot, it helps to understand why they’re there in the first place. Typically, foxes are attracted to:
- Food sources – Ripe fruit, vegetables, compost bins, or unsecured pet food.
- Shelter – Dense vegetation, sheds, or quiet polytunnels can seem like safe hiding spots.
- Curiosity – Foxes are naturally inquisitive and will explore new scents or structures.
Identifying what’s attracting foxes to your garden makes it easier to cut off the appeal.
Establish a Fox Proof Barrier
Foxes are agile climbers, jumpers, and diggers. A good physical barrier is often your first and best line of defence.
- Fencing – Install a fence at least 6ft (1.83m) high, with a sturdy base. Bury the bottom of the fence at least 1ft (30cm) underground to deter digging, and add an outward-angled top to make it harder for foxes to scale the fence.
- Close gaps – Check for gaps under gates and between fence panels. Foxes only need a small opening to squeeze through.
- Netting and cages – Fine mesh netting and fruit cages can protect vulnerable crops, particularly soft fruits and leafy greens. Ensure the netting is taut and pegged down securely.
Fox proof fencing for allotments
For allotments, working together with neighbouring plot holders to secure the entire site perimeter can be more effective than individual efforts to keep these allotment pests out.
Protect The Crops Inside Your Polytunnel
Foxes rarely eat every type of crop – they’re more likely to dig up beds looking for worms or insects, or chew on particularly fragrant fruits or roots. In and around a
polytunnel, they can also cause damage by scratching or chewing the polythene cover.
Here’s what to do to protect your polytunnel from foxes:
- Keep the polytunnel doors latched whenever you’re not inside.
- On the inside, use mesh barriers around especially tempting crops like strawberries, corn, or root vegetables.
- Use plant-based fertilisers rather than fertilisers that contain blood, bone, meat and fish products which can encourage curiosity.
- Install a ‘bird scarer’ style barrier to prevent foxes from climbing on the top of the polytunnel.
- Create a physical barrier around the polytunnel using wire mesh buried in the ground, making it harder for foxes to dig under, jump onto, or chew the polythene cover.
Deter Foxes with Smells and Sounds
Foxes rely heavily on their sense of smell. You can use that to your advantage by knowing what smells keep foxes away.
- Commercial fox repellents – Fox deterrent sprays, based on predator scents, are available and can be applied around key areas.
- Homemade fox deterrents – Some gardeners use strong-smelling substances like garlic, chilli pepper, cayenne pepper, or white vinegar, but these need regular refreshing.
- Fox deterrent plants – Growing plants and herbs with strong scents, such as lavender, rosemary, mint, marigolds, and geraniums are known to repel foxes.
- Motion-activated devices – Lights, sprinklers, or ultrasonic noise emitters can also startle and keep foxes out without harming them.
Foxes quickly adapt if a deterrent never changes, so be sure to rotate between different repellents or combine strategies for better results.
Keep Equipment and Supplies Secure
Foxes are known for chewing through hoses and irrigation pipes, scratching and biting at
polytunnel covers, as well as scattering tools around. You can protect your gardening equipment in a number of ways:
- Store tools indoors – Sheds or locked storage boxes work best.
- Protect irrigation – Consider burying hoses or using rigid pipe in vulnerable areas.
- Cover compost heaps – Especially those with kitchen scraps, which act as a dinner invitation for foxes.
- Tie down loose materials – Netting, fleece, or plastic can be dragged off by curious foxes.
Manage the Wider Environment
Sometimes fox activity increases because of easy food or shelter nearby – even if it’s not on your property.
- Talk to neighbours – Politely ask if anyone is feeding foxes or leaving food out for pets.
- Limit hiding places – Clear overgrown areas, stack materials neatly, and block access under sheds or decking.
- Keep bins secure – Ensure lids fit tightly and bags aren’t left exposed.
Be Consistent and Humane
Foxes are persistent, so you’ll need to be too. Combining physical barriers, deterrents, and good housekeeping is the best way to keep foxes out of your garden and off your plot.
It’s also important to use humane fox repellent methods. Foxes are a protected species in many areas, and any deterrence methods should avoid causing harm. Scaring them off and removing the things that attract them is both legal and ethical.
Key Takeaways on Keeping Foxes Out of Your Garden
Keeping foxes away from your garden, allotment, and polytunnel is a balance of prevention and persistence. By understanding what draws them in, securing vulnerable areas, and regularly maintaining your plot, you can protect your crops and equipment – and enjoy a thriving garden without unwanted visitors.