Experts say garlic can be used as a natural deterrent to help keep pests at bay this winter – and it’s simple to do.Angela Patrone Senior Lifestyle Reporter and Isobel Pankhurst Audience Writer
15:46, 06 Jan 2026Updated 15:46, 06 Jan 2026
Gardeners urged to put garlic around their garden in January(Image: Catherine Falls Commercial via Getty Images)
Keen gardeners are being urged to pop garlic bulbs into their outdoor spaces this winter as a shield against a troublesome intruder. Despite January’s typically dreary and wet conditions, gardens remain a magnet for – and occasionally fall victim to – unwelcome rat visitors.
When it comes to fending off these furry trespassers, getting your timing spot-on is crucial. Whilst you’re hanging on for the pest control pros to turn up, there’s no point twiddling your thumbs.
Enter homemade rodent repellents to work their magic. Garlic’s talents stretch far beyond jazzing up your go-to meals.
Its powerful, sharp aroma can serve as “a natural and effective way to repel rats “, say the specialists at Proof Pest Control.
Deter rats from your garden with garlic(Image: Getty)
Deploying garlic as a rat deterrent couldn’t be simpler. Just smash up some fresh cloves and dot them around spots where you’ve clocked rat movement in your plot.
For a more enduring shield, pop the crushed cloves into a mesh pouch and dangle them in troublesome zones.
Alternatively, whip up a garlic spray by blending garlic oil with water. Spraying it near potential nesting locations establishes a boundary that rats will be desperate to avoid.
Given that rats depend heavily on their sense of smell to sniff out food and sense threats, powerful scents like garlic throw them off course, prompting them to flee.
Beyond rats, garlic proves handy for keeping slugs at bay, too. Slugs are utterly repelled by its overpowering smell which genuinely disturbs them.
Deter slugs with garlic (Image: Getty)
Garlic is packed with allicin, a compound that’s unleashed when the bulb is squashed. Oddly enough, slugs are initially drawn to the scent.
However, after some time, the aroma agitates their mucous membranes, effectively driving them away.
Whip up a garlic water concoction using the veggie, which is as easy as pie and can be tweaked to your preferred strength.
Spritz or douse your plants with your homemade garlic deterrent weekly throughout the year, essentially for as long as you have growing plants that you cherish and don’t want to fall prey to slugs.
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