OK then.
How about a cup of coffee and one of those "This house is guarded by Smith & Wesson" written in Squirrelish?

:biggrin:

Didn't see the apartment complex bit. Sort of rules out fence/dog. Chicken wire might work.

Poison is NEVER a good solution. Any animal can get into it and/or a non-offending animal could eat the dead one. Not good, not good at all.

I have no issues w/the gun solution but unless you're out in the country somewhere and it's permissible to fire a gun...that will likely get the police showing up at your door. In an apartment complex...probably not the wisest solution.

Dogs don't always work...I know this because even though I had 3 dogs that all loved to chase squirrels, I still had squirrel problems. We also have several feral cats running around and the squirrels basically laugh at them. With that said, we do feed them along w/the birds so I have a lot of them and I know it's my own doing. Personally, I get a kick out of watching the squirrels so I figure, for me, it's just part of the story of my growing plants outside.

The only true protection is making it impossible for the squirrels to get to the plants. A cage of sorts around them would work. I know someone who built enclosures for their orchids (wood frame w/chicken wire) so the squirrels couldn't get to them. I just deal w/the occasional mess. For me, the birds and chipmunks are more frequently messing w/the orchids than the squirrels. Carolina Wrens and Chickadees (the 2 I think are the cutest!) are the worst! Chipmunks bury things in the pots and pull out medium. Oh, and the Robins like to pluck off buds. I still haven't figured the Robin problem out...they pluck them off and drop them. Strange. Between critters and weather...Mother Nature can be brutal.

The predator urine type repellents are somewhat effective. Worth trying if you have few other choices.