Some people have mentioned using cinnamon to repel the ants in pots, too.
IF the ants re-locate nearby, though, you may have 2 or 3 nests where there was only one before. Ant bait is the one exception I make about using chemicals in my garden. You use so little, and it is a targeted bait that only those non-native evil ants will take. Once they bring enough of it back to the nest it kills the queen and the whole nest. A worthwhile compromise, imho.
