June 24, 2007 Vegetable Gardening

We have finally started to plant our vegetable garden. This is quite a chore, as some of you may know. Though we are not garden novices, this is only our second year at planting vegetables. Visions of pickled beets and bread and butter pickles dance through our dreams. We can almost taste the salad made with radish, green onions and other fresh picked greens. Last year though, we were raided. Since we live way out in the country on a hundred and thirty five acres of land, we know the raid was not done by humans, but by those with wings and fur and slime. Yes our raid was made by birds, slugs, rabbits and our dog Ike. Our wish for fresh Brussels sprouts were gone as a rabbit, possibly two, harvested them first. So how do we protect our garden this year from nature's raiders?

According to Please Don't Eat My Garden by Nancy McCord, if you plant Allium around your vegetables, they will repel mice, rabbits and moles. If you plant them around the outside of your garden, it will keep not only rabbits but raccoons, skunks, and woodchucks out. You will also find other remedies to safeguard your garden against those who would otherwise move in and harvest your garden before you can blink.

In the book Slug Bread and Beheaded Thistles by Ellen Sandbeck, you can enlist your
children to go slug hunting. Fill a spray bottle with half vinegar and half water. Take a flashlight and head out to the garden. As you flash your light on the ground let the children to spray the slugs.

What about those cute furry little chipmunks? We've all seen them raiding out feeders, but did you know one of the Chipmunks favorite thing to do is to go after your strawberries? In the book titled Squirrel Wars by George Harrison you should sprinkle cayenne pepper around the plants to keep the chipmunks away, but remember to repeat after it rains.

You have to remember though, that not all bugs and crawly creatures are bad. Earthworms and night crawlers are great for your garden. Check out Good Bugs for your Garden by Allison Mia Starcher. She writes not only about the benefits of earthworms but of other creatures such as spiders, mites and beetles.

Perhaps you have an insect that you can not identify. Do not try to destroy it as it may be an insect that is good for your garden. Take a look at Garden Insects of North America by Whitney Cranshaw. This book will help you identify not only outside garden insects but those who have decided that your indoor plants are tasty as well.

I recently have come across a book that seems perfect for me, perhaps you may also like to check it out. Vegetable Gardening for Dummies by Charlie Nardozzi. It has several areas that deal with pests. My favorite is when they talk about Handpicking. This works on the larger bugs. It seems that you grab bugs by the tail and body slam them to the ground and stomp on them. This would be another great family activity, maybe?

If you are internet smart try the following interesting sites.
http://essentialgardenguide.com and http://www.canadiancountrywoman.com These sites all
have interesting ideas to help keep the pests away from your garden.

I hope you have a happy gardening season with few garden raids. Now if I could only stop Ike the dog from digging up my plants and moving them to the driveway.

Nancy Randle is a Library Technician at the MJLB Library