Growing food for ourselves, we happen to eat the same sorts of things that the animals do, but then for some reason we forget that we are a part of this world. So we assume that the animals are "Out to get us!" When in fact, they're just hungry and we've given them some tasty foods to eat. As spring is coming on here, we see plenty of rabbits and it looks like the groundhogs are still around. We have a fence for the garden i want to protect the most. They can climb through. Not a great design. Oops. Given that we know the animals will be helping themselves what are ways to make sure we get some return? 1. plant extra 2. plant more than one garden 3. plant sacrificial (plant their zone 1 for them away from our zone 1) 4. plant diversity 5. stagger some plantings 6. fencing for your most important areas 7. have a water source away from the house/gardens 8. try not to get mad when something happens -- it will
Yeah! All of the above. We dont have ground hogs or alot of other nasties that other countries do but, is the problem that we have messed up the diversity of nature so badly that they home in on the ones who are trying to grow......things. I think it night be a matter of keeping on going no matter what. All the badies out there in the world of nature, have as much right to be here as we do. Things become a problem when things get out of balance and man are they what! I have been reading about how bad wasps are for honey bees to the point of kiling whole hives. I have a huge wasp population, I knew that before I got my hive, so I put a robber screen on permanently so they dont kill MY hive. I still have tons of wasps. I see them on the willow everytime I open the kitchen windows, but have also seen them snacking on my feeder shoulder to shoulder with honey bees and butterflies. I have a huge aphid population as well as a huge white butterfly populaton, no brocolli for me for a while. Yet these things are also feeding the wasps and they dont seem to be at all interested in taking on my baby hive. Add to your list:- Find out what these things like and plant for them Find out there predators like and plant those too. I guess it helps if you have a bit of land to work with, otherwise, I guess there is always gorilla gardening for other lifeforms rather than ours. I have been eyeballing the railway track that runs across the road form my house as a possible venue for a homeless shelter for unwanted, unloved bugs.
