How to Keep Animals Out of Your Garden
Your garden is thriving. You are harvesting and enjoying the fruits of your labor, and a few animals want to join the party. As much as you may be sympathetic to their cause, you can’t let them bring chaos into the order you have meticulously created in your garden. So, how to keep animals away from your garden becomes a vital skill.
Fence
The first thing you can do to minimize the appearance of pests is to fence your garden. Higher fences will keep animals like deer away, while shorter fencing can help keep animals out like rabbits.
Wire cloche
The second protection method to consider is a wire cloche. This one is effective when you notice that a particular plant has been under attack. Place these on top of the specific plant; they will keep animals from chewing on your hard work.
Baffles
Baffles are domes that can be attached to poles. This method is designed to keep squirrels away.
Hot pepper sauce
Hot pepper sauce can be sprayed on your plants to change their taste. This will make them unappealing to pests and reduce their motivation to keep snacking on your produce. You can make this solution at home by creating a fusion of hot pepper sauce and natural dish soap.
- Add some water and place the mixture into a spray bottle.
- You can also use store-bought repellents, but these will be highly dependent on what type of pests you have.
- Speak to an expert for additional assistance.
Aside from these methods, you could opt to grow plants that repel animals. For example, lavender is a great plant to grow if you want to repel insects like mosquitoes, moths, and fleas. This plant is great to be placed near your house entryway as well.
- Chrysanthemums contain pyrethrum, which is utilized in dog shampoo to ward off insects. The plant’s benefits are found even in its natural form.
- The pyrethrum can kill ticks, roaches, spider mites, ants, and even bedbugs. You can place them in pots dispersed throughout your garden.
- Basil keeps away houseflies and mosquitoes. This plant is best kept in sitting areas around your garden. Nasturtiums are perfect for planting amidst your vegetables and your flower beds.
- If you decide to grow mint as a protective plant, ensure that it is kept in a confined pot, as it can spread and grow rapidly, eventually overtaking your garden. Other plants to consider are petunias and rosemary.
Another way to keep animals out of your garden without harming them is to employ noise. This will make the animals think that a predator or a human being is in the garden, which will decrease the likelihood of them showing up uninvited.
- Leaving a radio on or hanging wind chimes can be an effective tool. You can also consider providing an alternative nourishment source for the animals. This will help them focus on consuming what you set out instead of nibbling on your plants. An example would be to install a bird feeder and see how the animals respond.
How to preserve your harvest
So, your garden is producing, and now, you have an abundance of homegrown produce at your disposal. First, you should start preserving your harvest so that you have access to good fresh food for months to come. You can preserve your foods by fermenting, freezing, canning, drying, or infusing.
Fermentation for preserving is one of the oldest food preservation methods. This process can increase the availability of nutrients and introduce probiotics through a process called Lacto-fermentation. Most vegetables respond well to fermentation.
Through fermentation, you can also obtain yogurt, miso, kimchi, tempeh, kombucha, and sourdough. This process is sometimes done by adding salt to a food item; it generates a ripe environment for microbes to multiply while the harmful bacteria are unable to thrive. This leads to yeast being present and actively breaking down the food item, turning it into acid and other compounds. This acid is what produces the tarty flavor that fermented products have.
When you collect vegetables from your garden, shred them and place them in Ziplock bags. Then, put them in the freezer for long-term preservation and consumption. This is one of the simpler food preserving methods. Most fruits and vegetables that are put in the freezer do not look or taste appetizing once defrosted. You won’t get that “crunch” like when you bite into a fresh from the garden cucumber or that savory taste when you eat a fresh strawberry.
So, if you’re going to freeze fruits and veggies just know that most of them will do well as prep-ready foods for cooking, making into smoothies, jams, and juices. Then there is the canning process that has been around for over 200 years. Water bath canning and pressure canning.
Each type is best for certain foods and this method allows you to preserve food in airtight jars in the pantry that can last a long time. If you’re going to go this route which is time-consuming but very rewarding you for sure need a large pantry or plenty of shelf storage. You can also dehydrate your food and store them in a jar. These will be ready for use whenever you need them.
- This is the drying method, and it involves extracting moisture from a food item to prevent the growth of bacteria.
- This can be done by the oven or a dehydrator. If you can’t get a dehydrator, the oven is just as good but takes longer. You want to heat your oven as low as you can. Usually, 140°F or lower. You want to cut the food the same thickness. A sliver works great for this. They pop in the oven for about 8 hours or until the food has shrunk and is crispy. If it’s fully done it will give you a snap sound and should break. If it just bends, then it still has moisture in it and needs to bake longer. Note the thinker the food is the longer it will take. Once the food has cooled completely store it in jars.
- Air drying is effective when you want to preserve spices and herbs. Infusion is the process of extracting the chemical compounds of certain foods into a solvent, such as alcohol or oil, which will allow the final product to become a synergy between the food item and the liquid.
- Infusion is great if you want to create things like infused honey, oils, vinegar, alcohol, and much more. You want to make sure that your vegetables or fruits of choice are not scraped or bruised. Sterilize your containers to eradicate the risk of residual pathogens being present.
- Once your final product is created, you can freeze or refrigerate it to preserve its quality. This will also decrease the probability of bacterial reproduction.