Garden Eating Critters

[Mango134]

So, I really want to start a nice big garden in the yard but there are so many squirrels/deer/rabbits/birds/chipmunks/ground moles/etc. and of course I love having the critters but we've tried the gardens before, no success because they eat the seeds before anything can begin to grow. I definitely want to do organic and to be honest, I don't know a whole lot about gardening. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I could do about all of the critters?

[kaybee]

youll probably need to fence it. and bury the wire a foot or so underground as well, so they cant dig in. there are probably better instructions for this on the internet. rabbits can clear a whole garden in no time. deer could too im sure. deer are tougher because they can jump high, so not sure about this unless you fenced it all in and then put dividers in it to somehow make it look uncomfortably small for the deer to jump into, not sure. you could also put up big closeline poles and drape netting over the whole thing after fencing it, as we did with blueberry bushes.

[Mango134]

thanks for the suggestions, i know i need the fence and netting but does the wire underground stop ground moles? they are what we have the most trouble with i think.

[kaybee]

argh. i know nothing about them, sorry :( do they eat your stuff? gosh thats a tricky one.. hmm. maybe google it to try to find humane no kill methods? bleh. sorry youre having this problem :( i wonder if theres a deterrent herb you could put down into their tunnels to make them go elsewhere.

[Green_Woman]

I would suggest trying a fenced, Raised Bed Garden with a layer of rocks (tiny spaces between but not big enough for animals) beneath your 18-24" of compost/fertilizer...

[kaybee]

yeah thats a good idea! i guess you could also try using a very fine-gauge (i.e very small holes) wire under the rocks or instead of the rocks too, that would probably ensure nobody gets through it.

[Mango134]

ooo very good ideas..... i will have to try them! thanks!