The Battle Begins...

Last week, I regaled you with tales of my nascent garden, but the battle of gardener vs. pest has already begun.

This morning, I went to my potato boxes to add more fill soil around the growing plants. Yikes! Something ate the leaves off of three-quarters of the plants. A neighbor suggested perhaps rabbits were the culprits, but unless the hares have stilts, that’s unlikely since the top of the boxes are waist high.

The most likely varmint was a deer. A single deer can eat up to ten pounds of plants each day. The area is now barricaded with some old cucumber trellises.

And the eaters were not picky. They also polished off a pot of petunias and coleus, either as hors d’oeuvres or dessert.

So far, my make-do fencing has protected the tomatoes and peppers. Stay tuned.

Chicken Wire cages stand guard over the squash, cucumber, bean, and melon beds.

Nearby, another neighbor has kicked his plant protection up a notch: his gorgeous, productive garden is surrounded by two layers of defense. First, there is a standard post-and-wire fence. He began with this method, but after finding a stag in the middle of his plot he added an electric fence as an outer perimeter.

A helpful Tractor Supply clerk recommended this particular fertilizer as an animal pest repellent. Tomorrow, I will spread it widely and hope it works.

Reporting from Garden Fort Knox, Author JL Huffman.

Are you a gardener? What pest challenges do you encounter?

You can follow the Author on her Website or X (formerly Twitter).