LARGE PESTS IN THE GARDEN

Pests are always a consideration in the garden.  There are all manner of creepy crawlies waiting with baited breath to devour any seed before it can sprout or to nibble and suck on any new shoot.  While these are a nuisance and harmful to the garden, there are also lots of creepy crawlies waiting to nibble and suck at these pests to keep them in balance.  Not using pesticides (which tend to remove the balance by more effectively killing the good ones than the bad ones), a little soapy water and some manual removal of pests to shift the balance in your favor works well.

However, the most notable pests in my garden are not so numerous, but much more destructive.  Yes, I am referring to the local wildlife.  Living in the woods means an abundance of wildlife and they are always hungry.  Over the years, I have tried numerous methods of repelling the local wildlife to no avail.  Blood meal, fishing line and harsh deodorant soap, to name a few.  The deer actually ate the soap before munching the apple trees.  Rabbits seem totally indifferent to any attempt.

These photos should serve as an example of the destruction.  On the left is a picture of my green bean row about a week ago, and the one on the right was taken over the weekend.  As you can see, the more recent picture has a marked lack of leaves.

I had expected rabbits would nibble them a bit, but this was not rabbits.  Tracks show that I have been invaded by deer.  Not only has the large doe I have seen a few times this summer found my garden, but she is also teaching her two fawns where the food is.
The far end of the okra row has also been defoliated and the okra pods which were almost ready to pick are gone.  I had no idea that deer liked okra, but it seems they do.

Over time, deer populations have fluctuated greatly in response to the increase and decrease of local hunters.  The past couple of years with almost no hunting in the area has led to a much larger population.  Since there are not enough large predators in the area to keep the population stable, hunting is the basic means of keeping the deer herd from overpopulating and becoming a nuisance.

Hopefully, next year I can plant enough (and enough variety) to supply the wildlife and have enough left for my own use.  Meanwhile, one has to remember that, unless one is a vegetarian, the garden is not the only source of food on the homestead.

If anyone has suggestions for keeping the wildlife out of the garden, I would gladly try just about anything that I haven't already tried.  So far about the only thing I haven't tried over the years is a wildlife proof fence, and with a large garden such a fence is cost prohibitive.

Thank you for your time and interest, and as always I look forward to your comments.