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.  

BEAUTIFUL DAY !!!! For staying in by the fire

Yes, it was a beautiful day, cold, cloudy, a breeze and SNOW.  The kind of day that you curl up by a nice warm fire with a good book and great cup of coffee (or cocoa, or whatever you prefer), and enjoy looking at it through a big window.  Since it is Sunday, I decided that I would do just that,  OR NOT.

Seriously, the first sentence is true, but I live on a farm.  The rest of that first paragraph is my wildest
Rockwellian fantasy.  I have always heard that it is supposed to be that way, and I have even tried to pull it off a few times, but that is simply not farm life.  There is actually more outside work in bad weather than in good, and generally less time to fit it in, since the days are shorter.

Here, the animals need extra bedding, extra feed, warm water (at least warm enough to be liquid), and don't forget that the predators that would take the small livestock are hungry and restless too.  Added in the mix, is the fact that the garden has not yet been tilled under after harvest and the cover crop is already a month late in being planted.  There are at least a dozen other projects on the list that are at least that far behind as well.

It wasn't snowing too heavy, so I decided to till up the garden so it would be ready for me to sow rye as soon as this cold spell passes.  That went pretty well, at least to start.  The tiller started and ran nicely and the soil was only a little on the wet side of just right.  As you can see from the photo, that went pretty well, at least to that point.  Notice the considerable amount of un-tilled ground and the location of the tiller at the far end?  At exactly that point, the tines struck a rock and the drive belt broke.

Refusing to let such a trivial matter spoil such a beautiful day, I checked the price of a new belt (not as pricey as I thought), vowed to pick one up next trip to town, and went for a leisurely walk in nature to reflect on the beauty of the day.  Alright, it WAS a walk in nature.  It was not leisurely because I didn't have a lot of time before the animals had to be cared for.  My reflection on the beauty of the day was more like checking for pecans (which the wildlife have already devoured), checking to see that hunters hadn't cut fences on the back side, and the off chance of bringing back some of said wildlife for supper.  No nuts, no meat and fortunately, no hunter damage.  Still a beautiful day.

I got back in time to start the cook fire, and take care of the critters while potatoes and cornbread cooked (no meat this time).  All done by dark.   Now I am sitting here, having eaten far too much, and drinking some really good campfire coffee.  Yes, though not my fantasy day, a really beautiful day for which I am truly grateful.