Soap. Last year the bunnies were enjoying salad every night. And the deer were starting to nibble on my baby trees in the orchard.
I cut bars of Irish Spring or Coast in half and put them in netting – I used cut up all potato bags and then tied it up with string. I left the ends of the string long so I could tied it to sticks. For the lettuce I just tied it to little short sticks I scavenged from the forest. For the trees I just hung it on the branches.
It worked marvelously. I’ve read the prey animals depend on their sense of Smell to detect predators. So they don’t like to be near anything with a strong smell because it takes away their defenses. I placed the soap about 3 feet apart from each other So there wouldn’t be a gap in the aroma. It worked marvelously! And even with all the rain we got I still have all the soap left for this year. I left the ones in the trees up and they are still there.
And after a summer shower, the whole garden just smelled fresh and clean :-)
“And after a summer shower, the whole garden just smelled fresh and clean :-)”
‘Manly, Yes! But I like it, too!’
Remember that old commercial? LOL!
What a creative idea! Potato bags like the ones from the supermarket? I wonder if that will protect my fig? Last year a rat ate part of a fig every night. On a small tree that produces once a year, that was too much!
Birds - smell probably doesn’t work with them. Fortunately, the cat patrol minimizes their presence.
I did a five bucket hydroponic system for tomatoes and peppers a few years ago. Timed nutrient water and aeration. Perlite as the growing medium.
Worked quite well but the tomatoes had absolutely no flavor at all. (Watery?) I’m used to Eastern Shore Maryland tomatoes…
Also, as addressed below, we have loads of Fruit Rats down here who seem to start chewing just as we are getting ready to harvest the tomatoes.
Got rid of the five bucket system and replaced it with a yardsale purchased “Tower Garden”. 28 vertical cups with a 20 gallon nutrient tank below with a timed pump where the fluid is pumped up the middle and flows by drip gravity back down the inside of the tower flooding the cups.
Very good system. Had more Lettuce (many varieties) than we could use. Gave away lots.
Now Marigolds at the top, Strawberries, Calendula flowers and a more conservative variety of Lettuce’s.
We start all our flowers/vegetables/Sunflowers, etc. in plastic cups (with holes drilled in the bottom), potting soil and placed in trays to contain the water.
So that’s a description of our little “garden”.
As noted, this big deal here are the various varmints that eat the newly planted seeds, the seedlings and the finished flowers/vegetables.
Tried powdered Cayenne Pepper but it’s a big deal to constantly refresh it.
The most recent deterrent that seems to be working quite well is liquid Peppermint Extract mixed in a spray bottle with water. Seems to confuse the seed smeller’s noses so they go elsewhere. Very easy to apply anytime.
Feel free to pass along any other varmint deterrent hints, Thanks…