I’m not sure how I came across The Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Gardener by Tammi Hartung. The book is illustrated with cute pictures of vegetables and animals with lots of white space and at first glance I thought it was going to be some silly puff pastry of a garden book. While it is basic, it isn’t fluff in spite of appearances.
Hartung is not an urban gardener so covers wildlife like deer and moose that I will never have trouble with in my garden. At least I hope not. If I ever look out my window and see a moose standing in my lettuce bed I think I would faint! And some of her squirrel deterrents made me laugh. A radio tuned to a talk station or sports channel to make the squirrels think people are in the garden? Heck, my city squirrels are bold enough to come up on my deck and look through the window as well as run through the garden when I am clearly in it. A radio is not going to keep them out. They’d probably change it to a station they like better!
Ants, however, apparently don’t like cinnamon. Every spring we have trouble with ants coming into the house. They find the cat food on the floor in the kitchen and we spend the rest of the spring and summer battling to keep them out and the poor cats get stressed with us moving their food dishes all over the house. We’ve tried cayenne pepper along the baseboards and it kind of works but we have never tried cinnamon before.
I also learned that mosquitoes don’t like mint. So at the risk of mint going wild in the garden, Bookman and I will be planting peppermint around in a few locations. I do like mint tea quite a lot so I suppose if I pick leaves for tea regularly that will keep the plants in check.
Then there is much about inviting wildlife into the garden. Birds and pollinators and toads. Bookman and I will be making a few toad houses for the garden this year in hopes of enticing one to take up residence. And I learned that yellow jackets and wasps that we are always worried about building nests in the clothesline pole and the eaves of the garage, are good garden guests to have. I just have to learn how to coexist and not pull up plantain as a weed anymore because it is good for stings (just in case!).
So overall a pretty good book.
The weather forecast for the week is giving us hope that we might be as warm as 39F (4C) on Thursday. Oh joy! But of course there has to be a fly in the ointment. The wind will be blowing and the windchill will make it feel like it is 7 degrees (-14C). I can’t even be warm when it’s warm out!
On a side note, our internet modem is on the fritz. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. We hope to get a new one Monday, but it could possibly be as late at Thursday. And then there is no telling whether a new modem will freak out our wifi router and make us spend way too much time figuring out how to make them speak to each other. Ah, the joys of technology.
Ants don’t like cinnamon! I didn’t know that. Next time we have ants I’m going to try sprinkling around some cinnamon. At least it will make the kitchen smell nice! Fortunately, being so dry we don’t have a big problem with mosquitos, though at certain times of the year we can have them.
I hope that wind-chill doesn’t come through. Sounds horrible.
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whisperinggums, yes, cinnamon to deter ants. Apparently the oils in the spice stick to little ant feet and causes them much discomfort. I don;t look forward to the ants but I look forward to giving the cinnamon a try. And, as you say, it will make the kitchen smell nice. You are lucky to not have to worry about mosquitoes. They don’t really bother me but poor Bookman gets big welts. So hopefully mint will keep some of them away.
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Beware of the mint!! If you MUST grow it, is there a way you can contain it? Possibly in a planter vs growing wild in your garden? Michael made the mistake of planting mint & it just takes over EVERYTHING. We can’t get rig of it!
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Helen, I have heard how out of control it can get. I could grow it in a container but I’d have to be watering it all the time and then I’d have to bring it indoors for winter. I am much too lazy for that and plan on taking my chances with it in the “wild.” When I am complaining about it taking over, you can tell me I told you so! 😉
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Ants won’t know what is happening to them as all over the world there will be
cinnamon ants feet. I will try it too.
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Cath, poor ants. If it works they will all be so disappointed and we will be happy in our delicious smelling kitchens 🙂
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I know exactly what you mean by those pesky squirrels–there is a hole in the lid of m garbage can–just big enough for them to get inside and poke their heads out–no doubt cursing me on my lack of interesting garbage! I will most definitely not share my cinnamon with the ants-I luckily don’t have too much of a problem with them. And we are due for ‘warmer’ temps by the end of the week–not sure about the windchill–I will try and remain optimistic–I am SO tired of the Cold! I hope this does not mean we are going to have an unusually hot summer. Knock on wood.
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Danielle, I am sure they still find some tasty morsels in your garbage. I had a super cute bird feeder once my mom gave me for my birthday. It was made of plastic with small openings and the squirrels ate the plastic off one side in order to break in and feast on seeds! Let’s hope we get some warmth soon. And if it does end up being a really hot summer at least in the beginning it won’t feel so bad after all this cold.
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Funny you should post this. I’ve been thinking of putting in a garden this year but have worried about the deer problem. And just this morning around dawn I looked out into my very small backyard and saw a deer licking the openings of my birdfeeder. And then another deer came up behind him. All told, it turns out I had a herd of 7 in my backyard. They were quite annoyed when I opened my back door to ask them to leave. And lest you think I live in some rural area, I live in a Washington DC suburb – only about two miles outside the beltway. So yes, deer can be a problem for urban gardeners too. They’re a huge problem around here.
Now a moose, that would be a surprise.
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Karen, oh, you might find the book really helpful then. A herd of 7 deer in your DC suburban backyard is crazy! I’ve seen a coyote, turkeys, raccoons, an opossum, rabbits and squirrels galore, but have yet to see a deer in Minneapolis. If I found one in my yard I’d be really surprised!
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What interesting tips about ants and mosquitoes! I wish I’d known about the mint when I was living in the south of France – we all got bitten to bits! I do love the thought of a moose turning up in my garden, though. I might be tempted to faint, but first, I should call the local paper. I fear poor British folk down south may well be afraid of dolphin, seals and sharks in their back gardens…. Do hope your modem problem is fixed – these things are so annoying.
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Litlove, I know! I am looking forward to finding out if they work. I love the idea of a moose or even a bear turn up in my garden too, but it’s just as well they don’t since animal control would be called out in force and the poor things would no doubt be terrified. I’ve heard you’ve had flooding in the UK, hope things dry out soon! Of course since we threatened to get a new modem it of course has been working perfectly again.
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Re: ants: have you tried a product called Orange Guard? It is safe to use in the kitchen and around animals (uses natural orange oil) and is VERY effective. Sometimes you have to apply it a few times to doorways, cracks, etc., but it works well and is safe. And I had to laugh at the squirrel suggestion as well — ours are cheeky little buggers and wouldn’t mind a radio at all! Any raccoon suggestions? That’s my main garden pest!!
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wherethereisjoy, I have never heard of Orange Guard. Bookman was using an orange-based kitchen cleaner last summer to wash away the ant pheromones but the orange smell got to be too strong for my allergies. Not sure how I’d do with Orange Guard, but it is good to keep in mind just in case!
The book has raccoon suggestions, but I also know for a fact that if you can get the male partner in your household to “mark your territory” raccoons will stay away. Just need to reapply every few weeks or after rain.
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I loved reading all your comments about the types of wildlife you find in your gardens. Down here in Melbourne, Australia we don’t have any of those problems – thank goodness – just the unpredictable weather and possums and bats. And unfortunately my first crop of plums went to the birds and the remainder dropped off the tree when we had a very hot spell. I’ve learnt a few things about effective watering since then and will stock up on bird netting for next year.
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