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One thing you can do to deter animals is to strategically plant culinary herbs. Adding basil, rosemary, oregano, and mint to the borders of your garden will help deter animals. Arthur is quick to point out that mint is invasive and spreads like wildfire, so be sure to plant it in pots placed around the garden. (She explains that mint and garlic are often two of the main ingredients in animal repellents that you’d buy at the store.) On the line of animal tastes, many don’t like spicy flavors and run at the first taste of cayenne pepper flakes applied to veggie leaves.
Arthur also applies animal repellent. However, they’re all very specific (one for cats and dogs, one for deer, one for squirrels, etc.) so it’s important to figure out who is visiting your garden.
If all else fails, build a fence so animals like deer can’t get into the garden at all. But remember, burrowing animals like moles and voles are sneaky, so you’ll need to dig a trench around the garden and add chicken wire below the surface. If animals are picking only specific plants, try placing them under a wire garden cloche or steak up some netting.
What if I see yellow leaves or black spots on my plants?
Troubleshooting your vegetable garden isn’t always easy. For example, yellow leaves means the plant is stressed, but from what can be tricky to determine—yellow leaves can mean anything from overwatering to nutrient deficiency to disease. Similarly, black spots can be a sign of over-exposure to sun, fungal infections, or pests. Nussman-Berry diagnoses the problem before she treats the plant: “I start by checking for signs of pests like webs or visible bugs; if I do not see any of these, I try cutting back on watering or covering the plant from sun and seeing if the issue resolves itself.”
As with pests, take pictures of your problems and ask at a university or at your local garden center. All in all, the best way to stay on top of what’s happening in your garden is to carefully and regularly observe your plants. This way you can catch the changes and problems as early as possible.
What’s something surprising that I can grow?
Did you know that you can grow your own grains? Arthur is on a mission to get more home gardeners to consider growing wheat, rice, sorghum, and millet. She admits that it takes some square footage to grow a large quantity, but that they’re “really high-impact, beautiful, and super easy to grow, and as of now not really a part of home gardening.”
Right now she has an 850-square-foot bed in her front lawn and from that she harvests about 20 pounds of ground flour. She says neighbors come over to experience the harvesting, threshing, and winnowing processes because it’s so novel. In the fall, “when wheat turns amber, people lose their minds!”
What’s one of the best gardening hacks?
Some of the best garden tips are the ones that save you money. Nussman-Berry has added cardboard and yard waste (leaves, dead grass, sticks) to the bottom of her raised beds to save money on soil, as it is costly to fill garden beds. This technique cuts back on the amount of soil you need. She notes the importance of trial and error in gardening, as is the knowledge that you garner each year you try your hand at growing food: “If something did not work one year, try to fix that problem for the next year,” she says. With a bit of patience and practice, you’ll be well on your way to growing a successful garden at home.
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This article was originally published by a www.architecturaldigest.com . Read the Original article here. .