Repel animals from your garden

Not much time lately to blog much, sorry about that. I took a class with Master Gardeners, last weekend took some notes I would like to share. The day started with a wonderful speaker Shayne Zurligen, from the Boggs Tract Community Farm, about the Food Forests.
So, you may say to yourself what is a food forest. It is really about the layers of trees and plants that create a sustainable living environment. Spacing the layers helps each group to thrive and provide for the others.

• Tall Tree
• Low Tree
• Shrubs
• Herbal
• Ground
• Vine
• Root 

Each providing for protection from evaporation and replacement of nutrients into the soil, such as leaves and grass into nitrogen.

Bulbs like Daffodils can help repel animals such as deer and gofers. The bulbs release  a smell that keep deer away. Daffodils are not only beautiful but help sustain your garden from wild life.
Also needed in the garden plants that attract birds and insects.

• queen ann's lace
• cosomos
• zinia
• fennel
• yarrow
• maples
• butterfly bush
• rasberry
• blackberry
• blueberry

Important to share the harvest not only with people but the animals and insects in your garden community. When I find that the ants have taken over one of my eggplants, I leave it in the garden for them. Taking a loss on one eggplant means they have what they want and only take what they need.

Providing habitat nooks for garden creatures provides them with a place to hide while staying near the garden to create the life cycle to sustain the garden. Placing ladybug houses in the garden protects ladybugs from birds and provides them a place to come back to.

Grass and herbal ground cover provide protection from evaporation saving on water usage.

There was so much information to take in from the Master Gardeners Class, that one day was not enough time. I suggest that if you ever get an opportunity to attend a Master Gardeners, to do so.


thanks for reading
Please share any additional information you may have.