Prepared with the Full Arsenal: Thriving Through Harvest, Part Two
Protective plant covers are helpful tools to insulate plants from the cold, prevent or minimize insect access to your seedlings/plants, and prevent access of larger animals to your plants, such as birds, rabbits, chipmunks, and deer. In cases of animals that dig and burrow, it may be necessary to install fencing on the perimeter.
Frost Protection
Frost covers are designed to protect your plants from potential damage caused by brief exposure to freezing temperatures. These can be purchased as sacks of varied sizes with drawstrings to secure around your planters, or as “floating sheets of material” which you can drape over plants or fashion your own covers. If starting with cold tolerant plants or waiting until after last frost, you will likely not need to add this to your inventory.
Polyethylene (or other clear plastic) covers or cloches (plastic or glass) can also protect your plants from the cold elements, by amplifying the heat from the sun during the day, permitting warmer soil and immediate environment overnight. These covers also work well for germination and young seedlings that prefer warmer temperatures. Just be sure to vent and remove as indicated for air circulation, and so that plants are not exposed to temperatures too high for them to tolerate.
Heat Protection
Shade cloths and covers are designed to protect your plants from potential damage cause by exposure to extreme sun and high temperatures. These cloths typically have some UV resistance and have to be anchored or mounted to create a canopy. Here are some examples.
*Note: Another bonus with container gardens, is that provided you have small enough containers and available indoor space, you can shelter plants temporarily, away from extreme temperatures.
Insect and Fruit/Vegetable Protection
There are numerous brands of insect netting sacks, pouches and fabric, typically made of tightly woven nylon that permits penetration of sunlight and water. These products can protect your plants from insect pests that might result in early infestations, stunting growth and minimizing harvest. They can also keep birds and chipmunks out if secured properly.
Some come with drawstrings to aid in securing the netting to your planters, but works best if some sort of staking or framework is present for more stable fit. If you must fashion your own sack from fabric, you can measure and sew to fit (strands of embroidery floss or yarn), or you can do like Mr. Getaway Gardens and click-clack-click-clack (measure and then staple seams). No need to ask which method was faster. Right? Try your best to secure the opening to your planters whether with Velcro-type wrap or twine if a better fit is needed. Netting pouches are also designed in this type of material to permit covering of individual fruit or branches vs. the entire plant.
I have used these fabrics to protect seedlings until established and/or after the time in which they are most vulnerable to known pests. Nature is all-imposing, so do expect that at some point, you will find flies or insects beneath the netting. Don’t fret. Simply remove it and clear them out.
Pollination of Covered Crops
If covering plants that do not self-pollinate, you may uncover during the time of day when most pollinators frequent your garden, then later gently shake plants, shoo or remove any visible insects, before replacing the cover. Repeat as indicated.
You can also use a watercolor paintbrush, Q-tip, or toothbrush and hand-pollinate your plants until you are ready to remove the covers permanently. The pistil (the female reproductive organ of a flower) is the long stalk in the center and is often surrounded by a ring or swirl of anthers (picture thick brightly colored lashes with prongs on the end). For bisexual plants (where each flower has a male and female part), you do this by gently stroking the anthers (end of filaments) of a flower with very small repetitive strokes, and then gently stroking the stigma. You may repeat. If your plant is unisexual, meaning it has both male and female flowers, you stroke the anthers of a male flower before stroking the stigma of a female flower. You may repeat using 1-2 male flowers for good measure.
Examples of edible plants that produce flowers that each have male and female parts are citrus fruit, beans, eggplants, peppers, and tomatoes. Examples of edible plants that have individual male and female blooms include cucumbers, watermelon, squash. How do you tell which is which? Well, if you notice bright color pollen on your brush or swab after stroking the interior, it’s a male! Also, in many cases, attached just below a female flower, you will see what appears to be a very miniature version of the fruit/vegetable.
Bird Netting Uses
Bird netting is a durable plastic mesh with 1/2 to 3/4 inch square spacing in the weave. It impedes birds’ access to fruit, and can also be a deterrent to all but the most determined of chipmunks and squirrels. There is a variety of chew-proof DIY netting available for sale, which advertise protection from critters.
It’s pretty much a game of trial and error to determine how persistent your critters are. For example, my chipmunk and squirrel activity increased significantly one growing season. I would step out to the deck and discover seeds, soil, mulch, and plants displaced due to their digging. I trialed bird netting fixed to the top of my fabric pots, which seemed to work, until one day I discovered a rather large hole bitten into the side of one of these planters. The end result was my encasing the entire fabric pots in bird netting, until the critters lost interest and my plants were established. Visit our Garden Toolkit page to peruse netting and other cover options.
Other Animal Deterrents
Sensory Strategies
You can also include items in your garden landscape which may keep away unwanted animal guests. For example, positioning an artificial owl, maybe one with a wind-directed rotating head, can frighten and deter entry of various rodents and smaller birds. Many small animals which may enter your garden space to dine on your fruit/vegetables are startled by sudden and quick movement, so including pin wheels may deter those that are less bold. The iridescent, glaring quality of scare tape, iridescent pinwheels, or hanging of CD’s/DVD’s can be used to deter birds if maybe you are trying to spare your tasty berries. Many of these products can be purchased from garden supply, popular online and big box retailers.
Additional natural and animal-safe deterrents include liberal sprinkling of crushed garlic and ground cayenne pepper along your garden perimeter and near plants you want to protect from groundhogs, chipmunks, squirrels. For groundhogs, you may sprinkle near the burrow entrance/exit if you want to attempt to encourage them to relocate. You can also make sprays containing these ingredients, and more. Click here to access a resource with more alternatives.
Physical Barriers
More structured barriers include fencing, pop-up greenhouses and mesh plant enclosures, rabbit and critter fencing and kits. You can peruse options for the latter at the retailers below. Be sure to read the product recommendations.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pop-up+plant+critter+barriers&ref=nb_sb_noss
DIY Fencing
In some cases, if your garden is highly vulnerable to deer or groundhogs despite your use of deterrent plants and sprays, fencing may be necessary. Here are some tutorials for how to complete such a task. Fence posts must be at a specific depth, and fences at a specific height range and angle for them to be effective. Below are some links describing their construction. There are also numerous videos available on YouTube. Generally, chicken wire and fence stakes or posts are required.
https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/fence-out-digging-animals
Fine Gardening, Protect Your Garden from Woodchucks
Sometimes, despite your selection of disease-resistant plant types, companion planting, and barrier use, your plants will get ailments or unwanted insects find ways to gain access to your plants. In some cases, it’s minimal and easily managed by removal. In other instances, greater intervention is needed to prevent spread and plant loss. Below are resources that will help you to plan and tackle these surprises, if they arise.
Sprays
Natural Homemade Pesticides: primarily made with common household ingredients; Good ingredients to keep for gardening include mild dish soap or castile soap, peppermint oil, cooking oil, baking soda, garlic, ground cayenne pepper, cold-pressed neem oil for gardening/pesticide
*Note: Always trial sprays on a small plant area to determine whether your plant has adequate tolerance, use after the exposure to prolonged, direct sunlight has passed to avoid burning of your foliage and so that you do not interrupt pollinators, and try to avoid blooms. The latter recommendation in particular is to lessen any potential negative impact on pollinators.
Fungicide Spray
These sprays are typically used for plant ailments like powdery mildew and leaf spot
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/homemade-fungicide.htm
https://www.thespruce.com/control-powdery-mildew-with-homemade-spray-2539522
Natural Insecticide and Animal Pest Sprays
Caterpillar Control
The first line of defense is to check your leaves and other and other plant areas daily for eggs and caterpillar activity. If you are vigilant, you can remove eggs before they spawn. If caterpillars are found, remove and dispose them, promptly.
For edible plants that are infested with unwanted caterpillars, you may choose to use Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) spray. This spray is put on plants and it disrupts caterpillar’s ability to eat and digest plant material, essentially starving them. This can be purchased at most garden and lawn stores, and online.
Try to minimize the human vs. insect carnage by including plants that attract natural predators. Also know whether you are including plants that are host plants for specific butterfly and moth species. You need to be prepared to sacrifice plants that serve as host plants for endangered and rare species, and especially if your garden theme is a butterfly garden.
The Big Takeaway
Tending a garden is a balancing act. Every appearance of pests is not cause for great concern. It will be up to you to use your personal barometer to determine your garden priorities and how liberal you want to be with protective measures. Remember, ultimately, the goal is to build a garden space that brings you joy and relieves stress. It is always easier if you can find a way to work with nature where possible.
Now, for a bit of levity. Gardening is supposed to be fun!
A parody of I Like It; I do not own the rights to these instrumentals and chorus.