By Maureen Keilty
“Defensive gardening” isn’t described in any grower’s manual. Yet it’s the method used to create the area’s most impressive flower gardens and vegetable beds.
The gardeners nurturing these plant showcases select only species tolerant of our daily temperature extremes and dry, alkaline soil. They time their plantings to avoid the plant-killing disappointment of late-season frosts. They devise drip irrigation and apply mulch to combat the area’s long, rainless spells. They detect and use microclimates for an exotic plant to thrive. And they shade seedlings from searing sunlight, harsh winds and even hail. To protect their gardens from the area’s wildlife – from whiteflies to black bears – they deploy a variety of strategies.
One of the cheapest, most effective and potentially organic devices is simply a raw egg and water solution, often called “Not Tonight, Deer.” Ranked “highly effective” in a 1992 Colorado State University study of repellents tested on deer and elk, the spray smells nasty for five minutes but will deter deer for weeks. However, repeat applications throughout the season are essential; nimble deer lips easily nip off tender new growth that hasn’t been sprayed.
To make the deterrent first remove the egg’s chalaza, the white fiber attached to the yolk, then whirl it with one cup of water in a blender. Pour the mix in a quart spray bottle, filling with water as the bubbles subside. The solution is effective freshly made or after weeks in the garden shed.
Using a variety of plants labeled “deer resistant” adds scents and textures to your garden most wildlife avoid. To discourage potential plant pillagers, try pairing the undesirable odors of lavender, chives, garlic or catmint with horny or hairy foliage like potentilla, lambs ears or Russian sage. Keep in mind, “deer resistant” offers no guarantees, especially this year, when the drought has made nearly anything green irresistible to wildlife.
Fencing, when properly installed, effectively protects small vegetable plots to large orchards. Lining the bottom of a raised vegetable bed with hardware cloth, a stiff wire netting available at most hardware stores, prevents ground dwellers from tunneling into their next meal. When secured around the trunk of trees along waterways, the same material denies beavers tooth-filing privileges.
Aspen trees, a half inch to 4 inches in diameter, are prime targets for deer rubbing – a buck’s scent-marking behavior that permanently damages or kills the tree. Wrapping plastic or metal fencing around the trunk protects potential victims throughout the year. “Not Tonight Deer” is equally useful on vulnerable trees and shrubs in winter.
Gardeners can prevent deer from leaping into a feast by installing an 8-foot-high fence, secured at the ground around their plot. Exit gates are essential for the gardener – and for the panicked animal that manages to get inside.
Those who don’t want a bruin to ruin their fruit trees can use the strategies defined by Durango and La Plata County regulations. City dwellers need to harvest the fruit before ripening, while county residents may use electric fencing. For assistance and information about these methods, visit www.bearsmartdurango.org.
Chicken wire wrapped around a single shrub or placed over a bed of greens is an effective rabbit or squirrel deterrent if secured to poles buried deep. Wrap it loosely around a tulip bulb or other tempting root mass as a shield from ground-dwelling diners, such as voles and squirrels.
Fabric or plastic row covers anchored in place over short plants like green beans deny access to deer and rodents while providing protection from sun and wind extremes. Enclosing both ends of the tunnel creates greenhouse protection. The same goes for a gallon jug with its bottom cut off placed over a seedling and secured with pole through the spout. Marigold adds a sunny splash to a vegetable bed while repelling whiteflies and destroying harmful nematodes in the soil
Putting a few of these tips into practice early in the season offers the best chance of enjoying the results of your gardening efforts.
Maureen Keilty is a master gardener and longtime La Plata County Living with Wildlife Advisory Board member.
