the wildlife-friendly vegetable gardener — a sneak peek

7/27/2019 The Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Gardener A Sneak Peek

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Copyright & CreditsThis is a sampling of pages from

Te Wildlife-FriendlyVegetable Gardener

2014 mmi Htung

Illusttions Holl W BimAuthos photogph Sxon Holt/PhotoBotnic

All ights sv. No pt o this ook m poucithout ittn pmission om th pulish, xcpt vi ho m quot i pssgs o pouc illust-

tions in vi ith ppopit cits; no m n pt othis ook pouc, sto in tivl sstm, o tns-mitt in n om o n mns lctonic, mchnicl,photocoping, coing, o oth ithout ittn pmis-

sion om th pulish.


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6

CotentsPc . . . 8Intouction . . . 10

1 Rethnng Our Reatonshps wth Nature . . . 142 Encouragng Frends n the Underground . . . 24

3Garden Eements That Wecome Wdfe . . . 35

4 Attractng Ponators and Benefca Predators . . . 45


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7

5 Creatng Habtats for Wdfe . . . 656 Smart Strateges for Peacefu C oexstence . . . 88

7Bocng Access to Unwecome Guests . . . 110

8 Desgnng Wdfe-Frendy Food Gardens . . . 121Appnix: Quick Rnc Cht o Rmis . . . 134

Rsoucs . . . 137

Inx . . . 140


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10

Intrductiomng chllngs tht is in ou gns in

s tht cus th lst mount o hm.

Unotuntl, som gns m think

tht illi-inl gning mns putting up

ith lo ils, ut this osnt hv to tu.

Mking th ognic gn illi-inl

plc cn ctull incs ils, spcill hn

th gn hs n unnc o pollintos o

ncil ptos. Bis, ogs, n sh hlp

ith pst mngmnt. Animl mnu conti-

uts to hlth soil. All o this ill mnist in

ountiul n utiul gn.

Many people these days pssiont out

going thi on uits n vgtls oth

to pouc oo tht tsts tt n to voi

th potntill hmul chmicls otn us in

convntionl gicultu. Lik oth oo gn-

s, I tk th sponsiilit o ognic gning

ith utmost siousnss, n I inulg pl in

th plsu o it. I nt to go licious, nuti-

tious oo in tht minimizs m impct on

th th n lvs hin hlth gn.

Its no long nough to ssum tht tilling

th soil, ppling tiliz, n plnting ss

ill sult in hlth gn. As ln moout hts going on in th gn, gin

to unstn ho impotnt it is to hono th

communit o micoognisms n oth soil-

lling ctus. T hlth o ou vgtl

gn is pnnt upon th hlth o ths

ctus. W lso ppcit ho citicl it is to

ct hitts tht ttct ncil inscts, such

s l tls, n pollintos such s humming-

is n umls. Ou unstning nppcition o this ill inspi us to plnt ln-

scps tht ost ll mnn o ctus om th

il kingom. T mo kno out ntu,

th mo cn nt om ntul ccls.

B unstning ths ccls, cn ln to


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22Rethinking Our Relationships with Nature


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26Encouraging Friends in the Underground

Hire an Earthworm!Earthworms are ascinating ask any kid! They are champion soil cultivators. They help break

down organic matter in the soil and turn it into rich, nutritious humus that supplies nutri-

ents to plants and soil organisms. In that process, the worms aerate the soil, keeping it loosearound the roots o the plants. There can be as many as 50 earthworms in a square oot o

healthy soil. Just imagine all the good cultivating work that many earthworms can do! I you

own a tiller, remember that using it oten will discourage earthworms.

Earthworms provide ood or birds. We always think o robins when we talk about the early

bird that gets the worm, but many dierent bird species hunt earthworms as a part o their

diet. Earthworms are never a bad thing to have in your soil, whether they are living in your

garden or in your lawn.


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What is the purpose of the giant sequoiatree? Te purpose of the giant sequoia treeis to provide shade for the tiny titmouse. Edward Abbey

Garden EementsThat Wecome

Wdfe

3


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Perennial Herbs

43

Perenna Vegetabes and FrutsOth impotnt pics o th ckon o th

oo gn th smll ut qull citicl

pnnil vgtls n uits. Ts povi

pictl oo hvst o th pnt, ut o not

n to plnt ch gning sson, th

nnuls lik ts n ggplnts o. In ition,

th impotnt nchos o mn ncil

inscts n pollintos, spcill th goun-

n oo-nsting pollintos. Bumls us

st lossoms s n l souc o nct

hn tmptus still too col o tomtos

o ppps to oing. Aspgus, tichoks,

sol, n lh ns licious pnnil

vgtls, so ou ill njo thm t .Stis, hu, n luis tst

itions to th gn spc, s th contiut

to ou sst mnu.

Perenna HerbsPlnting hs in oo gn is ntul thing

to o. Its n cint us o spc to hv hs,

uits, n vgtls going in mong on

noth. Hs of voing o th kitchn,

tst ts, n mis o th micin cup-

o, ith th vntg tht th ttct

mn kins o pollintos n ncil inscts.

Fo xmpl, mint ttcts l ugs, hich

hunt phis on ou occoli; t th sm tim,

th mint ill pl tls om ou kl.

Plnting lot o ifnt hs, such s sg,

mint, n nnl, ill ttct mn insct hlps

to ou gn. T hs lso hv lots o voltil

oils, hich giv thm gt tst n gnc,

ut th lso pl som kins o lg illi,

such s n lk, hich cnnot i th

stong smll. Ts nimls ill voi s o

th gn h hs lik lvn n os-m going. Both pnnil n nnul

hs onul compnion plnts to uits

n vgtls o ths sons.

o hs ll oth going in ou

gn lnscp o th nt th povi to

ou compost pil: common nttls (Urtica dio-

cia) n com. Nttl, hich is in ct oth

vgtl n n h, is quit impotnt s

ckon mm o th gn. I us nttls in

Herbs That Attract and Repel Catnip will attract lady bugs, which are great predators o aphids and whiteies.

Chamomile attracts parasitic wasps, which help control worms and caterpillars.

Comrey creates wonderul habitat or benefcial spiders.

Dill and ennel both attract predator wasps.

Horseradish repels potato bugs, and is excellent habitat or benefcial spiders. Garlic repels aphids, tree borers, snails, ea beetles, and squash bugs.

Mints attract lacewings and lady bugs, which are great generalpredators. They also repel ea beetles, cabbage ies, and mosquitoes.

Oregano repels aphids and attracts lady bugs and lacewings.

Rosemary repels bean beetles and cabbage moths.

Thyme repels whiteies.


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44Garden Elements That Welcome Wildlife

m soups n cssols, s ll s o hlth-

suppotiv ts n tinctus, ut nttls lso

povi nutition o th soil. (W glovs hn

ou hnl sh nttls, hich cn sting hn

th com in contct ith th skin.) Nttls ill

ct s compnion to uit ts hn plnt

n, hlping to suppl goo nutition to th

soil. Com xhiits simil hvio. Both

o ths hs ok suppling nitogn n

minls to th soil, hth th going in

th goun n oth plnts o ing to

th gn soil s compost. T sv s ctiv-

tos in m compost l too, so I m su to

chopp up nttls n com lvs to th

compost l on gul sis uing th g-

ning sson.

Activator Tea for the Compost PileThis brew will be great to trigger and eed the microorganisms that turn garden trimmings and

kitchen vegetable waste into healthy compost. It will provide great starter nutrients to the

compost. Wear gloves i you use resh nettles; dried nettles dont sting.

Into a 5-gallon container with a lid, put the ollowing ingredients:

12 cups resh or 6 cups dried nettles, coarsely chopped

12 cups resh or 6 cups dried comrey leaves, coarsely chopped

2 cups kelp (aked or powdered) or other seaweed

1 cup pelletized alala (rabbit-eed pellets)

Once all the ingredients are in the container, fll it to within 3 inches rom the rim with water.

Place the lid loosely on top o the container so that some air can penetrate but the contentsare protected rom spilling. Allow the mixture to steep in a warm place or 4 to 8 hours. Aterthe steeping step is complete, simply pour the entire contents o the container over the com-post pile or into the compost barrel. I you are using a compost barrel, remember to rotate it acouple o turns ater you secure the lid, and then vent the barrel. Your compost pile or barrelnow has everything it needs to begin producing nutritious compost or the garden.


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66Creating Habitats for Wildlife

E N C O U R A G i N G W i l D l i F E T O T A k E U P R E S i D E N C E , thiv, n hlp incs

th hvst in ou gn quis thinking out ho to ccommot nimls ns s ll

s ou on. In oth os, ou hv to think out hitt.

Hitt, o cous, osnt just mn poviing plc o citts to liv; it lso mns

lloing thi ntul ccls o intpnnc to c on. Mic ill com into gns to

og on uit n ss. No n to put out mous poison, though, cus th mic povi

oo o hks n gt o ull snks. Tos sm hks n snks lso t gsshopps

n cickts n oth lg inscts. An hn th mic hv st thi nsts, uml-

s ill otn tk thm ov o thi on us. Sinc umls impotnt pollintos,

spcill o cucums, sqush, n gous, not to mntion ll thos licious homgontomtos, Im ctinl hpp o thm to sttl in.

Coxistnc occus on ifnt lvls. T

simplst lvl is voiing hm ithout ting in

o to ost illi s contiuting ptn

to th gning xpinc. You m simpl l-

com il ctus ith no signicnt ction on

ou pt n njo th nts th ing to th

gn. Bi-tchs m list ll th is th

s in thi gns ithout noticing hich ons

oging on hich inscts. You might notic

sun popultion o tos hopping oun

ithout conncting it to th isppnc o th

slugs tht psting th st

k o so li.

T nxt lvl is ping clos ttntion to th

goings-on in th gn to tmin not onlht illi is th ut lso th ltionships

mong plnts n nimls n psts. As ou

com mo osvnt, oull notic ht th

vious ctus oing.

Clos osvtion is lso qui o th high-

st lvl o coxistnc: ctivl osting illi

mi th plnt ol so s to nt ll. Tis is

th kin o illi gning I n to most

inspiing. Tough it is not ithout chllngs, th

nts o ll concn outigh th polms.

Activl osting complx communitis

mns nhncing gns to mk thm tt

cosstms. T quit s ou cn

go out this tsk. T simplst is to notic

ht is l going on in gn n suppot

it. Fo xmpl, i ou notic pticul i,

sch its oo pncs n nsting hits.

Phps ou cn nhnc its it plnting

pticul shu. O ou m l to nhnc

nsting sits; to ncoug luis, o xmpl,

puchs ihous sign o luisn instll it t th g o l. Som oth

oms o ctiv ptnship cting hitts

plnting hgos o hs n os,

instlling ing sttions, ing homs such s

t houss, n poviing t soucs such s

iths.


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Plant a Surplus and Share Some

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Sometimes sharing with wildlife means justincreasing the amount I plant.


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126Designing Wildlife-Friendly Food Gardens

his large garden is designed to providea harvest great enough to fll the pantrywith preserved oods, as well as plenty or eating

resh. It includes gathering spaces or relaxing

meals with riends. The trickling sounds rom the

waterall that eeds the pond are soothing and

inspiring in moments o reection or laughter.

Fences on all sides o the garden would provide

privacy and keep troublesome wildlie like deer

and elk rom gaining entry into the garden. They

would also act as deterrents or skunks and rab-

bits. The appearance o the ences can be sotened

by the plantings o yams, goji berries, and clump-

ing bamboo, all o which oer perennial edible

delights. Goji berry vines and bamboo provide an

attractive green screen all year in warmer climates,

whereas the yams go dormant during the drier sea-

sons (in colder climates, any kind o annual climb-

ing vegetable or owering plant could be used).

Hyacinth beans are trained to a trellis that borders

the patio, providing beautiul purple blooms that

attract sphinx moths as well as oering edible

pods. (Usually grown as annuals, hyacinth beansare perennial in warmer areas.) Old-ashioned

orange daylilies also do double-duty as edible

ornamentals. Their leaves can be harvested in early

spring beore they reach 6 inches tall, and later

their buds and owers are edible, too.

Annual vegetables make up the bulk o the

harvest rom this garden. Many o them attract

pest insects like aphids, bean beetles, whiteies,

and cabbage moths, so it is important to draw a

wide diversity o benefcial predators and wild

birds to help make sure that pest problems do

not get out o control. To this end, the garden

has many dierent herbs, such as chives, garlic,

basil, and parsley, all o which are wonder-

ul attractors o those benefcial predators.

Lacewings will be there because there are chives.

Benefcial ies, sweat bees, and wasps will visit

because there is plenty o parsley, onions, garlic,

and carrots. These creatures will pollinate those

plants, but also will hunt pest insects.

A supplement to common parsley and chives

is the more unusual cutting celery. Easier to grow

than ordinary celery, it oers good celery avor

but is harvested by cutting like parsley. Nettles

are delicious and nutritious in soups. Both the

nettles and the comrey will provide excellent

habitat or benefcial spiders, which also play a

role in managing pest problems.

Birdbaths and eeders are placed where

they can be seen rom the sitting areas. Wild

birds will help by hunting the beetles and larger

pest insects, like tomato hornworm. The garden

also contains a fshpond, which supplies drink-

ing water or wildlie and provides habitat or

other water creatures like rogs or salamanders.

Water rom the pond contains nitrogen rom fsh

wastes; i used to water garden plants, it could

supply small amounts o nutrients. Native pollina-

tors will be drawn to the garden by the owers oherbs, vegetables, and ruit trees, ensuring good

yields o ruiting plants. A toad house, too, will

make these voracious insect-eaters eel welcome.

Sea KaleSea kale (Crambe maritima) is an ornamental, edible

perennial that can be part o the backbone o

your garden. It has huge silvery-white leaves that

taste a bit sweet, and it sends up gigantic sprays

o white owers in late summer that look a bit like

giant babys breath. These sprays will be covered

with many kinds o native pollinators. Honeybees

and bumblebees also enjoy working these owers.

Broccoli, cabbage, and cauliower, along with other

varieties o kale, will also be visited by these same

pollinating insects.

FoodForAll


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Create a Plant List

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the wildlife-friendly vegetable gardener — a sneak peek

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