- Greetings from the garden!
My name is Ben, and today
we're going to look at critter-proofing your garden.
Wildlife is wonderful,
but not really when it's eating the lettuce you just planted.
So, let's jump into the garden and we'll get started.
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First things first, let's keep it real.
There is no such thing as a 100% critter-proof garden,
short of building a bunker,
and that's not realistic for any of us.
The best that we can do is critter-proof
against those critters that will do the most damage,
based on where we're growing.
So, if you're growing in the ground,
that might be something like rabbits.
Or, if you're growing in containers,
that might be something like chipmunks or squirrels.
Here's what you'll need:
If you're growing in the soil,
we're looking for rabbit fencing,
which is about 18- to 24-inches high,
and a few bamboo sticks.
If you're growing in containers,
a little cayenne pepper is all you'll need.
Quick tip before you get started:
a lot of you may already have fencing like this,
which is chain link fence, in your yard.
It's important to note that this is not rabbit-proof.
The small guys can slip right through here.
We really want something like this,
which is true rabbit fencing,
and you can notice the size of the holes between the wire
is much smaller.
So, here we are in our new garden space.
You can see I've already put our stakes into the ground.
They're spaced about 18 to 24 inches apart.
This is not an exact science.
You don't need to get out the measuring stick.
But what is important to note
is we're doing this critter-proofing
and installing the fencing before we plant
because you don't want to run the risk
of stepping on your new seedlings or your plant babies.
We want to keep them as protected as possible.
Quick math tip:
Before you head to the garden center,
make sure you know how much fencing you'll need to buy.
As a reminder, to figure out your perimeter,
we need the length times the width.
In our case, we're doing a 5- by 10-foot bed.
Five times ten is 50
so we will need 50 linear feet of fencing.
You can see I'm threading the stakes
through the fence.
And this just helps to keep the fence in place
throughout the growing season.
I'm also making sure that the fence connects with the ground
because any gap between the fence and the soil
is a place where a rabbit could sneak through.
Your garden [ding] is now critter-proofed
and ready for planting.
But what if you're planting [ding] in containers?
Critter-proofing your containers is a cinch.
All you'll need is this common household spice,
cayenne pepper.
You'll just want to do a light dusting of the soil surface.
Make sure there isn't a breeze when you do it
'cause you don't want it to blow back in your face.
But the reason we do this is because
the critters that are most likely to dig into our soil
are things like squirrels and chipmunks,
when we're working in containers.
They use their nose to decide where they're going to dig.
And if they get a face full of cayenne pepper,
they're never coming back.
Also, don't worry.
The pepper won't harm your plants
or change the flavor of any of your produce.
So, we hope you see how easy it is to get started
with critter-proofing your garden space,
whether you're growing in the ground or in a container.
We'll see you next time and happy gardening!