6 Ways You Can Protect Your Garden

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Growing a garden is a labor of love. After investing your money, sweat, and heart into it, you don’t want anything to steal your opportunity to enjoy the fruit of your labor. Besides, a garden is a thoughtful home addition that not only adds to the curb appeal but also boosts the property’s value. That’s why protecting your garden should be part of your agenda even when planning to begin one.

Gardens face various threats. These may include pests, intruders, diseases, weather, and animals. The measures you take to protect your garden depend on what threat you are trying to avert.

Here is a look at 6 ways you can protect your garden:

1. Fencing
   Fencing is an old-age method of keeping gardens in great shape. For instance, chain link fence installation will help keep off animals and human intruders. This way, you won’t have animals trample and munch on your plants or introduce diseases and pests. Keeping off trespassers is also a great measure as it will minimize the rate of soil erosion.

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Other types of fences that you can use in your garden include chicken wire, rabbit fencing, and picket fencing. Depending on the fence you choose and how you install it, you can prevent large and small animals from invading your garden. For instance, it’s easy to keep groundhogs and squirrels off your garden using chicken wire and rabbit fencing. Bigger animals such as deer will require fencing that’s at least six feet in height to make it hard for them to jump over.

2. Live traps
   Live traps are suitable for catching small critters such as squirrels and rabbits that might want to feed on your plants. You could also use traps to catch and deter birds that peck on your vegetables. Live traps won’t kill the animals and once caught, you are free to release them in a safe location away from your plants.
3. Mulching
   During hot weather, plants lose water faster and may wither if you aren’t diligent. Even after increasing the rate of watering, you could also help keep them hydrated for longer by applying mulch. Mulching will also protect the stem from dirt that may come with watering. This helps in keeping a healthy stem that supports the plant and makes it hard to damage.
4. Crop rotation
   Crop rotation is another measure you can take to keep your plants safe from diseases and pests. Certain pests and diseases are only particular to specific plants. If you notice your garden is prone to certain bugs or diseases, chances are some plants in your garden attract them. Try reshuffling the plant varieties every four years.

You could also opt for herbs that deter animals and bugs either because of their unpleasant taste or aroma. For instance, pests detest the scent of herbs such as mint, citronella, and lemongrass. Also, consider plants with prickles to make it uncomfortable for animals to chew.

5. Keep your garden clean
   Weeds form an attractive breeding ground for pests and diseases. That’s why you should spruce up your garden by clearing any unwanted plants as soon as possible. Besides, weeds feed on the same nutrients and water meant for your plants. This competition for nutrients will hurt your plants more. In case you come across sick or pest-infested plants, it’s important to clear them off the garden. Leaving them in the garden will only increase their chances of spreading diseases and bugs.

If you use compost, consider a covered pit that doesn’t allow creatures that feed on dumpsters to spread to your plants. In fact, cleaning the garden and covering a compost pit will help prevent pests from spreading into your home.

While you want to keep your garden clean, not all dirt is bad. It could be helpful to leave some bushes with shrubs and grass close to your garden. This trick works well to provide substitute food for animals such as rabbits thus driving attention off your plants.

6. Choose a suitable location
   When identifying the best location for your garden, consider the availability of sun, quality of the soil, water accessibility, and kinds of pests and diseases common in the area.

● Sunlight – essentially, plants should get at least 6 hours of sunlight per day to grow and remain healthy. With that in mind, avoid an area with tall trees that will cast their shade over your plants for the better part of the day.
● Soil – for best results, pick a location with fertile soil that drains well. Another tip is to inspect the type of soil at your garden’s site and pick plants that do well on it. It might also be necessary to prepare the soil before planting by adding compost to make it more fertile and loose.
● Bugs and diseases – study your area to understand the kind of pests and diseases that are common here. Then, choose plant varieties that are resistant to the particular pests and diseases.
● Water – plants require regular watering for them to flourish. However, for healthy growth, avoid sites that are swampy or flood regularly.
Conclusion
Gardening is a rewarding venture. To some, tending to gardens and sitting outdoors to watch their beautiful plants flourish is therapeutic. Others use gardens to grow healthy food. No matter your motivation, protecting your garden will save you time and money.

Bio:

James Deutsch is a writer with a passion for interior décor and DIY projects. He writes about the art of decorating small spaces, home maintenance projects, and that #vanlife aesthetic.