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7/27/2019 The Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Gardener A Sneak Peek
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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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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
7/27/2019 The Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Gardener A Sneak Peek
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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
91
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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