- The neighbors got a dog - that is the very best deer deterrent of all.
- I spread a repellent in the yard and close to the woods called "Repels All". This is a commercial granular mixture that supposedly causes a mild irritation of the nasal passages for many animals. They don't care for the smell so they go elsewhere.
- I made a motly looking scarecrow and most evenings when I was done the garden work I would hang my sweaty tee shirt and hat on the scarecrow for the night. Seems to me that the human smell was a good deterrent.
- Prayer Now I know that seems like an unusual pest repellent but I was encouraged to hear another farmer tell a similar story this summer. Back in July I was at a two day farm conference. One of the speakers I listened to was a blue berry grower from Kentucky. When someone asked him what he does when the birds start devouring the blueberries, he said, "the first thing I do is pray! ! Now that was not the only thing he did but it was the first. I tip my hat to him for that and tried to follow his advice the rest of the summer.
but it also does something else that is NOT ok - it makes war on the microbial, biological life of the soil. Now I am not even close to being a soil scientist but it is no secret that a handful of healthy soil is FULL of millions upon millions of microscopic life forms that all contribute to growing healthy plants. Interfering with, Interrupting and dismantling this biological activity is a mistake of gigantic proportions. Many are fooled into thinking that chemical fertilizers "work' - well actually they do, for awhile. The problem is that as chemical fertilizers are used the biological life of the soil decreases and more and more artificial fertilizers are needed to produce the same amount of yield. You can see that the problem then begins to compound itself. In effect, the crop becomes like a drug addict that needs more and more drugs to support his ever growing habit. Unfortunately, this is but one of the problems of modern, industrial agriculture. But all is not doom and gloom - many, many thousands of farmers have and are "opting out" of the industrial model, returning the the real "roots" of farming - a more natural, wholesome and wholeistic approach.
Thanks again for stopping by friends. Agrarian blessings to you! !
Todd