At the Garden Gate - episode 2

Who’s been nibbling your garden?

If you’ve ever walked outside to find your lettuce missing, your beans chewed to the ground, or your tomatoes sampled by mysterious midnight visitors, this episode is for you.

Join us as we explore natural, time-tested ways to protect your garden using companion planting, fragrant herbs, beneficial insects, healthy soil, and wildlife-friendly solutions that work with nature instead of against it.

🧄 Learn why onions and chives can help discourage rabbits. 🦌 Discover natural ways to deter deer. 🦉 Invite helpful predators into your garden. 🌼 Build a healthier, more resilient ecosystem—one plant at a time.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

So welcome friends, you've caught us between chores. The watering cans are empty, the chickens have settled in for the evening, and there's still a little dirt beneath our fingernails.

SPEAKER_01 0:09

I'm Kayla, and I'm Nell. You've found us at the Garden Gate, a place where gardeners gather, neighbors swap stories, and no question is too simple to ask. Every week we'll pull a real gardening question from the online gardening community and bring it here to the fence line. Together we'll sort through the advice, separate gardening myths from proven practices, explore the science, rediscover the old ways, and share the practical knowledge that's helped generations of gardeners grow food and confidence. So pull up a bucket, lean on that fence. The garden is always teaching us something. Let's see what today's visitor has brought to the garden gate. Hi now. How's it going, Kayla? I'm good, how are you?

SPEAKER_02 1:04

Not too shabby. So we're back here at the Garden Gate again. Just to remind our listeners, this is our mini-series, so we're gonna try and do stuff every Monday for you, but you know it's as we get content. Yes. So um we haven't had anybody post anything on our our Reddit uh owned at the Garden Gate yet. Um but uh just kind of threw something together anyway for us today. Perfect.

SPEAKER_01 1:33

So and I do have some things that I can bring up too that I just purchased. Ooh, okay. So we can just kind of throw that in there too. Nice!

SPEAKER_02 1:44

Yeah, I just kind of sprung that on you, I know. That's okay. That's okay. Um, so this, you know, just remember this is our mini-series where we gather around the fence line and we talk about the real questions gardeners face every day. So whether you are tending a few containers on the porch or several acres of vegetables and fruit trees, sooner or later you will discover one universal truth. And what's that? Uh, you aren't the only one planting a garden. What? No way. Yeah, it's the veggies aren't just for you.

unknown 2:16

Alright.

SPEAKER_02 2:17

I know, I know you've already experienced this too. Yeah, yeah. So the rabbits the rabbits know where it is. Yeah, I know the deer know where it is.

SPEAKER_01 2:26

A couple plants that I have to replant because somebody pulled them out.

SPEAKER_02 2:30

Oh, yeah. Probably squirrels, because that's usually what I have problems with. The squirrels have probably been watching you since you opened the first seed packet.

SPEAKER_00 2:38

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:40

Pesky little things. That entire uh native garden that I planted last year that I got the grant for. About 75% of the plants are dug up by the squirrels. Nice. Uh the cabbage moths seem to appear the moment your brassicas sprout. And somehow the tomato worm the tomato hornworms always seem to find your tomatoes before you do. Weird. I know. It can be frustrating.

SPEAKER_00 3:09

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 3:09

Yes. Very much so. You spend weeks preparing the soil, you nurture tiny seedlings, you water through dry spells, only to walk outside one morning ready for that tomato, and discover half your lettuce has disappeared overnight.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:23

Or the one strawberry that I had is all gone. With little little nubs left behind? Nothing. Oh nothing left behind.

SPEAKER_02 3:32

Nothing left. Yep. But before reaching for harsh chemicals or giving up altogether, it's worth worth remembering something our ancestors understood well. A healthy garden isn't separate from nature. It's part of it. The goal isn't to eliminate wildlife, it's to gently encourage them to dine somewhere else. So today we're exploring practical, time-tested natural ways to protect your harvest while creating a healthier ecosystem around your garden.

SPEAKER_01 4:03

So from our perspective, the garden is months of hard work. From a rabbit's perspective, it's an all-you can eat salad bar. Wild animals aren't being destructive out of spite. They're simply looking for food, water, and shelter. Just like all of us. Exactly. Gardens provide all three. Tender vegetables are easier to chew than wild plants. Fresh irrigation offers dependable drinking water. Dense plantings provide excellent hiding places. Understanding this changes how we approach pest management. Instead of asking, how do I kill these pests? We begin asking, what makes my garden so attractive and how can I make it less inviting? That shift in mindset often leads to better, longer-lasting solutions.

SPEAKER_02 5:05

Few creatures frustrate gardeners more than rabbits. Young beans, peas, lettuce, carrots, beets, they seem to have an endless appetite. Fortunately, rabbits rely heavily on their noses. That gives us an advantage. One traditional technique is planting aromatic herbs and alliums around vulnerable crops. Consider creating a border using chives, garlic chives, walking onions, Egyptian onions, which I think are the same thing, honestly. Maybe? Yeah. Garlics, shallots, strong-smelling culinary onions. Onions, onion, onions.

SPEAKER_01 5:44

Onion, onion, onion. You bet like onions.

SPEAKER_02 5:46

Right?

SPEAKER_01 5:47

I don't like onions. Oh, but they're great in cooking. Yeah, that's the only time I use them, but it has to be so fine that I cannot taste them. Hmm.

SPEAKER_02 5:59

Well, then what you do is you grow a lot of onions and then you give them away to friends who eat onions. Like you? Like me. Alright, many gardeners report that rabbits hesitate to cross these fragrant borders because the scent masks the vegetable they're searching for. Other herbs frequently recommended include lavender, rosemary, sage, and thyme mint. Although mint in containers, you want to keep it in containers unless you want it everywhere.

SPEAKER_00 6:27

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 6:28

Spreads. It does. It does spread like wildflower. Although surprisingly, the mint that was planted in my shade garden did not last one winter. Weird. It was very weird. The strongest protection usually comes from combining scent with physical barriers. A simple two-foot fence made from hard cloth, hardware cloth often prevents significant rabbit damage. Varying several inches underground discourages digging. Sometimes the oldest solutions remain the best.

SPEAKER_01 7:02

So now we're gonna get into deer. If rabbits nibble, deer devastate. A single visit can erase months of work overnight. Deer are intelligent, adaptable, and surprisingly athletic. Traditional wisdom suggests planting strongly scented plants around the garden perimeter. Examples include garlic, onions, chives, catmint, Russian sage, bee balm, lavender, yarrow. Many gardeners also use strongly scented herbs throughout vegetable beds rather than planting vegetables in large uninterrupted rows. This creates confusion for browsing deer. Another strategy is diversity. Large blocks of one favorite crop are easier to find. Mixed planting requires more searching. Companion planting isn't just beautiful. It can make browsing more difficult. Some homesteaders rotate homemade scent deterrents such as garlic spray, hot pepper spray, egg based sprays. These generally require reapplication after rainfall. No natural deer deterrent works forever. The key is changing strategies often enough that deer don't become accustomed to them.

SPEAKER_02 8:30

My dad would use dried blood. And it was in a powdered form and spread that over plants. But again, like some of the other things, if it rains, you have to reapply. Reapply, yep. Groundhogs, chipmunks, and squirrels. So yes. Groundhogs love beans. Chipmunks adore strawberries. Squirrels, well, squirrels seem interested in everything.

unknown 8:58

Weird.

SPEAKER_02 8:59

I know. Weird, weird weird. Interestingly, squirrels often chew tomatoes because they're thirsty rather than hungry. Providing a shallow water source away from the garden sometimes reduces tomato damage dramatically. Roundhogs present a greater challenge. Good fencing remains the most reliable solution. Most gardeners install fencing that extends underground to discourage burrowing. For squirrels and birds, reflective tape, pinwheels, old CDs, and moving objects may provide temporary relief. Just remember, animals learn quickly, rotate deterrents frequently. So now insects.

SPEAKER_01 9:39

Are they friends or are they foes? Or are they both? Depends. So not every bug belongs on the unwanted list. Ladybugs consume aphids. Aphids. Yeah. Ladybugs consume aphids. Lace wings hunt soft bodied insects. Preying mantises capture a wide variety of pests. Native bees pollinate at crops. Butterflies support healthy ecosystems. The goal isn't a bug free garden, it's a balanced one. Encourage beneficial insects by planting flowers such as calendula, yarrow, sweet alysum, dill, fennel, cosmos, native wildflowers. These provide nectar throughout the growing season, and when beneficial insects thrive, pest outbreaks often decrease naturally.

SPEAKER_02 10:41

So for if you are going to do companion planting, our ancestors rarely planted vegetables in isolated rows. Instead, plants supported one another, onions near carrots, basil beside tomatoes, it does make the tomato just pop. Nosturtiums around squash, colunula throughout the garden. These combinations may confuse pests while attracting pollinators and beneficial insects. Some classic companions include tomatoes and basils, carrots and onions, beans and corn, squash beneath corn, marigolds scattered throughout the vegetable gardens. Companion planting isn't magic, although we like to think so. But creating biodiversity often makes gardens healthier overall. Monocultures invite problems. Diversity builds resilience. The other thing I do is if there is a so tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers are all part of the nightshade family. I have a the deadly nightshade in my shade garden. So therefore, if the tomato hornworm wants to chew on tomatoes, they have another option and they can chew on the nightshade because it's the same family of plants. One's edible, one's not. So that's something else to think of. If you know of a plant that has a non-edible version of it, plant that. Plant that elsewhere in your garden so that at least the pests have something to chew on.

SPEAKER_00 12:12

Right.

SPEAKER_02 12:12

Instead of your stuff.

SPEAKER_01 12:14

Exactly. So now we're gonna welcome in the predators. One of the most overlooked forms of pest control is inviting nature's hunters. Owls consume rodents, hawks hunt rabbits, snakes reduce mice and voles, toads feast on slugs, bats consume thousands of insects every night. Installing owl boxes, leaving brush piles, providing small ponds, protecting native habitat, all encourage natural predators to remain nearby. Sometimes the best pest control arrives on silent wings after sunset.

SPEAKER_02 12:58

So not only are we talking about, you know, how to deter pests and how to take care of them, but we also need to talk about healthy soil, because that equals healthy plants. Strong plants resist damage better. Healthy soil, obviously, creates healthy plants. Compost, mulch, crop rotation, cover crops, proper watering, and good spacing. These practices reduce plant stress. Stressed plants emit chemical signals that attract certain insect pests. Healthy plants become less appealing. Nature often begins beneath our own feet.

SPEAKER_01 13:34

So perhaps the greatest lesson our gardens teach us isn't how to grow vegetables. It's how to live in a relationship. Every creature that visits the garden is simply trying to survive. The rabbit feeds her young, the bee gathers pollen, the toad hunts insects beneath the mulch, the owl circles overhead after dusk.

SPEAKER_02 13:57

Our challenge isn't to conquer nature, it's to find balance within it. The old ways remind us that successful gardens were never built through force alone, they were built through observation, patience, adaption, and the quiet wisdom of working alongside the natural world rather than constantly struggling against it. Because sometimes the best garden fence isn't made of wood or wire, it's made of understanding.