SPRING- The wildlife is coming for my garden- Birds and squirrels

 

One thing about gardening is, you get all excited about supporting the bees and pollenation.  But the other wildlife play a part in the grand circle of life and they LOVE your seeds.  

I alot of my planting 'direct sow' into the ground.  In the beginning of the season, maybe before the last frost of the winter in March, I start seedlings in the window of my bedroom to get a jumpstart on the Florida heat season.  So, those tomatoes and other heat-sensitive crops go out into the world as seedlings.  But, the rest of my staple garden items I sow into the ground.  

Now, Echinacea isn't a fruiting food, but it helps play a role in pollenation and supporting the local insect population to do their job around my garden.  This way I don't have to use as many insecticides or even pest management to curb the invasion of my tomato and eggplants as they fruit.  I wanted the echinacea to be in pots on the corner of my garden box but I didn't get the covers on them in time, and sure enough, I walked out there to check the moisture in the soil after a couple of sunny days and there was a hole in the dirt of each pot.  

Birds, squirrels, rats, mice, you name it, they all sit and watch me like a sucker as I put those pots there.  It's just a waiting game for them at that point. Sneaky little buggers.  I have taken to turning off my porch lights on the back and side of the house at night.  The darkness encourages owls to come, which just LOVE my huge tree that overlooks the shed and garden.  And, you know who loves both of those spots.  Rats.  Rats and mice.

So before I put neem oil or the like out there, I try to be patient and wait for the cycle of life to do it's job.  I just dont want to lose my precious seeds.  I go out of my way to buy heirloom seeds and organic, when I can.  I also moved to a new area where all I have is a raised bed.  Which by average standards is a nice size, but still, space is limited.  

I did set up a pallet with 6 grow bags on it and a pot for garlic next to my garden bed.  So, that extnads my square footage.