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Protecting the Fall Crops

October 7th, 2010

Miss Mama is coming in quite handy protecting the fall crops from moles and chipmunks. One year the chipmunks ate all of my fall beets, this year, thanks to Miss Mama I should enjoy a great harvest.

We’ve had a lot of moles or voles in the garden at my mom’s house, hopefully they don’t do too much damage to our crops. Miss Mama seems to be keeping them out of my crops so far, too bad she’s too small to chase away a groundhog.

What’s your biggest pest in your fall garden?

17 Comments to “Protecting the Fall Crops”
  1. Dani on October 7, 2010 at 5:44 am

    Greatest pests in our garden – all year round – are snails!

    I have heard that squashing them is not recommended as that realeases their eggs;

    and my husband prefers to drink his beer, rather than donate a bottle or two to the garden;

    Egg shells – too many snails – don’t eat enough eggs;

    and coffee grounds – have them very rarely, as my husband prefers instant coffee;

    and I can’t keep ducks as my neighbours are too close.

    Reply to Dani's comment

  2. Ken Toney on October 7, 2010 at 7:01 am

    Deer, and lots of them!

    Reply to Ken Toney's comment

    • Susy on October 8, 2010 at 5:31 pm

      Oh yes, we have deer as well, I have to plant things out back that they don’t eat.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  3. Sense of Home on October 7, 2010 at 8:47 am

    Miss mama is so cute and doing a fine job! The only thing I have in the garden now is a row of spinach and it seems to be doing just fine. Cold weather will take that before too long though.

    -Brenda

    Reply to Sense of Home's comment

  4. Kelly on October 7, 2010 at 9:43 am

    Rain! I need to harvest those peppers before they all drop from the cold, but it’s been so rainy lately I’ve been leaving them “for later”.

    Reply to Kelly's comment

  5. Sincerely, Emily on October 7, 2010 at 10:48 am

    Oh Miss Mama is doing a great job. I am lucky and hopefully always will be. No moles or voles in the garden. The deer are staying out of the back yard (put up a nice fence). I have just planted beets and carrots and have other wonderful things growing out there right now for the fall garden here in So. TX. The lettuce is doing well and soon we will be able to eat many things. I am looking forward to it. Thank you for all you share. Emily

    Reply to Sincerely, Emily's comment

  6. Tommy on October 7, 2010 at 11:50 am

    stinking oppossums—-i can’t stand them

    Reply to Tommy's comment

  7. nic@nipitinthebud on October 7, 2010 at 4:20 pm

    me! lack of willpower to get out in the garden on a dreary days and very little growing over winter to keep me motivated.

    Reply to nic@nipitinthebud's comment

  8. Mrs. Mac on October 7, 2010 at 4:38 pm

    We had voles that ate most of our potato crop. I had to harvest them in August so we’d have some. Your cat is dong a good job .. and is so cute.

    Reply to Mrs. Mac's comment

  9. MAYBELLINE on October 7, 2010 at 4:56 pm

    Pill bugs or rolly polies. Hope the toad I relocated to the veggie beds get fat on all of these bugs.

    Reply to MAYBELLINE's comment

  10. tj on October 7, 2010 at 5:31 pm

    …Funny thing, we had a Mama Kitty too, God rest her soul.

    …My biggest pest this year has been squash bugs and cucumber beetles – Gah! I grow a large crop of heirloom pumpkins as well as squash and cukes in the garden and these pests are about to drive me insane! Have you ever heard of using wood ashes for control of these garden pests? Just wondering. :o)

    …So happy to hear your Mama Kitty has a new home with you two!

    …Blessings… :o)

    Reply to tj's comment

  11. kitsapFG on October 7, 2010 at 10:33 pm

    Miss Mama is gorgeous and has the keen look about her of a good hunter. Lucky you that you found each other. My current fall garden pest is a large mother raccoon and her youngster. They are not bothering the garden so much as pestering my chicken run trying to dig in to get at the chicken feeder. The chickens are safe and secure in their coop at night but it annoys me that the coons are digging around the exterior of their run fencing.

    Reply to kitsapFG's comment

  12. Joshua on October 8, 2010 at 1:21 am

    What’s your biggest pest in your fall garden?

    I was about to pass up this question, as I don’t have a fall garden, just a cover crop of rye grass, sudan grass, field peas, and rapeseed. Then I realized that I have a pest after all. The neighbor’s donkey, which regularly escapes and goes on all-night escapades with a stray dog that haunts the neighborhood. After going on a vacation for a week, I came back to find donkey-tracks and scat all over my garden beds. I guess he was eating at the new growth.

    Reply to Joshua's comment

    • Susy on October 8, 2010 at 5:32 pm

      Oh, that’s too funny, a donkey – not something you hear of every day.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  13. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by mark mile, Susy Morris. Susy Morris said: Protecting the Fall Crops http://goo.gl/fb/NTBM5 #miscellaneus #pets #gardencat […]

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  14. Wenchypoo on October 8, 2010 at 8:22 am

    My cat is my pest–she uses my new garden plot as a catbox! Now baby lettuces are all dug up in heaps covering turds.

    Reply to Wenchypoo's comment

    • Susy on October 8, 2010 at 5:33 pm

      Oh, too bad. Miss Mama is pretty good about going in the leaves on the edges of the woods. We also have a littler box in the garage for her and Little Softie, they use that as well, which keeps it out of the garden.

      Reply to Susy's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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