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Garden Companions

May 12th, 2016

It’s nice having garden cats, it seems that whenever I’m working in the garden there’s a cat nearby. They bring me gifts of mice and voles, they happily roll in the catnip I planted for them.
garden cat
When I’m spending LONG hours in the garden like I am this time of year, it’s nice to have the cats to keep me company.

Do you have any pets that “help” you in the garden?

3 Comments to “Garden Companions”
  1. Nebraska Dave on May 12, 2016 at 9:05 am

    Susie, I have one feral cat that roams the neighborhood since I’ve started gardening Terra Nova Gardens. She had two kittens one year but that’s the only time I saw her with babies. I didn’t see her last year and thought maybe she was killed but then just a couple days ago there she was again walking past the front of the garden. Now that I have the garden fenced in, I don’t see as many wild animals as I used to see. Even the wild turkeys are only one or two instead of a flock of about 20. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. To me it’s a sad thing to steal land from the wild life, but then they are a greedy bunch and always want it all. They still have many times the area of my little garden to roam through.

    I’ll have to replant some things as a hail storm came through a couple days ago and destroyed every thing above ground. Tomatoes got hit the worst but I have 38 tomato plants in the wing just for such an event. I won’t be getting my first tomato on July 5th like last year but maybe more toward the end of July. Potatoes of course will survive. The sweet corn planted wasn’t above ground just yet so that was good. I didn’t have the green peppers out yet so that was good as well. It’s just a normal year of gardening with volatile weather. I have learned to always have plants in reserve to replant if necessary.

    Have a great garden cat day.

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  2. Whit on May 13, 2016 at 9:51 am

    Rosie, our barn kitters, loves hanging out with us when we are outside. She was supposedly a feral cat, but I’d say she’s just skittish. When I don’t pay enough attention to her, like when I’m digging or seeding, she’ll come up behind me and give me a love bite on the leg. We have a buff Orpington roo, Roobawkca, who likes hanging out with us too. For the most part he is good about leaving the garden alone, he just likes company. Then if the sheep have access to the pasture next to us, they’ll come and visit us while we work. They’ll get trimmings and weeds too. It’s fun to have a supportive group to cheer you on.

    Reply to Whit's comment

  3. Sarah on May 16, 2016 at 12:35 pm

    Hi! I love reading your blog and have for years but don’t think I’ve ever commented. I love my cats so much, but was curious about how you handle yours using your garden beds as a litter box. I’m a little freaked out at the thought and didn’t know what you did the keep them from using edible garden space for their potty. If you have any ideas that would make me feel better about cats + garden in the future. Thank you!

    Reply to Sarah'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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