will my plantings survive the wildlife?

[lliefveld]

So, I've been so eager to garden, even though we're still only camping on our property... I've planted onions , garlic and daffodils, and they're coming up. I planted some corn for a deer plot, but it's not coming up. I planted some rosemary, thyme, sweet woodruff, boysenberry, and spaghetti squash plants, and some tulip bulbs.

These aren't in any specific 'garden' area.. I just planted stuff around... the vines by the barb wire fence, so they'd have support, herbs in our camp, by the kitchen, tulips near the road where I have the daffodils coming up.

Given all the squirrels, wood rats, mice, deer, raccoons, coyotes, bear, and bobcats....... can I count on any of this even surviving? or is this going to be an exercise in frustration?

[DUMBDOG]

I think that the onions and garlic will be ok. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Chuck52]

Our deer don't eat daffodils, but they love tulips. Maybe California deer have different appetites.

Chuck

[robertn]

I dunno... But ask my wife and her associates. They are Master Gardeners in El Dorado county. They have all kinds of answers and information about your question.

FWIW, we have a fair amount of unprotected garden. We do ok. The deer do ok too [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

[lliefveld]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
They are Master Gardeners in El Dorado county. They have all kinds of answers and information about your question.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the link. We're in Tulare County, but I think that rural is rural, no matter where you are. I know about gardening in the suburbs in So. Cal, with clay soil... but this will be a new experience for me.

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />

We do ok. The deer do ok too


[/ QUOTE ]

[img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] yep... I plan on planting plenty - some for the wildlife, some for us.

[robertn]

You're in luck [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Tulare/Kings County Master Gardeners

[BlueRidge]

<font color="blue"> Our deer don't eat daffodils, but they love tulips. Maybe California deer have different appetites. </font color>


I have a nice assortment of beautiful daffodils and tulip nubs out in front of my house right now! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

They don't like anything in the narcissus family, apparently. Tulips? A favorite!

[Cottonhawk]

Our deers seem to leave both daffodils and tulip alone. May be the deer repellent I sprayed on my other plants kept them away.

[JazzDad]

It seems to me there was a movie, some time back, that had the line, 'If you will plant it, they will eat it'. Or something like that.

[cswarth]

I can only share what our experience was. Last year we planted tomatoes, broccoli, and brussel sprouts before we had the deer fence. The tomatoes were in cages wrapped with plastic to about 2.5 ft. high.

After planting in early May I had to go away for a month or so. When I returned the broccoli and brussel sprouts had been munch down to the ground. The tomatoes had grown wildly, but only up to the edge of the cages wrapped in plastic. The deer had grazed the tomato plants down to a couple of inches from the top, but within that plastic cage growth was great.

That month we put up a deer fence and I am happy to report that the broccoli and brussel sprouts and tomatoes all recovered and produced well once the deer were not eating them any more.

This year we expanded the garden and planted small starts a few weeks ago. Now apparantly the raccoons are tearing up all the plants to get at the grubs and worms in the tilled soil! I have a rifle now and will borrow a trap to solve this problem soon.