Callie caught a snake yesterday.

[conuly]

She is always eager for a kind word and a snuggle, though, so when I said "good girl Callie, drop it!" she did and came over for her hug. That makes the second snake in a day, and it escaped under a rock I was just about to move.

I want a productive veggie garden. I want a garden that encourages wildlife to visit*. Is there a way to get both in the same space?

* except the bees. They need to go somewhere else. A hole in the ground is not okay. I may hang a bee house somewhere.

Comments

[dragonwolf]

Depends on the wildlife you want. The pollinators (bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, etc) will make your plants more productive, while things like squirrels, rabbits, and deer will just eat a portion of your crop. That's just kind of how things work.

That said, there are things you can do to save space, thus allowing you to grow more stuff. Tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries can all be grown in hanging planters (tomatoes and peppers are grown "upside down", while the strawberries grow up the planter).

You can also companion grow things, which can grow with and around other plants. For example, my berry plants are all in the front, with the strawberries acting as ground cover for the other plants, and the raspberry working its way up the corner of fencing and choking out an unwanted vine, and they benefit from the pollinator-attracting ornamentals. Garlic and other herbs can be grown in and around your other plants, and they'll serve to help keep pests away. (Random tidbit, Elephant Garlic plants look kind of like Truffula Trees. :) )

You can also do hanging and sconce planters, depending on where exactly your garden is. You can grow things like smaller herbs (chive, rosemary, etc), other vegetables (eggplant does well in a hanger, believe it or not), or small to medium ornamental flowers, such as pansies or muscari (Grape Hyacinth).

[conuly]

I had an intelligent reply, but it got eaten by "since when is rosemary a small herb?" We can't keep up with production here!