By Sonya Welter

Urban gardeners have some advantages over their rural counterparts, and one of them is that there are fewer mammalian pests in the city.

Urban gardeners will have to deal with fewer deer, who will trample their seedlings and mow their lilies and hostas down to the ground.

Urban gardeners are also less likely to encounter bears, who will tear down bird feeders and strip berry bushes and fruit trees.

But rabbits are an almost universal pest in all but the most urban of gardens. Sure, they’re cute when they’re merrily gamboling in the front yard, nibbling on dandelions and clover, but they’re less cute when it’s your lettuce or Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

An UGC reader asks:

“Suspecting an Obama win my husband and I decided months ago to planta garden this year. Already a fan of your blog I’ll look forward to checking in and learning as much as I can on how to proceed. Big question, though: How to keep the critters away? We have at least 15 deer grazing on our lawn every day, not to mention a dozen rabbits.”

Good question – but unfortunately there isn’t an easy answer. Both deer and rabbits can be pretty persistent, though there are ways to try to foil them.

A book I suggest reading is Deerproofing Your Yard & Garden
by Rhonda Massingham Hart. She discusses the nature Read the rest of this entry »