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The trick is to catch infestations early and to be consistent in trapping and killing rodents before they bear more offspring. Mechanical traps are the safest and most effective control method against rats and mice.
After setting traps, check them regularly for dead rodents. You can safely bury non-poisoned carcasses in a shallow hole, well away from the home and garden. Always reset the traps immediately after rodent disposal for as long as the rodent problem persists.
When traps fail to reduce a growing population of rodents after a couple of weeks, a combination of traps and poison is your next line of defense. Poison bait should never be used around pets, children, livestock, or vegetable gardens.
Place bait in areas where pests are most active so long as it’s inaccessible to other animals and pets, outside the raised beds, far away from irrigated areas, and anywhere that food is grown.
Poisoned rodents have a nasty habit of dying in hard-to-reach places; so place bait close to areas that allow you to easily access to poisoned carcasses. While wearing gloves, place any poisoned carcasses inside a sealed, plastic bag, and then place the bag in an outside trash can – never in the compost bin.
Dogs can dig up plants and soil, contaminate gardens with urine and feces, and generally wreck havoc on delicate landscapes, unless trained otherwise. Besides fencing, there are a number of ways to discourage dogs from your garden.
Many sprays and powders made to deter dogs are commercially available. Similarly, numerous home remedies, usually containing mustard powder, cayenne and similar ingredients that dogs find irritating, can be sprayed around your garden. Most topical solutions have to be reapplied regularly, however, especially after rain. Alternatively, ultra-sonic barriers and motion activated sprinklers can help keep dogs and other animals away. Unfortunately, such devices also discourage more desirable wildlife from entering your garden.
Another approach that some find successful is the “water bottle method.” Most dogs instinctively choose not to relieve themselves near clean water sources. Placing half full water jars or plastic bottles around your garden may encourage dogs to do their business elsewhere.
Finally, you can try cleansing your garden of scents that dogs find attractive (i.e. other dogs). Mix 1/3 eco-friendly dishwasher solution with 2/3 water and spray the mix liberally where dogs have been active. The spray will not harm plants, and has the added benefit of killing some insect pests.
Fungal diseases, such as powdery mildew, are a common problem in wet and humid environments. Raised beds reduce the risk of fungal infection by elevating plants above the ground to increase airflow and lower humidity. Avoid over-watering and watering at night, particularly in cooler weather. Be careful to water at the ground level so infected foliage doesn’t get wet.
Trellis plants and prune signs of infection to further improve airflow and reduce the spread of disease. Rotate crops and change mulches every year. Never grow tomatoes or potatoes, for example, in the same bed two years in a row where disease has occurred. Instead, follow with a crop from a different plant family or one that does not share the same diseases.
Compost tea applied regularly as a soil drench or foliar spray greatly improves natural disease resistance in plants and helps arm your garden with beneficial microorganisms that defend against fungal diseases.
Usually, it is not necessary to use chemical pesticides and fungicides in a home garden; and using toxic chemicals will likely do more harm than good. Instead, consider using non-chemical solutions such as interplanting insectory and companion plants in your garden, maintaining healthy soil fertility, and using organic sprays or diatomaceous earth dustings.
If you cannot curb a serious pest infestation, look to pesticides and fungicides as a last resort. Use the least toxic substance you can find that is made to target your specific pest problem, rather than more general “kills everything” pesticides, which are usually more toxic.
Before using any chemical product, consult the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) guidelines, and your local agricultural extension service agent for advice. Always follow instructions printed on labels for proper storage, safety and disposal when using any potentially toxic product.
Raised bed gardening provides a head start on spring planting, speeds up plant growth, reduces the work necessary to harvest, and provides a more abundant yield than an in-ground garden. Few if any weeds tend to grow through the tops of beds that are 11 inches or taller, and the planter provides a natural barrier against pests.
The walkways between raised beds are permanent, so there is less degradation and compaction of the ground from people and animals. Beds and planters allow the gardener complete control of the soil, resulting in a great increase of nutrient content, soil aeration and drainage.
Not all plants grow well in close proximity. For instance, the potato uses less nutrients and grows very quickly, easily overpowering slower plants. Raised beds and planters allow the gardener or farmer to closely manage how and where each plant grows.
Deep raised bed planters permit roots to grow further and seek out more nutrients and moisture, reducing the need for watering. The elevated soil surfaces of raised beds enhance accessibility to plants, and taller beds will better accommodate wheelchairs.
How deep (or tall) a raised bed should be depends on the rooting depth requirements of the plants you wish to grow, and whether the ground below the planter is made of healthy soil. Deep rooted plants such as tomatoes, zucchini, corn, and perennial fruits and vegetables, do best in planters at least 22 inches tall, or shorter if the ground below is usable. Shallow rooted plants such as lettuces, greens, annual herbs and most flowers can be grown in planters 11 to 16.5 inches tall, though even these plants may grow larger if given more soil.
Taller planters also provide easier access and reduce the need for bending over. If accessibiliy, rather than root space, is your main concern, you may also want to consider our standing planters. The planters with legs raise the garden to a comfortable working height, without the costs and soil requirements of similar height raised beds.
Footpaths around beds can be as little as 18 inches, although wider paths of at least 24 inches are recommended for wheelbarrow and lawnmower access. For wheelchair accessible gardens, paths between beds should be at least 36 inches wide to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
For wheelchair accessible gardens, raised beds 18-24 inches high are recommended. Planters 30-36 inches tall will reduce the need for bending over while gardening from a standing position. Standing planters are another good option; they cost less and require less soil than similar height raised beds.
Pathways between planters should be 3-4 feet wide to allow for wheelchair access. In general, garden beds should be no more than 4 feet wide, if accessible from both sides, and 2-3 feet wide where access is limited to one side only.
U-shaped raised beds work especially well for accessible gardening, creating a wrap-around garden that can be reached from a central position. Octagon raised beds have rounded corners, making it easier to negotiate wheelchairs on pathways.
Public gardens such as community gardens and school gardens are required by law to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements (ADA). For more tips and advice see this article on Accessible Gardening for Therapeutic Horticulture.
Building raised garden beds on a slope is simple with a bit of digging. Setup your raised beds so the long sides run parallel to the slope and dig into the hillside (rather than build out) to create a firm foundation below planters.
Don’t worry about leveling the entire area, just make a trench where the planter sides will be placed and level the boards as you go. A carpenter’s level will come in handy. Plant ground cover or use stone work to prevent erosion on steep slopes.