If you like gardening and you have pets, the two can come in the way of each other, as dogs love to dig and cats often nibble at plants, especially young kitties. And if you have bunnies, your vegetable garden is never safe from them! So, how do you counter this? With the help of the following seven tips, of course.
Make Sure All Your Plants are Safe
You may not appreciate your baby plant being chewed by your dog, but pets are always going to be a priority over any plant, so make sure that whatever you do have growing in your garden is safe for your pets. Check out this list of poisonous plants to avoid poisoning your pets.
Flowing Water
Flowing water is safer to drink and swim in for pets than stagnant water, as stagnant water might also be the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes and other pests. Even if you don’t have flowing water in your garden, do make sure that there are at least one or more bowls full of fresh water in the garden for your pets to quench their thirsts.
Protective Fencing
If you have pet rabbits, they will inevitably be attracted towards your plants, and that does not bode well for your garden, of course! In order to prevent this from happening, put fences around your vegetable patch or any other section of the garden that has young plants growing in it.
Divert the Digs
Dogs cannot and should not be stopped from digging because it’s in their nature to do so. Therefore, the best way to counter this is to divert their digging tendencies away from your plants. Make a sandy area in your garden, put some small rocks in there and just bury a few doggy toys in the ground to make the place seem ideal for digging.
Opt for Natural Pesticides
Pesticides are poison and they are best avoided, but if you don’t use any, it will result in your garden being infested by insects, weeds, and other pests that can ruin your plants in mere days. So, the solution lies in using natural, safe pesticides over chemical products that can harm pets, children, and even adults.
Small Cedar Mulch is Puppy Safe
Small cedar chips make for good mulch and won’t hurt your dog’s skin or paws if they decide to spend time playing in the mulch! Chewing is a bad idea though since that can lead to toxic reactions when consumed in large amounts.
Edging Protects Your Plants from Pets
A combination of edging and clicker training will teach your dog the concept of boundaries and being creatures of habit, they will always respect that boundary between your backyard and your garden bed.
For more advice on all things related to gardening, pest control, farming and landscaping, head over to Love Back Yard. You would be surprised how much an expert source of knowledge, guidance, and information can help you get the best out of your gardening endeavors.
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These are nice ideas. I don’t have a garden right now, but hoping to have one some day. Good to make it pet friendly.
I think these are nice basic tips. I agree, I am against pesticides 105%