Don't look so cute and innocent; I know you ate the tops off my radishes.

Woodchucks, rabbits, deer, insects – the list of varmints, critters and bugs that can attack or devour our gardens is pretty long. In order to keep out the rabbits, deer and woodchuck, my husband built wire cages that fit over our raised beds and easily come on and off. It wasn’t until the tops of the radishes and horseradish were eaten this year, that I realized it was time for the cages to go on.

How does your garden grow?

We resorted to the wire cage defense after I lost an entire crop of Lacinato Kale to the rabbits one year. The cages are straight out of Mel Bartholomew’s  “Square Food Gardening” book, and are made from wood and chicken wire. They really work like a charm. I just harvested two kinds of sorrel and bok choy. Some tiny holes are in the bok choy leaves, but the sorrel is pristine.

What are you harvesting from your backyard, school or community garden? Who’s invading your garden and how do you keep them out?