I feel your pain Angie! Oh how much I resonated with this post. I remember the first time I casually planted some grape hyacinths down the garden. The next day 'someone' had dug them up. But rudely they hadn't even bothered to eat them! I think that was around the time I discovered we had badgers. I haven't dared plant any bluebells since...
I find in our garden, that the creatures don't venture too near the house. So all of our veg areas are behind stock fencing and in raised beds. So far so good.
Wishing you lots of luck in your gardening endeavours!
Thanks so much Melissa. I have been today planting some elephant garlic in our new raised beds. I have read that badgers (and deer) don’t like the smell of garlic, and these elephant garlic cloves are really smelly, so perhaps that will keep them away, lol :-) Especially when there are so many other areas where they can forage.
Time will tell. Even if they do cause problems, I am so delighted to have them in our garden. New snuffle holes are still appearing every day, so I think there must be lots of them. We really must get that trail camera sorted!
It very much sounds like you will take on the role of learning about your land before changing it into your garden and I look forward to seeing how it develops over the next few years and what you might attract into it from surrounding areas.
We live in a wooded location with plenty of grazing deer. There have been many disheartening learning experiences even when buying plants that deer supposedly don’t like. Apparently, ours have a special diet 😆. In the end we joined a CSA or community supported agriculture farm. I have also had good luck with Deer Defeat. I hope you can find it in your area. I thought that a rhododendron that was here when we moved in was a dwarf variety. Since I started using the spray, it has turned into a lovely five foot shrub. If nothing else, you will find many gardeners with a compassionate ear for your nature challenged experiences. I look forward to following along on your gardening adventures.
Thanks so much for reading and for your kind comment. Unfortunately Deer Defeat is not available in the UK, but I am putting wire netting around my fruit trees, and I don't think deer can access the rear garden where I intend to grow most of my edible plants. They are very welcome to visit the rest of the garden :-)
Sending fellow-feeling from another north east of Scotland gardener! There's nothing like living with a location to bring home the gardening and growing realities. Given your exposed location, I would strongly advise against a standard polytunnel. I've seen too many ripped to shreds in this north east neuk. Look instead at getting a Shetland Polycrub (the original ones made in Shetland, not the copy-version made elsewhere). They're designed to withstand the full force of Shetland winds, and in addition use material recycled from fish farms. https://www.polycrub.co.uk/
There's a useful Polycrub user group on Facebook, and local Polycrub owners are usually very happy to have someone considering getting one visit their crub to chat over practicalities. Disclaimer - I don't have one yet, but it's on my wish list, given my exposed location.
Thank you Linda. Yes, I already had my eye on a Shetland Polycrub! It won’t be this year, though - too many other things that need money spending at the moment 🙁. Something to dream about, though - for both of us :-)
I’m really looking forward to seeing how this all develops! I think everything you’ve encountered so far has turned out to be an advantage: as you say, you know what you’re up against. It would have been awful had you faced all of this in a year’s time. I wish you luck!
I’m also eager to find out where you go exploring, of course; and hope the weather holds. (It’s been terrible here, too: so you haven’t missed anything!) Have fun!
I was wondering what the weather was like back in Cumbria. It is surprisingly mild here when the sun comes out, and I think it was actually windier in Anthorn!
I really did enjoy our time there, and definitely miss the estuary and the curlews right outside the door. But it is nice to have central heating again, lol!
Congratulations on the new home and an exciting project for you. I can relate to having a plan before you've even moved in and also with the fact that with the best intentions, plans have to change as you figure out all the wet bits, and dry bits and sunny bits etc. Glad you're working with nature and being tolerant of your badgers, as destructive as they are, how wonderful to be able to sit out on a summer's evening and watch them!. I'll keep an eye on your progress!
I feel your pain Angie! Oh how much I resonated with this post. I remember the first time I casually planted some grape hyacinths down the garden. The next day 'someone' had dug them up. But rudely they hadn't even bothered to eat them! I think that was around the time I discovered we had badgers. I haven't dared plant any bluebells since...
I find in our garden, that the creatures don't venture too near the house. So all of our veg areas are behind stock fencing and in raised beds. So far so good.
Wishing you lots of luck in your gardening endeavours!
Thanks so much Melissa. I have been today planting some elephant garlic in our new raised beds. I have read that badgers (and deer) don’t like the smell of garlic, and these elephant garlic cloves are really smelly, so perhaps that will keep them away, lol :-) Especially when there are so many other areas where they can forage.
Time will tell. Even if they do cause problems, I am so delighted to have them in our garden. New snuffle holes are still appearing every day, so I think there must be lots of them. We really must get that trail camera sorted!
It very much sounds like you will take on the role of learning about your land before changing it into your garden and I look forward to seeing how it develops over the next few years and what you might attract into it from surrounding areas.
We live in a wooded location with plenty of grazing deer. There have been many disheartening learning experiences even when buying plants that deer supposedly don’t like. Apparently, ours have a special diet 😆. In the end we joined a CSA or community supported agriculture farm. I have also had good luck with Deer Defeat. I hope you can find it in your area. I thought that a rhododendron that was here when we moved in was a dwarf variety. Since I started using the spray, it has turned into a lovely five foot shrub. If nothing else, you will find many gardeners with a compassionate ear for your nature challenged experiences. I look forward to following along on your gardening adventures.
Thanks so much for reading and for your kind comment. Unfortunately Deer Defeat is not available in the UK, but I am putting wire netting around my fruit trees, and I don't think deer can access the rear garden where I intend to grow most of my edible plants. They are very welcome to visit the rest of the garden :-)
Sending fellow-feeling from another north east of Scotland gardener! There's nothing like living with a location to bring home the gardening and growing realities. Given your exposed location, I would strongly advise against a standard polytunnel. I've seen too many ripped to shreds in this north east neuk. Look instead at getting a Shetland Polycrub (the original ones made in Shetland, not the copy-version made elsewhere). They're designed to withstand the full force of Shetland winds, and in addition use material recycled from fish farms. https://www.polycrub.co.uk/
There's a useful Polycrub user group on Facebook, and local Polycrub owners are usually very happy to have someone considering getting one visit their crub to chat over practicalities. Disclaimer - I don't have one yet, but it's on my wish list, given my exposed location.
Thank you Linda. Yes, I already had my eye on a Shetland Polycrub! It won’t be this year, though - too many other things that need money spending at the moment 🙁. Something to dream about, though - for both of us :-)
I’m really looking forward to seeing how this all develops! I think everything you’ve encountered so far has turned out to be an advantage: as you say, you know what you’re up against. It would have been awful had you faced all of this in a year’s time. I wish you luck!
I’m also eager to find out where you go exploring, of course; and hope the weather holds. (It’s been terrible here, too: so you haven’t missed anything!) Have fun!
I was wondering what the weather was like back in Cumbria. It is surprisingly mild here when the sun comes out, and I think it was actually windier in Anthorn!
I really did enjoy our time there, and definitely miss the estuary and the curlews right outside the door. But it is nice to have central heating again, lol!
Congratulations on the new home and an exciting project for you. I can relate to having a plan before you've even moved in and also with the fact that with the best intentions, plans have to change as you figure out all the wet bits, and dry bits and sunny bits etc. Glad you're working with nature and being tolerant of your badgers, as destructive as they are, how wonderful to be able to sit out on a summer's evening and watch them!. I'll keep an eye on your progress!
Thank you! I really hope we will be able to watch the badgers - so far I have just had a fleeting glimpse of one well after dark.
I will be keeping and eye on your progress too :-)