Gardening is one of the most rewarding ways to connect with nature, grow healthy food, and bring the community together. But when critters like mole rats, jackrabbits, and other persistent pests show up hungry, your hard work can disappear overnight.
At The Farm Life Inc., we believe in working with nature — not against it. That means finding ways to keep our gardens thriving without harming the ecosystem we’re trying to protect.
Here’s how we do it.
🐀 1. Dealing with Mole Rats (a.k.a. Gophers or Voles)
These underground troublemakers are notorious for destroying root systems and causing plants to wilt seemingly overnight.
Natural Control Tips:
- Raised Beds with Hardware Cloth: Install metal mesh at the bottom of garden beds to block burrowing from below.
- Castor Oil Spray: Natural repellents made with castor oil irritate their tunnels and encourage them to move along.
- Plant Gopher Spurge (Euphorbia lathyris): A traditional deterrent believed to repel gophers and moles.
🐇 2. Jackrabbits (and Other Hungry Hoppers)
Jackrabbits can quickly devastate young seedlings and leafy greens, especially in arid regions.
Natural Control Tips:
- Fencing Is Key: Use 2–3 ft tall chicken wire with stakes. Bend the bottom outward to prevent digging under.
- Motion-Activated Sprinklers: These harmless surprises scare off rabbits without hurting them.
- Companion Plants: Grow rabbit-repellent herbs like lavender, rosemary, sage, or marigolds around the edges of your garden.
🐛 3. Other Common Garden Pests
- Deer: Use tall fencing (6–8 ft), or hang strips of shiny foil or wind chimes for noise deterrence.
- Birds: Netting over berries and seedlings protects your produce while allowing birds access to other areas.
- Insects: Encourage ladybugs and praying mantises by planting dill, fennel, or yarrow.
🌎 Garden Like You Mean It — Sustainably
Remember, your garden is part of a larger ecosystem. Every pest is also food for something else — owls, hawks, snakes, or foxes. Instead of using poisons or harsh traps, we focus on:
✅ Exclusion (barriers and fencing)
✅ Diversification (planting a mix of crops and flowers)
✅ Natural repellents (herbs, scents, and sprays)
✅ Attracting predators (like installing owl boxes or bat houses)
🧡 What We Teach at The Farm Life Inc.
Our gardening classes and volunteer days often include real-time lessons on pest prevention, soil health, and how to live in harmony with the land.
Together, we’re learning to:
- Protect our crops without harming wildlife
- Use what we have (like recycled fencing or natural sprays)
- Share our knowledge with neighbors so every garden in the community thrives
🌿 Join Us in the Garden
Want to learn more about sustainable pest control?
Come to one of our workshops or help us build protected garden beds during our next volunteer day!
👉 [View upcoming events] – COMING SOON!
👉 [Volunteer to help build fences or pest-deterring garden beds]
👉 [Download our printable pest prevention guide] (optional PDF)
Your garden doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be protected, loved, and shared.
— The Farm Life Inc. 🌻
Founder/CEO –At Harvesting Change & The Farm Life, our mission is to sow real seeds of change by nurturing a hands-on, inclusive learning environment rooted in sustainable farming, community connection, and traditional wisdom rooted in equity, sustainability, and social justice. We cultivate more than just gardens—we grow knowledge, resilience, and relationships that nourish people of all races, genders, and ages and the land alike.