Chronicles of a Postage Stamp Gardener: Birds and other Pests

So how are your gardens growing?

Look at all that lettuce in mine! Some pretty exciting stuff is beginning to happen in my front yard. My mint is taking over my other beds, as it usually does and I’m already snipping some for salads. In fact, my friend Liz and I made a delicious chick pea, feta and mint salad yesterday (see recipe below!) and it felt so good to be able to walk outside for the fresh herbs. I already have thyme, chives and mint coming back from last year.

This week I’m a bit concerned about birds and other varmints harassing my postage stamp garden. My friend Lou joked the other day about all the birds flying around my garden and it got me worrying. I went right to my Postage Stamp Gardening book to see what Duane had to say. And wasn’t I relieved to learn that “Birds are a mixed blessing.” They can certainly eat seedlings (which may be what happened to a few areas of my garden which look a bit sparse), but they can also be useful by eating harmful insects. Let’s hope I have the helpful type since there don’t seem to be any reasonable options to get rid of them (at least for a front yard garden with a husband worried about curb appeal!).

Here are two of Duane’s solutions: If the birds become too pesky, he suggests enclosing your garden in chicken wire (which I can assure you will NOT be happening in my front yard. Can you imagine what my husband would say???)

The other option Duane put forth made no sense to me. He says you can: “Hang metal foil strips on strings extended two or three feet over your garden.” I’m not getting it. How about you?

I also discovered loads of information (in fact a whole chapter) about other pests — insects, bugs and slugs — which of course made me paranoid about what’s to come. For now, I’ll gamble that the pests will leave me and my garden alone and worry only if I have to.

Oh, and here’s the chick pea salad recipe Liz and I made yesterday. I can’t wait to start sharing even more as my garden grows.

Simple Garbanzo Bean Salad

This simple salad is delicious served as a topping to a crisp romaine lettuce salad. Or, serve it a long side some grilled herbed chicken or fish.

4 seedless cucumbers, peeled and diced
2 14-ounce cans of garbanzo peas, rinsed
½ cup green pitted olives, chopped
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
½ cup diced yellow peppers
½ cup freshly chopped mint
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
juice from 2 to 3 lemons
1/8 cup Olive oil

In a large bowl, mix together cucumbers, garbanzo beans, olives, peppers, feta cheese and mint. In a separate bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss dressing into the salad.