Planting bulbs? Here’s how to protect them from the cold critters | News, Sports, Vacancies

ASSOCIATED PRESS This mid-October photo provided by Jessica Damiano shows garlic bulbs in planting holes in a garden on Long Island, New York.

Last week I planted garlic, and after I placed 30 plump cloves in the bed, my thoughts turned to protecting them from freezing temperatures and the secretive animals that dig them up every year and leave them on the surface of the soil to taunt me.

So this year I put some bird netting on the ground (chicken wire would work too, maybe better, but I used what I had). I then covered the whole thing with about 4 inches of straw.

This is a good practice for protecting any bulbs you plant, especially those considered more gastronomically attractive to wildlife than garlic, such as tulips and crocuses.

Take care of these light bulbs

Wire mesh and mesh serve as physical barriers that discourage digging while allowing sunlight and water to reach the soil. Use pins, pegs or stones to secure it in place, or attach its outer edges to the wood frame of the raised bed using nails or a staple gun. You can remove it in the spring, but it is not necessary; shoots and stems will pass through the holes as they grow.

Straw is a useful mulch material that helps regulate soil temperature, prevents bulbs and plant crowns from lifting out of the ground during winter freeze-thaw cycles, adds nutrients to the soil as it decomposes, and helps retain moisture. It also reduces premature germination during warm winter periods.

Straw, not hay

Do not use hay that is raised for animal feed and is known to be intended for horses. It also contains tall grass, alfalfa, clover or other seed heads that will sprout along with the bulbous plants and make a mess of your garden in the spring.

Straw, the stem of a grain crop that remains after the seeds have been harvested, is considered free of seeds. However, you may find yourself uprooting a few wheat seedlings, but this would be more doable than a hay fever induced nap.

Straw is also less likely to contain pesticides and herbicides that can harm your plants. Look for products that are labeled organic or at least pesticide-free.

Bales sold as Halloween decorations may be made of hay or straw. You might be able to tell the difference by eye (hay is greenish, straw is yellowish-beige), but you’re unlikely to be able to confirm whether they’re organic, pesticide-free, or even where they came from. They can also become carriers of mold or fungal diseases.

I wouldn’t recommend using decorative bales of any material in the garden, especially around edible plants, but they can certainly be used in chicken coops or to cover muddy paths that might get dirty if left bare.

The best fertilizers

Avoid fertilizing bulbs with bone meal, blood meal, fish emulsion or other odorous additives that may attract hungry animals. And remove papery bulb skins from the soil surface that might otherwise serve as a GPS for the buffet line.

Many wildlife repellents deter squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks and other critters from digging up the bulbs, but they must be applied repeatedly and I, for one, don’t spray the soil in the dead of winter.

Some repellents can be used on the bulbs before planting, but they also stop working over time. However, in the absence of a physical barrier, which is my gold standard, repellents can be effective if you are diligent.

Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for AP and publishes the award-winning weekly newsletter Dirt.