i use this stuff called liquid shotgun... it is a spray that smells like slim jims (just my opinion) and it keeps all sorts of animals away, it doesn't harm the plants and what it does is slightly burns the nasal passages and/or mouth when the animal sniffs or bites the plant. i read on the bottle that you can also use it around decks, sheds, garbage cans, etc. it doesn't harm the animal but creates a less than desirable environment for them. you spray it once and it lasts up to two months. i use it to keep deer away, this is my 2nd year with it and i actually haven't even seen a deer near the yard this year. last year they were eating my plants EVERY night. i also spray my fruit trees with it and it keeps the deer from them, it also wards off birds from the fruit too. if you are interested i will get the exact name off of the label for you. i believe the company that makes it is called bonide. it smells strongly for the first day, but after that i don't even notice it. i have been finding suspicious teeth marks on my pumpkins this year- i have no idea what it is, but i sprayed the whole patch with this stuff and haven't seen any more yet. i like this stuff because i don't like to harm or kill anything, i used to not even kill bugs but since i began gardening i can't help but squoosh the ones that are eating MY food. anyway, i hope this helps... it cost me $20 and i am almost at the end of the bottle (2nd season using it) a good investment if you ask me. i got it at my local nursery/landscaping store. sarah

I just posted this in another thread but it is relevant here. This is a quote from the Texas A&M website referenced above: "Spinosad (0.5% liquid) - considered all natural or "organic." Has a fire ant mound drench statement on label. Available from Green Light or FertiLome. Green Light product is certified organic by OMRI meaning it is approved for use in organic gardens. Spinosad is a biopesticide produced through commercial culture of a soil-born microbe that produces metabolites toxic to certain insects. These metabolites are harvested and formulated as an insecticide, so the final product contains no living microbes." I have used both brands with great success. Green Light was better but I don't see it for sale any more. By the way, I have tried many other organic remedies and none of them worked great. It does take a little practice to use these but if you apply them when it is above 65F and in the morning with clouds is best. Evening works too but sometimes it needs to be applied more than once. My experience is if it worked they are gone in less than 4 days.

Keep a few cats. My sister has a horrible problem with rabbits. I live 6 blocks away and, although I see them in my neighbors' yards, especially straight across the alley, I get none. My spinach and lettuce and beans are just fine, thank you. I have 4 cats and they all like to chase, but my Sweetie has the heart of a Zena. When I was leaving the flap door open while I was away from home, I one day found a decapitated bunny in the basement when I got home. The flap door is now closed when I am not home. One of my cats (Baby Bear) is a scrapper but not a hunter. He does his part though by taking his naps on the straw in the garden. He lays out there looking like road kill for hours. I also have an owl (plastic) with big, shiney amber eyes and a head that swivels. It may also be of some help. My sister did have some luck with short fencing around some tulips that she was determined to see bloom just once in her life. The bunnies ate them off every year. She put flexible metal garden fencing no more than 14 inches tall around the oval where they were planted. It was short enough she could step over it to weed. It seems that bunnies are not really hoppers - that is hares, which we do not have. The 14 inch fence, with no gaps that could be squeezed through, was enough to allow her beautiful tulips to bloom. They have bloomed for 2 years in a row now. So maybe not allowing any gaps is more important than height. (?) Carmellia

You could put some wet cardboard on them and cover it up with compost or manure. That will stop the weeds and fertilize for next spring. Or plant a green cover crop that you can rototill in next spring. This will add nitrogen and probably outgrow any weeds. Lee