Round Two in my battle with the furry little chompers of my herbs

[Hortensis]

46. Well, the very best way to keep critters from your veggies

is to KEEP THEM FROM DISCOVERING THEY'RE THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE. On AVERAGE, deer, for instance, need only 3 tries to discover scary things are harmless.

Sustainable living is a wonderful goal. So, kill those who've found the garden, stew them up IN PLACE OF SUPERMARKET PURCHASES (cruelty lessening cruelty), and design barriers, hedges, fences, and alarms, mowing a band down as a foodless "moat," grading as needed, whatever the terrain calls for, to keep new critters from discovering nirvana -- and to keep them and the garden safe as long as you can keep it up.

For insects, fungi, molds, etc., hiding the garden won't work for, one could at least note the advice of an elderly farmer here in Georgia with its soup-like summer air. When I asked him how they on earth managed to feed their families before modern agents, he smiled andtold me they just planted enough "for them and us." Long, hard, even backbreaking work for all ages, but realistic for the era.