Saturday, June 08, 2024

GardenDC Podcast Episode 198: Rats and Other Destructive Critters

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Josh Singer, DC Parks and Recreation Community Garden Specialist, about dealing with rats and other destructive garden critters. The plant profile is on Love-in-a-Mist and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events and this week's garden tasks in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Why June is the Perfect Month from Christy Page of Green Prints.

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 50: Deer-Resistant Native Plants

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-50-deer.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 174: Wildscaping

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/11/gardendc-podcast-episode-174-wildscaping.html

This episode is archived at: 

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/Rats-and-Other-Destructive-Critters-e2kg0mc

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 

See how at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/support.

SHOW NOTES: 1:05 Welcome Josh Singer, DC Parks and Recreation Community Garden Specialist 1:29 Josh’s gardening background and how he ended up at DC Parks and Recreation 4:05 Josh’s history of being a self-taught gardener 5:25 What does Josh do at DC Parks and Rec? 6:02 The Communal Farm Program: teaching people how to grow and fighting food insecurity 7:45 “Last year we grew and gave away over 13,000 lbs of produce to hundreds of mostly food insecure seniors.” 8:10 Josh’s online urban agriculture course: http://dugnetwork.org/online-learning/ 9:50 Josh’s partner, Anna Mische John, is the horticulture director at Takoma Park 10:30 What Josh is growing in his family’s home garden 11:03 How Josh dealt with rats in Powell Community Farm in DC (using dry ice!) 15:21 Growing crops that rats won’t eat 17:05 Utilizing trellis 18:24 How to build wire cages to keep rats out 22:30 Scare tactics and sprays for plants 24:07 Fake snakes and other fake animals 25:13 Hanging shiny objects can deter birds 25:51 Organic sprays that Josh finds effective 28:08 Squirrels and chipmunks are looking for a moisture source 29:22 Garden theft by other people and ways to prevent it 32:47 How to properly relocate raccoons and groundhogs 36:40 Josh’s final thoughts on dealing with urban wildlife 38:05 To learn more check out dugnetwork.org or reach out to Josh: joshua.singer@dc.gov 40:55 Plant Profile: Love-in-a-mist (Nigella species) 42:35 What’s new in the garden this week? Container Gardening Tips, Plant Tomatoes, and Enjoying Butterfly Weed Blooms 43:47 Upcoming events in the Maryland, D.C., and Virginia area – Garden Conservancy Open Days program. Learn more at https://www.gardenconservancy.org/ 44:44 Check out Groundcover Revolution by Kathy Jentz for low-maintenance alternatives for lawns on Amazon.com and Bookshop.org 47:05 Is June the “perfect month”? Christy Page from GreenPrints thinks so!

Please vote for GardenDC in the first-ever GardenComm’s People’s Choice Horti Awards.
Voting happens now through 6/15. Go HERE: 

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Interview Edit and Show Notes: Josh Panepento

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