Stake Your Claim with Human Hair

One of my major issues with pest control in my garden is that I grow a lot of edible food.  Just like I don't want chemicals and pesticides on my family's food, some of the more organic options are nothing I would want to do with plants I will eventually be putting in my mouth.  For example, I'm sure most of us have heard the old advice that if you put your own urine around your plants, it will keep animals away.  That doesn't seem like it would make my plants very appetizing, and never mind the smell!  There are also a number of home made sprays which usually use things like cayenne pepper (I will be sharing those recipes with you throughout this blog) which are not recommended for use on plants you plan to eat. 

So when you have a yard full of woodland creatures, how can you keep them off your plants without hurting them or having to resort to methods which make your edible plants nothing you would want to eat?  The answer is in your hair.

Hair retains oils which hold our unique scent quite well.  Evidence of this can be found when we do not wash our hair.  It becomes oily.  That oil is a product of our bodies that holds our scent.  A scent that will repel animals.  So take the discarded hair from you brush and sprinkle it around your garden.  If you are..."folically challenged", asking a barber shop or hair salon for their discarded clippings is an option.  Although asking your friends might get you fewer strange looks. 

In nature, ownership is claimed by smell.  It's your garden, and putting your scent on it declares that to your back yard animal world.