MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) – Gardening is a popular activity in the summer months, but often times, animal pests and insects pose problems for many gardeners.

“All of my clients and other folks and urban gardeners that I’ve been speaking with have a real issue with rabbits and baby rabbits infiltrating their gardens and eating their new starts, eating fruits that are just about to come on, that kind of thing,” said DJ Finwall, the owner of Earth Heart Gardens in Marquette.

Finwall said a lot of customers come in asking what to do about the problem, saying they want to get rid of the rabbits, but in a harmless and humane way. One solution, he said, is simply planting various aromatic herbs.

“Thyme, chives, other sorts of garlics, onions, alliums, those types of things can really keep rabbits at bay because they don’t like the scent of some of those more aromatic herbs,” Finwall said.

Biodiversity can also help get rid of insects.

“You want to be growing ‘companion plants,’ certain plants that work together to provide an environment where those bugs want to enter your garden space at all,” Finwall said. “An example of companion plants would be kale and dill.”

There are also various animal and insect repellents, such as liquid and granular pesticides.

Non-chemical options are available, but Mares-Z-Doats Manager, Andrew Hallinen said that better results often come from chemical treatments.

“You’re going to surely have better results when you’re using chemical pest control. The key is, with the natural remedies, you’re far better off if it goes down early before the problem gets really out of hand,” Hallinen said.

Finwall added that another way to keep your garden healthy is by making it pollinator-friendly. Finwall does this with his own garden by letting the garden just grow, without much intervention from him. He said it’s also important to protect the top layer of soil by putting down mulch.

Finwall also said that the Marquette Conservation District will be holding agriculture workshops in August and September for any interested Marquette residents. For more on that, click here.

For more on Earth Heart Gardens, click here.

For more on Mare-Z-Doats, click here.