The Ongoing Saga of My Garden and Updates

   My gardens in the back yard are having a difficult time. It is not necessarily due to the fact that they are located in Florida, but more specifically the problems have to do with animals getting into the garden beds. Here are some things I have learned about gardening and would like to pass them on to you with the hopes that these ideas will help someone else out when gardening.
   I love animals. I do not wish to kill any animals. Years ago, I was so angry at the squirrels that enjoyed dining at the bird feeders and my raised beds, that we went to my in laws house to pick up a BB gun that belonged to my husband when he was at home. Needless to say, the BB gun is put away and I never learned how to use it. However, I have thought about buying a small one and having targets in the garden I can shoot at during appropriate times, which would be when these critters are feasting on my coming up produce. But so much of that happens during the night, that it is impossible to do this planned activity, as fun as it might be.
  I went out to the garden the other day, and to my horror, it looked like someone had taken a rototiller and had nicely run through the garden. We'll the only consolation in this is that my weeding has been done for now, and the gardens look neat. But, the carrots and beets that were coming up are mostly gone. Forget finding the broccoli that I planted. My frustration has led me to some new ideas though and I will explain them here.
   Upstairs, we have a balcony which would make a nice place for plants to grow. Yes, squirrels have access to the balcony as well as birds, but I don't think they will be up there in the same way that they are in the gardens. I have discovered some footprints in the gardens as well, so it looks like a land animal visits there at times. But, upstairs, on the outside balcony, I can put pots of plants out there. The hydroponic system is ready to go, and I will put the strawberries in it as soon as it is warm enough on a consistent basis. Some strawberries are planted in pots now, as well.
   Everything is going to be put into a Smart Pot, which is a fabric pot that allows plants to grow well in. Amazon.com carries them and they come in many sizes. I will need several 20 gallon ones to put tomatoes in. The 10 gallon ones can be used for carrots and beets, and the small ones can be used for herbs. Many different types of plants can be grown in containers, but it isn't the same as growing in the garden. In the mean time, I will try to come up with another plan to keep these critters away from the garden area or out of it completely.

Sweet potatoes growing in the garden, which were dug up
by invading critters

Things I have learned recently about gardening:

1. Plants can grow in containers.

2. There are containers called Smart Pots which are made out of fabric.

3. Containers made from clay, glass, or porcelain can be too heavy to move around.

4. Putting orange rinds and other large pieces of scrap food into the garden can attract uninvited animals.

5. Eggshells are excellent compost material. A good idea is to slightly bake them and then put them in a blender to grind before putting them into the garden or compost area.

6. There's a wide variety of fruits and berries, many of which can be grown in containers. 

7. Plants need nourishment which can be provided through compost or worm castings.