Ask MOFGA

Q. How can I keep squirrels out of my garden?

A. According to Coast of Maine, which produces a Fermented Salmon product for feeding plants, this brew, applied every four weeks or so, repels deer and rabbits very effectively, and customers report that it works on woodchucks and other four-legged herbivores. (Link here.) We haven't had any experience with this control method. Others recommend hot pepper flakes; Havahart traps; pepper spray (sprays made with water and hot peppers; link to this site for a recipe); and cats.

Q. Where can chemically-sensitive individuals find information?

A. MOFGA members Leslie Poole and Debbie Brown provided the following resources:

1. CIIN (Chemical Injury Information Network), P.O. Box 301, White Sulfur Springs, MT 59645; 406-547-2255; fax 406-547-2455; ciin.org. This support and advocacy organization publishes a newsletter.

2. Debbie Brown (207-549-4072), mother of a chemically-sensitive child, is willing to take questions if there aren't too many. She understands that what works for one does not necessarily work for another.

3. The Naked Truth Project, 14 Lawn Avenue, Portland, ME 04103; phone 207-318-9991; www.thenakedtruthproject.com.

4. Alison Johnson has produced and directed three videos on multiple chemical sensitivity; a video titled Gulf War Syndrome: Aftermath of a Toxic Battlefield; and she has edited a book titled Casualties of Progress: Personal Histories from the Chemically Sensitive. She has personal experience with multiple chemical sensitivity See www.conceptmed.com/Johnson/author.html.

5. The Heart of Vermont catalog (P.O. Box 612, Barre, VT 05641; 800-639-4123) sells organic cotton and wool mattresses, blankets, sheets, pillows, etc.