At least deer and rabbits are cute

Diane Ott Whealy, founder of Seed Savers Exchange, got stumped early on during a recent call-in show on Chicago’s WBEZ public radio.

A listener wanted to know how to prevent city rats from eating her produce.

Whealy said she had never had that question before.

Other urban callers came to the rescue, recommending such solutions as burying cages around the plants, and Whealy suggested container gardening.

“I really just hated to be stumped right off the bat,” she said in a recent interview. “Every region has its own surprises and challenges. I was happy other callers got me off the hook.”

— Deborah Donovan