Wish I would have seen this sooner. I'm in a zone 4 sub-climate (surrounded by zone 5) and have learned the hard way because I thought I was in zone 5. To attract bees etc, I use daylilies, especially northern hardy types. Be careful ordering from the south as many of these won't live here for long. Any vegetables are fine as long as they have a shorter growing season. I have lots of critters here (no moose though). Raccoons and deer are always a problem. We use the orange plastic snow fencing around the vegetable garden every year. We take it down in the fall when the garden is done. This really helps. I think because its new to them every year and they are leery of it. Before using the snow fence I also had a bear problem - he would eat all of my pumpkins. Not sure if the fence freaks him out or he died but the last 3 years he has left my pumpkins alone. If you don't want bears (or other critters) keep your yard clear of dog food, bird feeders etc. Also, if your going to have a compost pile, keep it as far away from your home as you can. Don't worry to much about the bears - they are as afraid of you as you (and me) are from them. Happy gardening.
