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| Best little gardener in Texas |
Current Garden Score: Squirrels - 150 Team Human/Dogs - 0. Back to the drawing board.
The big fancy coop Chuck built for the chickens was essentially a six foot tall 12x12 box. It was simple to build and I thought it would be perfect for protecting our fruiting produce. We plan to put all veggies that the squirrels would want inside the netting and use the outside planter boxes for herbs and less "at risk" veggies. We can add a large 4x16 box on the back edge next Spring if we decide we need more garden space. Right now, we have 128 sq. ft. of gardening space. This is not near enough for our long term plans, but I'm trying to tamp down my over ambitious nature and move slowly to expand the garden over several years.
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| Pondering |
Chuck and my Dad built the frame and planter boxes on Saturday morning. Not bad.
We planted two late season tomato plants and several herbs. We planted bush beans, kale, pumpkins, and various squash from seed. Joey was really into pumpkins last October. He was so excited to plant the seed that he was shaking with joy.
We're late in the season to plant pumpkins, but we figured we'd give it a try. We've never planted veggies from seed before and a tropical storm blew through on the Tuesday after we planted everything. I'm not sure if all the seeds drowned or if they with thrive with all the extra rain. If the seeds don't grow, we'll just plant lettuce or spinach in that planter box.
If you want to get rid of the squirrels, you need a GOOD cat! Try it! And be sure to try snow peas. The peas will need to trellis. Spinach and broccoli grow very nicely in the winter here. Happy gardening!
ReplyDeleteCamia
Do you have any deer in your neighborhood? Ours eat everything we plant right down to the ground (including roses and aloe) so I've always lamented my inability to grow food and hoped to someday build an enclosed deck that I could use to grow food in containers. Now I wonder if the squirrels would cause just as much trouble!
ReplyDeleteSquirrels taunt you by leaving the bounty on the plant until the exact moment of harvest. Then they pick the fruit/veggies, eat half, and leave the other half on a nearby fence as evidence of the crime. You either have to pick all your veggies early and let them ripen on the counter or fence in the garden as far as I can tell.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct, Chuck. One year I had no less than 45 orange-sized tomatoes (still green and still growing) and the little creeps (squirrels) would take one bite and drop the fruit in the yard near the garden. I went out and built a chicken wire fence with 8 foot cedar stakes around the perimeter of the garden. I then put bird netting across the top. The nasty little beasts still got in to devour the crop. It wasn't until I got my beautiful guard cat that the dorks left it alone. I'm telling you to try it!
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