Pulsegleaner's Garden 2019; The Uphill Battle

[Ridgerunner]

The only solution I see to that first list is a fairly small mesh wire with dig protection and electricity to stop climbing. For dig protection I'd probably try the apron approach. Bend the bottom 12" to 18" of that mesh fence outward and bury it an inch or two, basically putting the turf over it. Or attaching more wire to the bottom of the fence and making the apron The idea is that something goes up to the fence, starts digging, hits the wire, and doesn't know to back up.

Use your wire mesh fence as your ground and put a couple of hot wires around it, one at the top to stop jumping critters and another part way up. As much trouble as you are having it may be worth it.

Moles, voles, and birds, well good luck.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

The reason I can't do that is the same reason I can't trap or shoot the animals; I'm suburban and there are village laws against that sort of thing. Mesh maybe but definitely not electricity.* Nothing is allowed that could conceivably harm any toddler or family pet that gets loose and wanders around.

It's actually a miracle I can do ANYTHING that might repel the critters; the village council is very much of the "squirrels and chipmunks are our cuddly wuddly friends" mentality and are also really down on fences of any kind (they want wide uninterrupted views.) They tend to think of vegetables as things you buy in a store, and gardens as something for your professional landscaper to take care of.

* Not to mention there would be no way to wire it. Both gardens are surrounded by lawn and if I ran a wire to them, it would be shredded by the mowers. And I doubt the Terminix guy (who has to get everywhere) would appreciate getting shocked when he went to check on the termite traps.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Circle turned and planted with cow peas soybeans and some azukis I had left over.

Something ate the grass pea sprout overnight.

 

[so lucky]

Don't they make solar powered electric fence? No running wires needed. Unless you have toddlers running loose in your neighborhood, I don't think the ordinance would stop me.

 

[thistlebloom]

I use a solar powered hot wire to keep the deer from jumping up and over the dry stack stone walls at a clients property. I put it up in the fall when my clients leave and take it down in the early summer when they come back. I wish I could leave it up year round (love me some scorched deer) but it's not aesthetically pleasing.
The deer figure out it's gone about 2 weeks after I remove it and then the heart burn begins as they help themselves to the landscape that was previously behind the fence.

Sorry Pulsegleaner, didn't mean to veer off, but the mention of electric fencing is irresistible to me.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Few mung beans sprouted

One of the favas eaten but looks like another sprout has shown up to take it's place.

 

[ducks4you]

http://www.zarebasystems.com/zareba-battery-powered-garden-protection-kit-kgpdc-z
https://www.gardeners.com/buy/5-pan...MIi--OrtDp4QIVDp7ACh0BIw3WEAQYBSABEgIxKPD_BwE
https://www.gardeners.com/buy/chew-proof-hardware-net-3-foot-x-25-foot/8594144.html

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Thank you I will look at these

 

[flowerbug]

yesterday i was out working in the N garden and saw the first bumblebee of the season feasting on the daffodils. also saw the first snake of the season, about a foot and a half long garter snake. i know AW not LT, but i had a good time sitting and watching it prospect around. at times it was crawling right at me even if i was stomping on the ground or clicking a brick on another brick. i thought they were more sensitive to vibrations... hmm... well anyways after getting up and moving aside so it could crawl past me it was making it's way across the limestone mulch towards the house so i got the 4 pronger and moved it to the top of the garden where there was more cover and likely something more interesting to eat or sniff through rather than hundreds of square feet of crushed limestone.

after i was done farting around in the N garden (for the moment until next time i can get back to it) i sat down in the shade of a birdbath pole with the air rifle and was trying to discourage the grackles (they've been mostly chased off now with only a few of the more stubborn ones trying to stick around) and was wondering if the groundhog of any rabbits or chippies would come along. i'd not seen any chipmunks yet, but Mom had put out some buckets with seeds to try to catch a few when we had a break in the rainy/cold weather. as soon as she put the buckets out they disappeared and so nothing happened. but after about a half hour i saw a little head poke up from the chipmunk hotel (an old pond that was just sorta filled in with stuff but not really filled in and then it was covered and more stuff put on top so it is prime habitat for any small burrowing creature who might like a warm rock roof...)... so, um, it was poking it's head up and eventually ran off to the side where it was eating something. i was 20ft away or so and the gun is not sighted in at that range (and seems to need more sighting in because i sure should not have needed 7 shots to hit it, but that's another story). it kept standing up and looking around at the strange noise of the bullets going by but it only ran away once and then came back a few moments later. RIP chippie. i said i'm sorry as i buried it in the N garden. eventually i will be able to retire the air gun and stop such mean/non-sense. good fencing would do this and then i could stop wasting time plinking at creatures that are just trying to do their own thing.

lol sorry for the long ramble, but i'm killing a few minutes waiting for something so here was as good a place as any.

 

[Smart Red]

i cant wait to hear how your garden grows this year. if memory serves me, youre famous for testing and sharing plant varities. getting them to grow in the garden for table and processing purposes, um, not so much.
i wish you all the success you deserve.