The Picasso looks amazing, really! We don't have a dog but I've started thinking about it. So many dogs need a home, all good boys and girls. I'm in the minority for now, unfortunately. For now.😁
Dogs like to dig and they're not particular about where they do it. The nice soft soil in the middle of a finely cultivated garden patch will do nicely...
If we ever get a dog, we'll have to build it a fenced-off space, not just for the sake of the garden, as you rightly point out, but for its own sake, too -- jackals are not picky about what they eat.
A push hoe. One of our farm neighbours (our farmers tend to be amateur engineers) developed two devices for their rather large (2-acre) garden. One was a spacing device mounted on a small wheel, for ease of pushing, which was used to ensure all rows were equally distant from each other. The second was a somewhat similar push-type implement, on wheels, with a blade. The push hoe fit easily between the rows and weeding became far less onerous. Weeding by hand was still an issue of course, in the rows (between the planted food) but the entire chore took far less time.
I love the idea about something to help keep the weeds at bay between tbe beds. Cris does it with the trimmer but I don't always leave enough space between beds for him to pass with the trimmer safely for the plants. Me and my space economy mind.😄
Makes sense to make as much use as possible of the land you've got, and the beauty of DIY is that you can determine the width of the device(s), right? I wish I had a photo to share.
Have you considered mulch / wood chips or even straw between rows? I'm having a lot of success with chips for weed supression thus far (local arborists save themselves a trip to the landfill when local gardeners request wood chips; perhaps you have something similar).
Yes! I keep forgetting to ask around where we can buy some straw and wood chips are a good idea as well. There's a place in the village that sells firewood, planks and things like that. I should check with them if they sell/give away chips. Thanks for reminding me!
Strawberry predation could be birds. When I was a child in northern Virginia we had a nice strawberry patch. It seems to be too hot here in central Texas for them to grow as perennials.
Anyway, once they started bearing, we always had to cover the patch with a net, supported with stakes about 8 -12" tall and all the edges well secured. I remember finding one enterprising bird, which had managed to get in for a big strawberry feast, but couldn't find its way back out again. Probably drunk on strawberry juice...
Serves the bird right. I think our offender is a rabbit because of the bite marks on the strawberries. Also, once I stuck the twigs around the fruit, the offences appear to have stopped. Or something ate the rabbit, I don't know. We use the nets in exactly the way you describe to protect the strawberries from the July and August heat. Will expand their use to the bean patch this year. We're not losing another harvest to heat.
I enjoy watching your kitchen garden, Irina! Picasso will perform well. Don't you guys have a dog? Hares wouldn't step foot in your garden if you did😊
The Picasso looks amazing, really! We don't have a dog but I've started thinking about it. So many dogs need a home, all good boys and girls. I'm in the minority for now, unfortunately. For now.😁
Dogs like to dig and they're not particular about where they do it. The nice soft soil in the middle of a finely cultivated garden patch will do nicely...
If we ever get a dog, we'll have to build it a fenced-off space, not just for the sake of the garden, as you rightly point out, but for its own sake, too -- jackals are not picky about what they eat.
A push hoe. One of our farm neighbours (our farmers tend to be amateur engineers) developed two devices for their rather large (2-acre) garden. One was a spacing device mounted on a small wheel, for ease of pushing, which was used to ensure all rows were equally distant from each other. The second was a somewhat similar push-type implement, on wheels, with a blade. The push hoe fit easily between the rows and weeding became far less onerous. Weeding by hand was still an issue of course, in the rows (between the planted food) but the entire chore took far less time.
I love the idea about something to help keep the weeds at bay between tbe beds. Cris does it with the trimmer but I don't always leave enough space between beds for him to pass with the trimmer safely for the plants. Me and my space economy mind.😄
Makes sense to make as much use as possible of the land you've got, and the beauty of DIY is that you can determine the width of the device(s), right? I wish I had a photo to share.
Have you considered mulch / wood chips or even straw between rows? I'm having a lot of success with chips for weed supression thus far (local arborists save themselves a trip to the landfill when local gardeners request wood chips; perhaps you have something similar).
Yes! I keep forgetting to ask around where we can buy some straw and wood chips are a good idea as well. There's a place in the village that sells firewood, planks and things like that. I should check with them if they sell/give away chips. Thanks for reminding me!
Strawberry predation could be birds. When I was a child in northern Virginia we had a nice strawberry patch. It seems to be too hot here in central Texas for them to grow as perennials.
Anyway, once they started bearing, we always had to cover the patch with a net, supported with stakes about 8 -12" tall and all the edges well secured. I remember finding one enterprising bird, which had managed to get in for a big strawberry feast, but couldn't find its way back out again. Probably drunk on strawberry juice...
Serves the bird right. I think our offender is a rabbit because of the bite marks on the strawberries. Also, once I stuck the twigs around the fruit, the offences appear to have stopped. Or something ate the rabbit, I don't know. We use the nets in exactly the way you describe to protect the strawberries from the July and August heat. Will expand their use to the bean patch this year. We're not losing another harvest to heat.