Gwow Youw Own, You Wascaws!
by John Weckerle
Having enhanced Bed 5’s ability to deter invasion from above, about a week and a half ago we found ourselves suddenly plagued with visitors from below…
Wabbits. And squiwwews.
We were faced with a nightmare of Fuddian proportions: for the first time, wildlife was digging under the side of the bed, at a point where the bed simply rests on the ground rather than extending beneath the land surface. Casual efforts to halt the incursion – placing rabbit fencing and debris in the way – had no effect, so we dug down to about a foot, set chicken wire and some pieces of 2 x 12 lumber in the trench, and extended chicken wire another 3 feet out along the ground. We then buried the chicken wire under several inches of dirt. Of course, the squirrels, at least, just burrowed in at another spot. In the end, we stapled chicken wire (or, in a couple of places, poultry fencing) to the bed at ground level, and spread it across the surface, extending a barrier three feet across the ground in all directions. We covered this with wood mulch, and this seems to have done the trick as there have been no additional excavations.
Bed 5, inside and out.
The damage was, in some cases, substantial. We think the kale and broccoli will recover, but the future of the Japanese eggplant, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are uncertain. Fortunately for us, the tomatoes, squashes, and peppers (all of them) came through relatively unscathed.
To complete the summer planting, we’ve added eggplant, some more yellow squash and zucchini, mustard greens, dill, and cilantro. Every plant has its own adjustable drip emitter except the string beans, for which we used dripline. The beans have just begun popping up from under the mulch; at last count, five of the twenty positions had a plant above ground. There are also already some tiny fruits on the green bell and hot chile peppers. With luck, we can now leave planting and protection efforts behind us, and look forward to the start of the harvest!