Protecting the Harvest ~ Raised Beds Project

 The tree baffles are up, but the second one will need some work.  The bottom branches are lower on the other tree.  Anyway, we'll see if we can save our apple tree harvest this year.

If you are interested in how we built our tree baffles (a device to keep raccoons/squirrels from climbing up the tree to eat the fruit), here is the source with the "how to" on how to build one with a 5 gallon bucket.

Source: Welcome Wildlife, Tree Baffles...

Update:   The tree baffles work!  I happen to look outside at just the right time and a raccoon was at one tree, looking up confused.  It ran off.  Our $4.00 buckets paid off.  You could possibly get them free if a restaurant could save buckets too.

(Source:  Menards)

Temporary fencing has been installed around the green/wax beans now.  We simply used inexpensive plastic fencing on a roll, zip ties and wooden tomato stakes.  It's high enough to keep the rabbits out, but low enough we can step over it.  Time will tell, if we'll get a harvest this year or not. 

We can take the fencing down at the end of the garden season, roll it back up and reuse it if needed.  For now, anyway.

I had saved some tin pie pans a year ago, and have put those on strings and on each side of the tomato garden.  The wind bangs them onto the fence, and the noise keeps the birds out, as well as the sun shining on the pan.

I have also ordered two solar devices to keep the rodents out of my herb garden.  They send off a sound, in which the rodents do not like, and is said to keep them away.  If this does not work, I'll be fencing my herb garden too.

(2019 photo)

Now I understand why I would always see our barn cats sitting in the herb garden.  They were after the rabbits.

Our greens are in a waist high raised bed this year, and they are much smaller due to the soil content.  I'll be putting them back in the fenced garden ground next year.  Something is eating them, and I'm guess it's grasshoppers.  Ants are also in the raised bed.

The radishes have been thinned out, but they are not doing that great this year.  It could be the lack of rain, and having to hand water this year.

Tree digging was finally done.  There was a black walnut and an ornamental apple tree growing in two flower beds, a mulberry tree (above) growing in my asparagus patch, and one large invasive honeysuckle growing in a very small flower bed that completely took out, and removed rocks etc.

My compost bin was being buried in wild grape vines, so we unburied it, but there is much more work to do around the barns and house yet.  It's crazy how the birds can plant so many obstacles for us.  Not to mention the squirrels.

Raised Beds Project

I am digging up my rhubarb to put in a temporary location, so we can dig up all of our 16 year old raised beds completely. We will need assistance with it all, so it may be an all summer project, with finishing up next year.

We want to lay something down in a large area in it's place, topped with taller raised beds, but something that will last a long time and deter grass/weeds etc. so we do not need to mow between the new beds.  I've seen thick black fabric on a roll, but we want to deter grass etc.  Any suggestions?  So many of my fellow, experienced homesteaders/bloggers, no longer blog, so we may be on our own with finding this information.

Part of the reason I blog, is learning from others gardening experiences (or homesteading overall).

When we were on the island one year, we saw that a restaurant has large sheets of something rubber or similar, with grow bags on top, to grow their own veggies/herbs.  I never asked what it was or where to buy it, but now I wish I had.  

If you have suggestions, please comment and where to buy it.  I'm thinking it'll be 4 to 6 beds or more depending on our space/area.  I'm thinking beds will be 8 x 4 x two feet feet tall.

Also, suggestions on what to put in the bottom to eliminate filling the entire bed(s) with soil.  Logs of wood and twigs?

Protecting the Harvest ~ Raised Beds Project  © July 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

It's Already Friday???

 My husband and I were comiserating about the heat, and he could not believe I did garden work (the weeds are out of control). 

He said something about Friday, and I said, "huh?"

I could not believe Friday as snuck up on me this quick this week.  It cracks me up, when there are folks who assume, since I do not work a regular "job" that I have all the free time in the world.  Ha!  

Yesterday I froze water in tins, so the chickens could walk in them and cool off.  They loved it!  The heat and humidity has been grueling for all.

Regardless, laundry went out on my solar powered dryer (clothesline).  

It's too hot to cook, and too hot to do dishes - chicken salad on cucumber slices.  I used blended cottage cheese in place of the mayo this time, as I had heard it was just as good, less fat, and more protein.  I have to say, it's pretty good.  We can't tell a difference.  So, when organic/non-gmo mayo gets too expensive, and you can make homemade cottage cheese (or buy it on sale), it does work in this recipe.  

We simply add home canned sweet pickle relish/hot pickle relish.  I mean, each are made with vegetables, and it's delicous.  Once we get garden produce, we can use fresh too.

The heat and humidity continue, and it won't end next week for us.  The fog is due to more thunderstorms and rain, but we got more thunder than rain.  It barely got the ground wet, but caused so much more humidity.  Every little bit of rain helps the garden.  By the way, when I took this photo, there was no wind, and all the flowers we planted made the air smell like perfume.  

I got some garden work done, but the cultivotor needs gas (tiller needs a new belt), so I hand hoed some areas for now.  The heat and humidity suck the energy out of you by the end of the day, so errands are not happening.  I did manage to tie up more tomatoes.  

On a rodent note, we know a family that stocks their freezer with wild hunted rabbits for food.  They have volunteered to come help reduce our plethora amount of them.  However, I have not seen one of them the last two days. 

Each year we make more progress, but fencing the other garden will cost us more than we can spend this summer, so any rodent help is help, and if it puts food on someone's table, then it's a double win. So many people are struggling right now.

Speaking of struggling, more stores are closing, more people are baking at home and trying to sell stuff like that, just to make ends meet.  All Rite-Aids are closing here.  

I do plan to watch the prices on fencing, for what we want.  We are hoping they will put them on sale in the fall.

On a good note, my microgreens I planted are already sprouting.  The lettuce has not yet.

It's Already Friday???© June 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart