Memorial Weekend. Everything Must Happen.

This weekend saw a LOT of work. We re-painted the deck, constructed anti-squirrel fortifications, ripped up a massive patch of creeping Charlie, planted annual flowers in the front, dug out many dandelions, put in more mulch, combined with a 9 mile fast-finish long run (1st week of training for the Ely Marathon in September). 

All in all, the manufacturers of acetaminophen and ibuprofen must be pleased. 

The photo above pictures the new "lobster trap" seedling protectors, in this case protecting tiny pepper & eggplant seedlings. A new design this year, using hoops, chicken-wire & 2x2's. What can't you solve with 2x2's, chicken-wire and a staple gun. Two are built, but I ran out of chicken-wire and need to make a re-supply run.

Now, we like squirrels as much as the next person, but they seem especially aggressive this year. We're using a multi-prong approach. Plastic forks as a palisade (as around these zucchini):


Irish Spring soap in pouches and spread on the ground (as in this bed, protecting the acorn squash):


In the case of these squash, marigolds & sunflowers, I'm taking a 3-prong approach that involves Irish Spring on the ground, pouches of Irish Spring, a row-cover (apparently squirrels do not like to feel enclosed), in combination with the plastic fork palisade:


Interestingly, they don't seem interested in the arugula, lettuce, or snow peas. And I understand that they don't like garlic:


The strawberries are starting to form at the blossoms:


The deck is much improved:
Before
After

We're trying a new technique with the creeping Charlie. Ordinarily, if it is green, it's fine. But this stuff just takes over. It turns the soil to mush underneath it. So how to get rid of it? It is notoriously difficult.

We saw our neighbors burning it with a propane torch. We investigated. Apparently this is a pretty effective technique - it destroys the cellular structure of the stuff down into the roots. So I weed-whacked it down to the dirt, and started the process of burning it with a new blow-torch. We got the cheap one, so it is taking some time. Nevertheless, I've ordered up some clover seed and creeping red fescue to fill it in once we're done. BURN!! BURN!! FLAMES OF PURITY!! PURE, CLEANSING FIRE!!


At any rate, time is, as always, at a premium. So I must close.


















 



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