What I did Last Weekend
This would be much more effective if it weren’t already most of the way through this weekend. Ah well! At least I remembered to document the transformation of the final garden corner. I have been wanting to get rid of that short bed since I moved in nearly a year ago, and I am proud to say it is gone! It was a ton of work – an entire weekend full, but so worth it. That back corner is where my lavender and orange grasses (sedges) are supposed to go, and I can’t wait to see them finally in the ground.
Here’s the pictorial. In order to remove the bed, i had to remove the rest of the chain link fence. What a *bear*. Note to self: do not be silly enough to plant Wisteria against a chain link fence.
Here’s the corner in all of its messy splendor. Chain link fence? check. Huge dead rose trees? check. Woven wisteria? check. You can see the top of the wisteria line is about 3 feet higher in the last corner because it’s propped up by a massive network of dead rose.
The start of the weekend - Saturday morning. There's the short bed to remove...
I decided to take a break for some lunch right when I had a giant pile to clean-up.
Nothing like starting off the weekend by wrestling down chain link fence.
8 hours later…
End of the first day (Saturday) and you'll note the wood is gone from the bed!
Then comes Sunday with a giant hangover, and much more of a sleep-in than i had planned. Pitch Forking and raking out a bed full of solid clay is no fun with a massive headache. Trust me! Very smartly I decided to irrigate the new plants first which means no pressure to plant them in a hurry since they are irrigated. Phew!
End of a loooong Sunday... but look ma - no bed!
In fact, I finished so late on Sunday I had to take this picture the following day because it was too dark at 8:30pm.
And last but not least a nice comparison photo from a couple of weeks prior since you know I love the before & after!
Taken a couple of weeks prior even before weeding was done.
And a final update of the after, after, after photo:
The Feral Battle
One thing I never even considered with gardening was the Battle of the Feral Cat. We didn’t really have many in San Francisco – not true here in Oaktown! There’s an entire community of feral cats that roam the streets, sidewalks and back yards just looking for new litter box locations. Turns out the mulch is something they really like to poop in. As are raised beds with nice newly turned soft dirt. Up to now it’s been a losing battle. I have sprinkled every powder and dust I could find on the ground only to find a nice fresh pile of poop one, maybe two days later if I was lucky. Eventually at the end of last summer I gave up.
I am happy to report that with a renewed vigor the Battle of Feral Cat has been renewed! While I can’t (or won’t) cage my entire yard in, I sure can make an enclosure around the raised beds, and it has been an overwhelming success. I am a big sucker for the before and after comparisons, so I’ll take this opportunity to give you the before and after on my two veggie beds – and show you the brilliant designs that have kept the cats pooping outside the veggies.
AND I ate the first radishes yesterday. No, they aren’t really ready, but yes, they were good. French Breakfast and Cherry something or other. Mmmm…
Before (after 1 week):
Veggies! So young and unsuspecting: radishes, arugula, mustard greens and chard.
After: Planted 4/10, taken 5/5
With the fancy chicken wire screen/cap over it.
Before: Also planted 4/10 but from seedling
Young tomatoes - with the pots planted next to them to get water straight to the roots! Clever idea - not mine.
After: 3.5 weeks of Oakland sun later
The faint black mesh you see is bird netting - works like a charm against the cats!
And yes, in case you were going to ask I did look into the possibilities of having said feral cats removed. The process would be that I have to go and borrow a trap, trap the cats myself, *transport* the cats to the place to have them neutered/spade, then pick them up after and bring them back to let them free.
Yeah – I’m pretty sure the last thing I need in my car is a feral cat spraying, peeing and pooping. Thanks anyway.
There’s also the pellet gun option – enticing I must say. I may look into that sooner than later.
