thorny

Finding holes in my garden space every morning. I am pretty sure it's squirrels. Sprinkling coffee grounds often but it doesn't seem to deter them. Yesterday taking some dead/broken branches out of a shrub and it has very prickly leaves. Not a holly, but something else with sharp thorns on the leaf margins. Normally I discard these kinds of leaves in the trash because I don't want to get pricked when working with compost, or in the garden soil later on. But this time I cut them into pieces and scattered over the area which has carrot and beet seedlings- the plants most at risk of getting trampled on or dug up by the squirrels. Lettuces seem okay- even though the buggers dig around them those plants aren't getting dislodged.

So here's a few pictures of my beet and carrot seedlings, which are big enough now to see easily.

I did not get many beets, they didn't all come up. So I carefully tried to separate the little plants and instead of thinning them out, spread them. With the blade of a butter knife holding the baby plant sandwiched in its surrounding soil, wedged into a new spot. Skeptical if it would work- root crops do not like being disturbed and transplanted. Of course the moved ones wilted the first day, but I kept them well watered and most seem to be recovering! Fourteen total beets, which is pretty paltry but it's a small space and a new start. There's more of the carrots.

The beets seemed to be doing okay with being moved around, except that squirrel keeps dislodging a few when he digs. After a few days of putting down the prickly leaves I realize it's not doing any good. The areas where I spread coffee grounds seem to be left alone more- until rain washes it down. I need more coffee grounds supply, to keep reapplying. Or perhaps make a pepper spray...