damage control

The squirrels are still digging holes in my garden. Right next to prickly branches of holly, so that hasn't really stopped them, although the holes are much shallower than in other beds where I didn't put holly, so maybe it discourages them somewhat. I've gone back to sprinkling pepper flakes and coffee grounds.

Turns out the scent of cuban oregano doesn't deter squirrels either, nor the rue plant, although both are still small so not full size/strength yet. The rue stems I stuck straight in ground have sprouted plenty of new leaves, whereas those I put in pots are languishing. Squirrel dug a hole right next to a new rue stem (not this one).

Still haven't quite figured out why the squirrels dig in every bed except the rear one by house wall. Do they feel uneasy so close to the house? Is there lingering scent/taste in the ground- one time I used cheap potting soil in this bed that smelled like petroleum (never again). Or do they dislike the borage nearby?

Peas down the length of the bed have stick and twig supports again.

I think it's working better this time around.

Borage on the end is sprawling-

but lots of nice blue stars! (front mailbox spot- still no flowers)

I have a New Idea. I'm thinking of making screen panels with galvanized chicken wire, that will lay over the beds like a lid- it can cover them in winter to keep leaf mulch from blowing off, and keep the squirrels from digging up my seedlings in spring. To test this, I hammered together the pieces of a wooden painting easel into a frame, and stapled some wire mesh across it.

Placed it over the patch that has carrot seed sown, and weighed down at corners with brick fragments.

Unfortunately miscalculated how far the mesh would go- it was a long thin length I had to cut into widths- so I patched the rest with a double layer of windowscreening and set an extra wire shelf from when I built the greenhouse, over that. This is probably a poor test- squirrel could probably chew through the mesh if it wanted to but we'll see.

Further idea is that after the seedlings are grown (my greens bed still looks like a minefield every other morning from squirrel holes, but it doesn't actually harm the plants any- and we're eating salad now!)

then I will take the screens off, stand them on end around whichever bed has tomatoes, with one on top, and lash or tie them together to make a cage around the tomatoes. Because the squirrels eat my tomatoes too, and the only way to stop them is to block access.