This time of year, it's all about the yard.
Early spring and warmer temps has brought out a more active rodent population, and we have Ground Squirrels in great abundance. After the first mow of the season out back, we discovered about a hundred squirrel holes. Probably something needs to be done...the question is: what.
Our Great Horned Owl and Eagle friends will be dining on them, so nothing poisonous. We already have a dog who gives a merry chase, but not enough of a threat to oust them. Once we burn the yard debris and haul off what remains, it may limit their sheltered dens.
We picked up an airhorn, the kind that people blare at football games, and neighbors recommend we just kill them dead with a .22. We considered flooding them out but the ending scene of Paint Your Wagon came to mind and we chose not to risk watching the entire yard sink into the miles of hollow tunnels below.
It is beautiful, dark, nutrient-rich soil and crying out for a simple hoe to plant rows for plants right into the ground. But unless we want to raise food for the ground squirrels, it needs to be in raised beds that sit on chickenwire which covers the whole area and is wired to a perimeter fence. And you know even with all this Herculean effort, the birds will more than help themselves.
The beds will be 5 by10, with a couple of separate planters for wandering herbs. Of course irrigation by hand until we work something else out. So it's off to Home Depot and Tractor Supply on Saturday morning for supplies. Excited!
The weekend will be thick with building, sawing, measuring, and sometime soon a Bobcat to move the earth around, and a dump load of compost to be shoveled in for good measure. By early April we should be ready to roll.
In the meantime, three orange trees will find their homes this weekend, and with any luck the lemons and lime. Gotta love spring!
Recipes * Critters * Garden * Stories *
