I let my garden go fallow this summer. The drought and blistering heat made gardening feel like more of a chore and guilt-trap than a joy. But now that the weather is cooling off and rain is coming (!!!) I am tackling the issue I gave up on at the end of last season: gophers. Last season, they eluded my traps, and ate everything in sight. Rather than build raised beds, like many of my neighbors, I am experimenting with protecting my in-ground beds with hardware cloth. I down in the dirt, raised up the sides of my recycled cement-block beds, and laid down the mesh. Next, I’m burying the mesh in 1.5 feet of new and old soil and compost. Then, it’s time to plant and re-install the drip irrigation! Oh, the things we do for our plants!
Nature Explorer 