Since we have company coming to stay soon, Sugarwing's Daddy has been helping me clean up the place. We've got a yard full of family coming to visit and camp out here with us.
My son filled the truck with branches he removed and has them over by the bonfire pit, ready to burn.
Even though I've severely neglected the yard this year, all the rain we've had has kept it decent. With enough bushes and perrenials, staying green, its passable. So all those years that I did spend working on it have paid off. Of course, it would be better with lots of flowering annuals tucked in here and there, but that just didn't happen.
Sometimes, good enough just has to be good enough.
The veggie garden has been on auto pilot for the season too. We spread recycled brown paper and grass clippings down and have been about 99% weed free!
Its a summertime miracle. I haven't had to hoe, dig, or pull weeds out there at all. Or get desperate and invest in vats of Roundup either.
But we didn't count on this development. Mice live under the paper and eat our
tomatoes just as they start to turn color!!!!!!!!!!!!
tomatoes just as they start to turn color!!!!!!!!!!!!
So we have to trap the varmits to protect our crop.
Next year, I think I'll do the same thing anyway. Weed free is the only way to go. I might plant some grape vines on the fence, too, we are all crazy about grapes.
I doubt if these adorable, little champagne grapes will grow around here, I wish they would. Sugarwings just loves them. I serve them on butter pat plates because mini grapes deserve mini plates, don't you think?
There are a few new things in the Boutique, that I listed before I went out of town. I'm afraid I can't mail them until Tuesday the 18th after I get back. (This post was written before my trip to the East Coast)
It looks good Karla, I love a rambling garden. Rachaelxo
Received my boutique order, and they’re wonderful, as usual. I’ll leave good feedback asap. Have a great day!
I was just thinking the paper was a good idea until I got to the mouse part – glad you showed the trap empty! There’s always something out there ready to snatch the first ripe tomato. Your gardens look great, autopilot or not!
They love my tomatoes and my strawberries!! Little beasts:) Compared to my garden right now yours looks down right tame. My tomaote plants have gone wild this year. One has 6 stakes holding it up!!
And your family coming to camp out sounds like so much fun!
Love the mini plate idea and have safe travels!!
Karla,
My Mom was an organic gardener and planted marigolds around her veggies and a border around the house. Evidently the mice can’t stand the smell of them.
A butter pat plate? Thanks so much for posting that! After days of begging for something to put my suckers on at work (’cause you sometimes have to set your sucker down), my boss brought in a tiny ceramic plate. Every time I asked him what the plate originally was, he would just flippantly tell me it was a sucker plate. Now I know that it started out life as a butter pat plate!!
I love the way your yard looks. I never heard about the grass and paper thing. I am going to try it. I have a problem with varmits too. I live next to a wash so they come every year. I hate it. I just love when family is over. It is worth all the work. Martha
Your yard looks so pretty..I’ve been neglecting my yard to…I really need to get out and pull some weeds..I hate having to pull weeds.. I hope you varmit problem resolves.. Hope you have fun with your family and can’t wait to see some pictures.
STephenie
I’d trap about anything that got to my tomatoes before I could!!!
Blessings,
Christine
I’ve used newspapers and mulch and it works good, too. The newspaper biodegrades and helps to form compost. Here in Texas it was the cardinals who would go after my tomatoes, I think I would freak if it was mice. I LOVE homegrown tomatoes and those varmits would meet an early end!!!
Hope you’re having a great time and come back refreshed and ready for your family!
Sandy
Wow! Sounds like you got of easy with the yardwork this year! LOL! I can’t grow anything to save my life, so I gave that up years ago! HA! I love the pewter fairy you have in that photo! It’s so neat!
Girl, your garden is downright lovely. Mine, let’s just say it isn’t so great this year. We were doing ok until the last massive hailstorm. Now it looks more like I planted stick plants and the tomatoes look a bit like salsa on the vine. Have a lovely trip, relax and enjoy!
This is just a thought Karla… rubber snakes. Not sure if mice are scared of the rubber snakes but we use them here to frighten off some of the scavenging birds. Just weave them amongst the base of the plants and the wild life won’t come close. I know I’ve had several scares wandering into my neighbors yard. You can never be sure if they are real or rubber… LOL.
Hugs ~ Kerryanne
Mousetraps in the garden. Whoda thought it? Good luck! (Beats raccoons in the chimney!)