Sunday 5 January 2014

Lions Beware.

I was determined to get into the garden today, always planned to come rain or shine. Well it was rain, surprise, surprise but I made the job more appealing by taking out with me some essentials, in the way of



 a flask full of hot chocolate (laced with Bailey's Irish Cream - oh yeah, now we're talking!) Just what you need on a cold, wet, wintry, dull, dismal, dank, dire day.



First job was dealing with the lion sized kitty litter tray that is my vegetable raised bed. I cleared this out of all it's remnants last week and ever since then it is like a massive beacon going off to all the cats in the area - 'woohoo, someone has opened a massive cat toilet for us!'

Yes I'm talking about the likes of you!!:

Looking like butter woulnd't melt - My parent's evil cat, Diego


Last year I had the same problem and stood small rods of wood and stones in the bed to deter them, a bit unslightly but probably very uncomfortable on a cat's behind. This year I had a different (hopefully better) idea.


The added advantage being that it might kill off a few weeds in the process. Just look at that poor box ball above the bed - why is it losing it's leaves????? arghh

Next it was into the nice tidy greenhouse (it won't look as tidy as this again until next winter I think)



 to deal with some very late in the season jobs. Jobs I should have done a good while ago (slap my wrists).
I lifted some dahlias (too late, I know, I forgot them, but you never know they may survive) and hung them to dry for a few days. When they have dried a bit I will get all that wet soil off and bring them into the garage to continue drying off.



 Then repotted some digitalis that I had growing from seed all last year and have survived surprisingly well despite complete and utter neglect, yes, can you believe it, me, the ultimate in an organised gardener neglecting something! Well anything that battles against all odds and still survives deserves a little bit of attention, even if it comes rather late in the day.



Finally I came back indoors (mainly because my hot chocolate was finished) and stared lovingly at some of the seeds that arrived yesterday.


And very happy I was too.

16 comments:

  1. I guess the box has been 'sprayed' by one of your lions. You could deter the invasion by having one of your own!

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  2. I'm checking out some online seed catalogues this afternoon, my favourite for frugalism is More Veg (see here: http://www.moreveg.co.uk/ ) and my favourite for herbs (I always aspire to making homemade herbal remedies, but haven't done so far - maybe this year) is Suffolk Herbs. Today I've mainly been looking for Tanacetum Cinerariifolium Pyrethrum which I need to order soon if I want to get sowing, and ultimately making my homemade organic insecticide with (with which I plan to conquer the garden mini monsters!) Otherwise I've been mainly avoiding the mud and weeds that is my "kitchen garden"

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  3. Good luck with your garden in 2014. If your dahlia tubers did not freeze (if they are not mushy) they will be fine.

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    Replies
    1. No, they seem fine, so fingers crossed.

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  4. All set now. Roll on the good weather.
    Love from Mum
    xx

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  5. It's looking very fab and tidy. I decided our garden was a might squelchy to go out today. And then work distracted me...

    About the cat loo thing... the cats seem to have decided to go in one weird convenient place in our garden. We seem to have gained a decorative ceramic pot of poo! Wonder if they think it's a toilet?

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    Replies
    1. that is probably foxes. they do that in my garden

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  6. I seem to have the local cat 'plot' as well, I can almost see them poking their tounges out and going 'na na, na na na' at me when I see them head up the garden. I keep a loaded water pistol by the back door, my aim is improving!

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  7. I'd love to get out into my garden, but it's not soil at the moment, more mud! However it's giving me time to browse the seed catalogues. Good luck keeping the pussy cats off the garden. My fix was to have two rescue spaniels! Works for the back garden, but not the front!!
    KJ x

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  8. Get a DOG or 2...that will surely keep the cats away from your lovely veggie boxes! LOL!

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  9. the title of your post caught my eye, and I remembered that we had tried this as we had fox and cat problems in one of our old houses

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silent-Roar-Lion-Manure-Repellant/dp/B0002B7OT2

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  10. Tried to comment a couple of times from my phone with no success.

    Take a look at this site: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/queen-of-green/faqs/food/keep-cats-out-of-the-garden/ some good idea's there :)

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  11. Looks like it could be wind burn on your box. May need a more sheltered spot in the winter. :-)

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  12. Looks like it could be wind burn on your box. May need a more sheltered spot in the winter. :-)

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