The last time I tried to grow tomatoes, I got exactly one ripe tomato the entire season. The plants produced plenty, but the damn squirrels would wait until they were almost ready to pick and then snatch 'em.
I built chicken wire walls around them, gopher baskets under them, and finally a squirrel-height electric fence, but I always lost the arms race.
I gave up for a couple years, because I decided that if I ever tried again, they would be completely enclosed, top bottom and sides, in an impenetrable tomato fortress.
Finally got around to it, and just finished today.
The dirt box is removable so it can be replaced when it rots, assuming this works and I ever try to grow tomatoes again...
The door latches with simple screen-door hooks.
The chicken wire was leftover from the last attempt, but between the lumber and all the soil I bought, not to mention the plants themselves, I figure any tomatoes I get will have cost me about 25 bucks apiece, but there's nothing like home-grown tomatoes!
My favorite neighbors gave me some strawberry plants, along with some great soil amendments and some magic algae potion that the plants will love.
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| Strawberries are inside the "Cold War era" electric fence, so fingers crossed. |
This yummy stuff should make all the plants happy, and hopefully not the squirrels!
I'll report back this summer. If you know any 'mater prayers...
