Project complete, the growing begins.

 The bed was undisturbed from what I could tell and the sun doing it's job dried out anywhere the bag wasn't. You can see some of that in the picture below. I also did a rough measurement and it is a 2'x3'area. About perfect for zucchini.

Sprinkled fertilizer in the area and then worked it in, I didn't measure it because who has time for that? Just kidding, after cooking all my life I've got a good idea of how much I put down, besides this being an organic fertilizer it can't overload the soil. I actually may have under fertilized so I put about a table spoon or so into the hole and mixed it before planting.

I mounded the soil a little after digging, using the trowel and then a metal scoop that someone had left on the table about a week ago. Kind of like an ice scoop and perfect for moving soil, although the handle is a bit short.

And watered in.

Again, the soil was moist but not wet and very loose which means more airspace in between particles to heat up. I used the back of the hoe to pack the soil lightly before digging the hole and it was still rather loose and easy to work. Just so dang lucky this soil is not rock hard like it looks.

Because I still don't trust the locals.

I will decide if I want to use a stake or cage for it that I mentioned before, not like I don't have plenty of cages but these are the cheapest you can find and as you can see not in the best shape. I'd rather use a good green metal stake and tie tape but again, budget considerations and such.

All done, all pretty.

So on that topic, pest of the non insect kind deterrents.

Once the plants start growing I will have to use something else to protect the soil and the plant. Not like anything is going to eat the plant other than insects, I mentioned that before. Mulch would normally be a consideration but the only size that comes in is a 2 cf bag and that's enough to cover three times that. Not going to waste my money on that. Same thing with shade cloth or window screen, comes in overkill rolls for larger projects so can't use that. IF I find a problem I'll address it then but those are options people can use.

Now there are some areas that get opossums, raccoons and skunks digging in the garden. ::knock on wood:: there doesn't seem to be any evidence of any of those critters here. I've smelled skunk in the neighborhood and I think there was one that my other half saw creeping on our walkway that Rocky scared away. I wouldn't be surprised but we haven't seen anything since, it could have been the white and black stray. I have also heard coyotes and a random peacock in someones yard.

So possible deterrents for the larger animals are wire devices like I used, short term. If you have a large enough yard, use the 1/4 to 1/2 inch metal mesh to surround the bed leaving one end loose and secured with wire. Birds...that's another matter entirely. Good luck with that.

I actually encountered people that thought there were deterrents for everything out there. 'How do I keep birds off my plants?' Ummmm put your plants in a cage? No seriously.

I saw it decades ago about building a frame and using either bird netting and enclosing a fruit tree. Now that's a bit much considering trees get a lot bigger and you need to be able to prune it. For a vegetable garden there is one of the original ranches in a canyon area in San Diego, Peñasquitos Ranch and they have a community garden on the property as well. Because most of the houses in the area are condos with no yard to speak of. They build a wood frame around every bed and encased it in wire mesh because...canyon. They are also raised beds in frames and likely have mesh underneath for gophers. We don't have moles here we have gophers....

There is a door as well on each bed so you can get in and work the bed. Height was about seven feet? Tall enough you can stand up in it and grow beans or peas but not corn. 

There are ways of creating a more 'plant safe' environment for your garden but it just depends on how hard you want to work.

Speaking of corn, have to mention this as a ludicrous example of not paying attention to what you read.

A woman came in to the nursery and said she needed a ladder, okay we sold ladders. She then went on to explain that she needed a taller than six foot one because she was digging a hole six feet deep. We gave her puzzled looks... and asked. 'I am planting corn and they said that the roots can go six feet deep.'  We tried so hard not to laugh and told her the plant can get six feet high, it's a grass and the roots can only go about a foot down but spread six feet maybe. The look on her face.... she then asked what she could do with all the soil she had dug out. Put it back in the hole? Move it to your front yard and say free dirt? 

Honestly people. I have witnesses on that one.

 

I have baby peppers!