My garden has been taken over …
I just managed to get all my early veggies planted when the seasonal influx of golden-crowned sparrows and purple finches arrived. They attack the garden in hordes making any further planting pointless. However, this year the birds aren’t quite having everything their way. Last fall, I bought 72 plastic cloches. They look like large bell jars, approximately 12” in diameter and 16” tall, with a little air/water vent in the top that can be opened or closed to modify the humidity.
I’ve planted all my peas, tomatoes and squash under these cloches. Peas are a favorite food for the golden-crowns – I had to replant my peas three times last year! This year, the last laugh is mine as the sparrows can only look but not touch!
It makes the garden look a bit odd – rather like an invasion of small alien space ships. We had a good northwesterly blow the other night, and I was happy to see that all the cloches remained in place. They are held down with three small stakes, as well as soil piled up around the edges, and seem to have fared better than the usual sheets of plastic which I have used as “cold frames” in the past.
