Autumn turned up last week: one weekend I was in a T-shirt and sweating profusely when I cut a couple of planks for steps, and suddenly all the trees are dropping leaves and its time to turn off the water supply in the Garden (Any ideas how to keep the water on over winter without the pipes freezing?)
And then there were the monsters:
Something has been investigating my veg beds. If it was a mouse they’re getting ambitious, and there aren’t many rabbits in this area, so my money is on a Fox. This will be a challenge if chicken-keeping plans come to fruition, but there’s no fox scat or anything about, so it remains a mystery.
On the other side of the beds I found more monsters in the form of wild mushrooms which I’d pick but I have no idea what they are and I don’t want to spend the next week talking to pink Llamas*. If anyone can identify them please let me know.
The Brambles are still intent on world domination. Unfortunately yours truly neglected two important parts of Operation Bramble Elimination which was to dig the tap roots up first, and put soil over the cardboard so it lies flat instead of dropping strategic bricks and hoping for the best.
I’ve decided the reason Tap Roots are called this is because they’re the same diameter as a water main and almost as deep. I gained several several monsters like these, but they were hideous and wouldn’t fit on the paving slab for a photo so I threw them on the fire before they could fight back. And then, not wanting to share the darkening garden with unknown digging creatures and out sized mutant bramble roots, I went home quickly making sure I locked the gate behind me.
*Although if this drivel is even more incoherent in future entries, you’ll know why.
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November 12, 2011 at 10:24 pm
Kim
Hard to say what the fungi are from those pictures, you could try consulting Roger Phillips, but to be certain you need look at the spores down a microscope…
November 15, 2011 at 7:35 pm
Andy in Germany
Thanks Kim. Not having a microscope to hand I think I’ll leave them where they are until someone here has a look at them…
November 14, 2011 at 2:08 am
Randall
If your plumbing is fairly exposed you could wrap with pipe insulation, then stack straw bales around it, covered in black plastic for heat absorption.
The first shroom pic looks kind of like psilocybin(sp), the second I’m not sure.
You will at least slow down the brambles doing what you are even if you don’t eradicate them.
November 15, 2011 at 7:36 pm
Andy in Germany
Good thinking. I guess a box around the tap part would be handy as well.
Some allotments they force you to turn the water off, at least I have a chance to try hings out here…
And thanks for the encouragement on the brambles…
November 14, 2011 at 11:12 pm
the_big_smile
Your monster cave is to small for a fox cave, I think.
Looks more like a mouse cave.
And there is only very little to do against mice.
I you kill them, others will come to your garden.
My father in law killed mice for years and years and years and still has mice!
He even bought this thing: http://kurzer-url.ch/0w80c7
For someone who lived in the former GDR like him this is very strange to me….
You can only try to make garden uncomfortable for mice.
For example get a cat.
Or you could try this: http://kurzer-url.ch/0nll14
But I don’t know, if it really works.
I tried this trick:
Put a metal rod into the soil, take an empty plastic bottle and put it upside down onto the rod.
When there is wind, the bottle will cause rattling noise on the rod and this will go into the soil. It is said, mice don’t like that sound. But I am not sure if anyone told the mice, that they don’t like it.
My mice ignored the bottle-rod. So did I with the mice.
Seems to be senseless to fight them.
November 15, 2011 at 7:41 pm
Andy in Germany
Thanks Stefan…
Mice? Do they use mining equipment?
I agree with your conclusion: I’ve nothing against mice and I’ll just have to make any seed stores or food stores mouse proof.
I wonder if I can train them to eat brambles?
November 15, 2011 at 9:36 pm
the_big_smile
I bought a book the other day named “Schneckenflüstern statt Schneckenkorn”.
The author of this book writes about how he deals with slugs. Very interessting.
He teaches them to stay in parts of the garden, where they don’t eat his plants.
I am sure, something like this should be possible with mice, too.
But I don’t know how.
November 16, 2011 at 8:41 am
Andy in Germany
I came across this idea in the Permaculture course. I think I’d have to see it before I believed it worked.
The mice aren’t causing any trouble and there are several cats that treat the garden as their own until the neighbours dobermann comes to call, so I’m happy.
Slugs are a different matter. Next years plan is to get them drunk…
November 16, 2011 at 5:22 pm
Randall
You could also look for diatomaceous earth, or DTE. It’s sold at garden shops. Sprinkle it on the ground around your planting beds, and it slices up the slugs with its microscopic sharp edges.