Winter Projects

 During the winter I keep a list of small projects that never seem to get done so if I have a day when I can't figure out something productive to do, I can refer to the list.  Things that make the list are things like cleaning the oven or cleaning and polishing winter boots... recovering the cushions on the porch rockers.  You know how it is.  There are always tasks both large and small that never seem to be finished.  Some of these things are still garden items.  

I have as many pests in the garden as anyone, particularly those that want to eat my food before I do and I am always brainstorming new ways to out smart them.  A few seasons ago I had trouble with sweet corn and then last spring I had a lot of trouble keeping mice (presumably) from eating my cucumber and summer squash seeds out of my germination tray.  I like to plant the seeds in 4" pots and leave them in the garden under a little hoop house to germinate and I get better results than direct sowing.  Usually.  

Last year I kept finding empty holes where seeds should be each morning. I tried placing a second row cover on top of the trays and then tried hiding it in the cold frame.  I even set mouse traps under the row cloth but they were only interested in fresh seeds.  And once they found the snack tray they kept coming back night after night.  After several rounds of seeds I resorted to bringing the tray indoors every night.  I have thought of something else that might work.

I used my largest tray as a size guide.

I will be able to push the edges into the soil and pin them down with earth staples to keep the thieves from just slipping underneath.

This should add one more layer of defense and be easy to water through.  The cage will also allow me to wrap the tray in a second layer of row cover without crushing the potential seedlings.  One more project checked off the list.