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Garden Gate:  Do dogs and raised beds mix?  |
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Sharon Denise
True Blue Farmgirl
211 Posts
Sharon
Temple
TX
USA
211 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 08 2012 : 11:23:49 AM
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Afternoon, sisters. Now, this may be a very silly question, but I'm a very "green" green thumb. My hubby and I have been talking about getting some raised beds going for over a year now. I say it's time we actually do it!
A few problems:
1) We are renting the house. The backyard has never had a nice lawn, so I'm hoping a few extra brown patches won't matter. Or maybe we'll just leave the beds when we finally move.
2) It's a small yard. I really can't do the nice 4'x4' plan, since it would take up most of the yard, and we have dogs that like to run and play.
3) We have dogs that like to run and play. These aren't big dogs, by any means, but one of them breaks into my pantry and chews on my potatoes. They both hover underfoot in the kitchen hoping for a dropped piece of carrot. Or celery. Or broccoli. Or pretty much anything I might try growing in my little garden.
If I build a standard height of 8", they probably will get into it. They won't trample it playing, but they'll likely do some harvesting of their own.
Should I build a little fence? My problems with this would be the extra cost, plus it would cut their play area in half, since I'd still need a couple feet to move around it between the fence and the bed.
Should I build it higher? I can stack cinderblocks 2 or 3 high. That should stop them, but again the extra height would cost more. Ugh. Do you have any advice for backyard suburban gardening with health-nut dogs?
Farmgirl Sister #3754
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http://bellcountybelle.blogspot.com/
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"There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. Yet that will be the beginning."
~Louis L'Amour |
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FebruaryViolet
True Blue Farmgirl
4810 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4810 Posts |
Posted - Feb 08 2012 : 11:26:01 AM
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I have 3 raised beds and 4 big dogs. All foragers, all boundaryless, but they never seem to care about my raised beds. I don't have any fencing (other than the pea and bean trellising) and the only time I've ever caught my German Shepherd, Rose, actually IN a bed, she was chasing a squirrel...
I do know some dogs who eat tomatoes and beans, etc...but mine appear to be only carnivorous junk food dogs.
"Hey, I've got nothing to do today but smile..."
The Only Living Boy in New York, Paul Simon |
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Feb 08 2012 : 2:29:14 PM
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My dog never did, but my cats love the raised beds. It's like a huge litter box to them. I scoop the beds daily!
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
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Sharon Denise
True Blue Farmgirl
211 Posts
Sharon
Temple
TX
USA
211 Posts |
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Feb 08 2012 : 3:13:54 PM
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Sharon: In our raised beds, we find there is so many more slugs. We put out small jars with beer in them, that takes care of some of the slugs. Also, raccoons tend to like to rummage through the beds also. Good luck.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
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FarmDream
True Blue Farmgirl
1085 Posts
Julie
TX
USA
1085 Posts |
Posted - Feb 09 2012 : 9:51:18 PM
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I have one little dog and 2 cats and there's a myriad of other cats and creatures including deer. My raised beds are 12 inches high. I have 1 inch pvc poles that cost around $1 for 10 ft in length. I cut them and make curved arches in the raised bed. I drape shade cloth, but any kind of netting or covering will probably work. I attach the shade cloth with zipties. You could also make very loose fencing with it. If you're opposed to pvc pipe you could get bamboo poles. I haven't had any animal problems with this setup.
~FarmDream is Farmgirl Sister #3069
Live Today, Cherish Yesterday, Dream Tomorrow
http://naturaljulie.etsy.com
http://julie-rants.blogspot.com |
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Garden Gate: Do dogs and raised beds mix? |
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Do dogs and raised beds mix?
