State of the Garden: Security by Scotch-Brite Scrubbers

Last week over Memorial Day, I put in bush and pole bean starts, beet starts, and planted turnip and radish seeds. We incorporated 3 bags of manure to help our clay soil be a little more hospitable.

I saw an add for a product called "Slug Shield" that uses copper wire to protect plants from the ravages of slimy tyrants. Slugs get a little electric shock from copper, so they won't crawl over it. Neat, cheaper than copper tape, but still over $1 per plant to use. Because we garden about half for the joy of it, and half because it helps us afford fresh produce, $1/plant is steep. Looking at the picture online, I thought,

"I could make something like that with a copper scrubbing pad!"

So, I bought a 3-pack of copper-coated scrubbing pads for $1.86, and used a scissor to snip and unroll the wire mesh. Then I wrapped pieces around stems, and stuck the ends together. It was pretty simple, and thus far has worked. I did 12 plants with less than one scrubber pad. It's a miracle!

See the little copper barrier?

From left: Strawberry patch, rhubarb, kale/cauliflower/broccoli, beans & beets.

Artichoke, basil, swiss chard.
I've probably planted seeds twice in the big open space, and can't remember what I sowed either time. Nothing came up.

Le whole garden. The raspberry bush in the back has grown a LOT in a year. We just let it spread.