|
The Tucson Gardener |
|||||
|
In the Garden Calendar
Local Garden Links
You're visiting Tucsongardener.com
|
Seedling Cage &Grow Table Remodel After the seedling cage success came the grow table. It was nothing more than a flat surface with heavy concrete blocks for legs. Eventually sides and a removable top were added and covered with bird netting to discourage the wildlife from dining on the plants that hardened-off or grew on the table.
Neither cage or table was perfect. The wire lid on the seedling cage would cause problems when it rained sometimes washing the seeds from the flats. Eventually a rolled fiberglass cover was added but it needed to be sloped for rain drainage. On occasion the top would get caught by a gust of wind and nearly get ripped off its hinges until a securing latch was added. The bird netting on the grow table rotted and some of the rodents quickly figured out they could easily chew through the netting. Quail and cactus wrens then found their way onto the table. More than once the leaf cutter ants made their way up the seedling cage or table and had a feast on tender young lettuce leaves of recently transplanted seedlings. Gardening in the desert isn't always easy, especially if you share your environment with the native wildlife. Seven years later it was time to make some changes to the two garden assistants. Both cage and table were built from the ground up. The seedling cage received a heavy sloping fiberglass roof to direct rain runoff and help the lid resist the tendency to take flight in heavy wind. The grow table was given its own four legs, the grow area heightened and covered with hardware wire so the animals couldn't gnaw their way in as they did with the bird netting. Plans were to add a sturdy set of wheels to two of the legs so the table could be rolled to different locations but that didn't work out. Much of the garden slopes so it would be difficult to level the table. The greatest challenge was to preserve the wood of the two structures so there would be many years of plant growing before repairs or a new cage or table need to be constructed. Two different brands of water repellant wood preservatives were used but neither seemed to work as well as expected. Tucson's hot sun is brutal on wood whether stained or painted. What started out as temporary fixes to grow plants in Tucson's desert environment eventually turned into a gardening necessity. Often Tucson gardeners will learn to adapt to the desert growing conditions and the seedling cage and grow table in one gardeners garden worked well to fend off the local wildlife. (2005) |
||||
|
Current Cultivations |
Garden Clubs |
Garden Books |
In the Garden Calendar
| Tucson's Wildlife
| Local Links
| Links
for Special Needs |
The Archive |
The Tool Shed
| FAQ | |
|
The Tucson Gardener
- Tucson's Gardening Information Site |