Mice! I've caught 7 in the little GH since late Oct. There's been a lull over the past two weeks though. I have what I think is a shrew - dark gray body - as opposed to a vole - brownish body? - living in the rocks under my patio water feature. Of course it's right next to my portable cold frame. I sprinkled castor oil granules around my cold frame just in case although it probably won't work on shrews.

Thanks Patti!

Kim,
It's nice to know your name.
The owls do take what they want.
Since we have outdoor cats. that belong to the neighbors we fond a lot of dead shrews. They will eat baby mice so I hate to see them get caught.
I think they will fix things. I just can't see paying for only two threads. Almost everyone I know is over here.

Cindy,
I'm not sure how the castor oil will work. You'll have to let us know.

I've been on the treadmill reading garden seed catalogs already, lol!

I have added hardware cloth to the bottom of my cold frame when we built it last year. My previous frame didn't have that and some critter got in during the winter and ate all of my shrub cuttings.

I wish I had a good place for a cold frame. I've always intended to do winter sowing too and have yet to get thinks ready in the fall.

I use my cold frame more for wintering over pots of edible greens and any rooted shrub cuttings that need to be gradually exposed to winter. It's taller in the back to accommodate pots and isn't used in the traditional way of actual planting in the ground. I haven't done winter sowing in mine because it's full of other stuff. Because it contains pots, I can pick it up and move it anywhere I want (after the pots are removed). I don't use it in the summer or fall so it gets stashed out of the way.

I guess thinks and things both fit in my sentence above, lol!

I've always wanted to have raised beds. I got down one of my older vegetable books to read on the treadmill and it features them. DH is good at building, but I wonder of cement blocks would be cheaper and easier. I don't need it very deep because I would still have good dirt underneath. I would start with little things like radish, carrots, etc. to see if it takes up too much room or would work. Anyway, it's got me excited :o)

I think cement blocks would work just fine. In fact, just about anything goes except for treated wood.

Yes, and that is what it would have to be made of to survive rot and I really don't want that. The blocks are always re-usable if I change my mind.

There seems to be a question about the fly ash now used in cement blocks. It can contain heavy metals according to some sources. However, even they say if you put a cement sealer on the blocks and then paint with cement paint, you should be OK. Others recommend also adding a liner of heavy duty trash bags between the block and the actual soil inside the bed. No one said don't use them.

Tucker - I never thought about other additives in cement blocks. Another way to get rid of noxious by-products I suppose. Thanks for posting that!

Shadegardener said:Tucker - I never thought about other additives in cement blocks. Another way to get rid of noxious by-products I suppose. Thanks for posting that!

Cindy, I only know because I was researching them for a raised bed here. You are welcome.
Patti

Patti,
That reminds me. Our new driveway, put in a few years ago, could have had fly ash but the guy said we would just have concrete. They are using fly ash in the winter as a salt substitute on roads. We couldn't figure out why we had black marks in the garage after going to town. Yeah. Not good! So, now I have that to think about...
I would have never guessed. I am so glad you mentioned it. Good thing I haven't mentioned my idea to my husband yet :o)

And here I was on the treadmill trying to decide which vegetable to plant in it. I was up to garlic.

Eek! the amount of fly ash in concrete blocks can vary from 5% to 60%. The greatest concern is mercury (I think).

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!

I will have him make me one with pine then. Sheesh. I am SO glad to know this!

Sally - I added the (I think) to my post as it's only one of many responses on Google. You could do a little more research on that since I know there can be extremes on opposite ends of the debate.
Would a hugel bed suit your purposes? DD's made several including two huge ones for ornamentals. And her vegetable beds tend to be smaller versions using dried grass, hay, shredded cardboard, small branches and topped with soil.

Cindy,
Laughing, I will do a little research. We would get any materials from Menard's, but I bet they don't know if threy're safe to use or not.
I was looking to start out with a single row of something like carrots so I could fill it with loose dirt carrots like. Then It wouldn't be much more than 3'-4' wide for ease of access.

I totally get the carrots liking the loose dirt you'd be providing. Yeah, Menards - our main big box store because it's about 1 mile away. I'm not so sure they would know the content of their cement blocks.

Cindy,
I wanted to can carrots last year and never had room in the garden to plant them. Too many potatoes, lol! I'm trying to be more self sufficient and have loved the raised beds for years. I just never asked DH to make me one. I have an apple tree right at the garden's edge and I'd like to put one there so I'm not digging into the roots, but then I wonder. Will I smother the apple roots?

I think it depends on much apple tree root area you'd be covering. I think you can go up to 25% but I'm not sure. I know shallow-rooted tree roots like to invade fresh dirt but not sure about apples.

It's close, but maybe not too much would be covered. The tree is an old variety called Snow Apple/Famause