The hot summer months will be a time for maintenance and capturing observational data. I do still have to put in the electric fence before the cattle are back – but I am dragging my feet a bit on that.
Some learnings:
- The stainless steel mesh bags work for subterranean creatures. The photo above shows an aster plant being protected from a burrowing creature really well.
- Some creature is still snipping off the tops of some plants. We lost a showy milkweed in the planter box and the top of the sulfur buckwheat. There is a chance that the roots established. Maybe it will come back like the milkweed in the test plots.
- The cow pots did not work to grow some vegetables and the marigolds. I still need to do more research on this. Perhaps the cow poop is too hot for the roots of the fledgling plants.
I will likely get plugs from a reputable nursery company for next year. I’ve had good luck with those in the past for starting veggies. We will see how it works on native plants.
I spent the morning re-potting the marigolds. I also started the sunflower seed heads I harvested last year. This should be about the time they need to start since those bushes began to flower in September/October.
4. All potted 
3. Crumpled seed head 
1. Filled pot with dirt, made an indent 
2. Added seed head
Heather Bernikoff 