Who is your best assistant in your garden?

My kitties have an enclosure of their own, and I must confess that I'm scrutinized by one of the kitties anytime I'm weeding around or trimming "her" catnip, but other than Danish, none of the others really care what I do until I have to cut the grass in there (when they all go inside until I've finished and they can come out to inspect). My dogs don't mind things being rearranged in the least, and thoroughly enjoy when the grass has been freshly mowed!

Tashi can come help in my garden any time. Just Adorable and knows just the right kind of pose.

This is my team of helpers. The pruners have been with me since 1990.

LOL! I like it! :)

It used to be that I could count on my neighbors children to ask if they could help me plant my veggies, but they have since moved away. Meanwhile, although my cat thinks I am trying to play with her when I am planting things, she is my number one helper!! She was taught at an early age that if she caught birds, I'd take them away, so she gave up. But when it comes to gophers, she is priceless!! I can't recount here all the damage gophers have done over the years before she is able to catch them. They are not that easy for a cat to catch. The little buggers fight back to!! I grow most of my own food and even the seed I use for the next year. My yard really is my grocery store, so I vote for my cat!

90% me, myself and I 10% the kiddies(6 and almost 3) until they find something more fun to do. Maybe when they're older???? Ha Ha, who am I kidding?

My husband helps me with big things like digging or rototilling, but for the most part it's all me. Occasionally when my daughter asks for money I'll take her outside, identify a weed for her, and ask her to pull them all. (She's 12.) But alas, she's not as thorough as I am. :P

My dogs helped once by catching a chipmunk (there are a ton of them here), but unfortunately they do more walking and peeing on my plants than anything else.

I voted spouse which really is a giggle since DH is a much better gardener than I am. I do get to choose the iris plants which is our main focus; although he does so little choosing that if he says he wants it, we get it. (Nice long sentence.) He cuts the lawn but is not really interested in grass--yea!

I voted for myself because there's no one else around. I've hired a neighborhood youngster, but he tends to disappear when I need his help the most! I've heard people complain about dogs digging holes all over the place; sure could use one of those!
Marianne

I voted me, myself and I, I had my son help me one year and he pulled a perennial out by the roots that I had been waiting two years for it to bloom but he told me he wouldn't pull anything I told him not to lol He also likes to yank the weeds out without getting the roots because it's faster mom!

Me, myself and I. My lovely wife has removed both lilies and poppies because "they were so ugly, they had to be weeds". Like LeBug, I had waited 2 years for those lilies to bloom, and they were laden with buds!

Speical mention has to go to my cat, Bella, who can thin a row of beans in no time just by rolling around while I weed nearby!

I get song and dance about "they don't need such a big hole-just stick the shovel in and push it to widen the spot and stick the
plant in".

One year I had a tractor with an auger on it. It made lovely 4 foot deep 2 foot holes. We had to sell the tractor and the
auger went away too. Ah me.

Now, I dig only in the spring, when the ground is more forgiving.


Sher

My best helper is my daughter's boyfriend - and the problem is - he is only 19 and she is only 21, so the odds are they will eventually breakup. sigh . . .

Think positive. Evidently he's more mature than most 19 year olds. He knows to get on GFs Mom's good side. LOL.

Amen to the good side . My momma was a con from the word go . She used to have my boyfriends bring along another friend and wash the cars , mow the grass , and one time , wash all the house and screens . The pay was all the Ice tea and store bought cookies they wanted . My boyfriends didn't come around much after one episode of that . Don't understand it ! LOL . D

My kitty, Creamy, is the best. Her main jobs are keeping me company and rolling around in freshly dug dirt; but she's equally good as an ornament as well as patting precious plants with her gentle fluffy tail. She decided to harvest our last catnip planting without an OK from the boss, so know I keep it out of reach and she gets one leaf rubbed in her face on each trip out to the garden. She won't leave me alone til she gets it :)

Ummmm. My gardener !

Acfrancis, I have SEVERAL cats, and they have 24/7 access to their nip with a very effective method I devised out of sheer desperation. I also use the same method for my potted plants on the porch and inside since that used to be a favorite napping spot (and litter box, with the larger planters), and I therefore lost a ton of plants!

I started out by creating domes of chicken wire with the catnip, to keep the rootball safe. This is difficult to weed around, though, and eventually becomes smooshed. One day I had an epiphany, and it has been ridiculously successful! I buy the hanging baskets with the coconut liner, and put it upside-down on the plant. I shimmy the rim about 1/2" below soil level, and in the case of the nip I also use 3-4 lanscape fabric pins to secure it even more. The cats have access to everything that grows outside the basket, but no amount of eating or wallowing can kill the plant. With being able to keep them as perennials like this, and using organic fertilizer, I have the most poten nip imaginable! It's so strong that a cat with almost no sense of smell, belonging to someone I work with, actually gets high from it!

The plant in the photo is two years old.

This brom was almost killed because it was so cozy, so I got one of the baskets that I could cut every-other wire out of to allow for the larger plants. I cut all the foliage off, and kept my fingers crossed that it would come back. It's taken almost two years to get back to this state, but even when the cats try to jump in the pot, they can't keep their balance due to the dome hidden deep within.

Emma, that is brilliant!! I have used one of those upside-down baskets to protect certain plants from squirrels, but never thought to use it for the kitty as well. Thanks a bunch!! Now my little gardener will be able to garden anytime she wants. Then of course, she will have to take a snooze :)

Amye

Good job, Emma. They say necessity is the mother of invention.....I think gardening contributes a lot to that.

Ha-ha, tears of desperation more like it! I was already using this method with the catnip for a good 18 months before realizing I could use it with my potted plants. When a fern that belonged to the hubby's grandmother was killed by the cats, and the brom and a peace lily were also on the verge of dying, I'd had enough.

I just took this photo of the inside of the brom. You can see from the last pic that the basket is invisible once the plant fills out!

I grow cat mint for the crazy ole cat and he can beat it up, roll on it, sleep on it and it just bounces back. Maybe your kittys might prefer cat mint and spend less time 'stalking' the catnip ?

I've not heard of it. Does it grow in heat and humidity? Sounds purrific!

I think the name is Nepeta, and a popular form is called Walkers Low, if I'm not confused. I think it was named perennial of the year recently, too, because it is so hardy and long blooming. Check it out!

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/37051/

Yes nepeta it is. I don't think I have the Walkers Low though as mine self sows. I deflower it to keep it in check. The crazy ole cat helps deflower it by rolling on it and squishing the flowers.

I can't wait to get some!!!

Here's a demo 'Ok Dahlia I'll help you deflower the catmint.

"Flattened' catmint which always bounces back

Just in case there is a question about the flattening method that is constantly practised.

There's also cat thyme (Teucrium marum or Teucrium maru), which is great for the kitties that don't really like catnip. It has a similar scent, but is just different enough that some of my kitties prefer this one to the nip. The flowers are really pretty as well, much more so than catnip. I've been looking for the catmint for more than a year, but havne't found it anywhere except mail order so far...maybe next spring at the Master Gardener's Faire from the herb man!

LOL Dahlianut! I especially like the last picture!

Flower bed or veggie garden?
Well I guess I have to say my BF is helpful in both. Waters my flowers when I'm not there^_^

ROFLOL Thanks Dahlia....I needed a laugh!! Nobody wants to help in my garden right now. Too Hot!!

Your crazy kitty is adorable, just want to get my hands on his fluffy belly. He's one happy guy. Your'e right about the catmint, it looks beautiful.

Here's my silly girl helping while I was repotting one morning. She was feral when I began renting here, the place really is her garden and I'm allowed to enjoy it with her. She is a great ratter, including the fuzzy-tailed rats, which is fine by me as they ruin anything they can get their paws on, including devouring pounds of birdseed if I didn't foil them.

After a long morning working in the garden...

The next shot is my ecstatic hunter, squirrel-lovers may need to avert their eyes.

Here is the great protector of the garden with her quarry.

Yes, she brings them in the house =O

I have the catmint in the herb bed with oregano behind it which can also take some knocks if the 'flattening' gets out of hand. acfrancis although a little ewwwy you must be honoured that your BF is sharing with you. Sigh the crazy ole cat is too slow to catch Damien the Spawn of Satan Tree Rat.

I learned very quickly not to step out the back door barefooted.....step on a dead mole once....never want to do it again.