Hi,
I'm new to the forum. I have a townhome in VA with a small backyard I am not having success with. It's mostly patio, so that's not a problem. However, surrounding the patio are strips of yard I would like to be able to do something with.
The problem is mostly our dog.
He has eaten or peed to death everything I planted. Blueberries, osmanthus, lavender, rosemary, and others. All gone.
We've converted the strip that borders the neighbor's fence and our patio to rocks as a pee area. And the end of that fenceline past the patio, that is dirt and some very dead blueberry bush remnants. It is going to be a tortoise fortress. I'll replant greens/weeds in there after it's been walled and we've welded the roofing bits to keep the dog out.
2 strips are left and I don't want plain dirt. I'd like to plant things that can withstand my plant-eating dog. But also, not poison him if he eats them (because at least tasting is a sure thing). These 2 strips about 4 ft wide get full to partial sun all day.
Problems Gardening With Pets
Hi DD,
I was going to suggest fencing the area you want to garden with protection from your plant-eating dog, but then I remembered that we had no success protecting our garden from our dog with chain link fencing. I remember seeing him walking the top rail of our chain-link fence like a circus acrobat. And he could also dig under the fence in a matter of minutes. So, despite our best efforts, our dog had access to my garden. Fortunately I wasn't growing anything he was interested in, with the exception of Sugar Snap peas growing on the fence. He apparently loved those and ate them as soon as they formed. My veggies like corn, kohlrabi, summer squash, tomatoes, and bush beans did not interest him. And I was growing some zinnias that he damaged only accidentally and on rare occasions.
You might just experiment to see if there are any things you can grow that don't interest your dog. Zinnia seeds don't cost a lot, and they grow fairly fast.
ZM
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