FORTRESS: BACK YARD

Sweet Tomato and I added a new member to our family in November.  We got a puppy we named Dax.  If you are a Star Trek aficionado, you will recall the character from Deep Space Nine.  Dax has been a great puppy, well-mannered and affectionate.  He is a real love bug.

 

 

However, he will munch on anything in the back yard that doesn’t move.  He eats dirt like kibble. He has munched on leafs, twigs, rocks, grass, cymbidiums, herbs and even the flowers off my protea.  He really likes lettuce, and will munch on it with abandon.  With the prospect of tomato season beginning, I was getting nervous.  You see, tomato plants (leafs) are poisonous to a dog, and with Dax’s munching proclivities; I had to assume that he would probably find tomato leafs to his liking. 

I tried to train him not to munch on everything with some success, but not to the point that I wanted to risk poisoning Dax with my tomato plants.  I searched for a number of remedies on different blog sites.  I tried orange peels that are supposed to repel dogs.  Dax munched on them like they were bones.  I looked into a collar that would provide a mild shock when Dax crossed a certain point.  After talking to some dog owners that tried the collars, they said that the collars worked great, however, their dogs were smart enough to learn that if the collar was off, they could cross the barrier with impunity.   Sometimes I think Dax is smarter than I am, and I was pretty certain he would figure out the collar thing.

I finally decided to try fencing.  I did not want a permanent fence, just something to use during the tomato growing season.  I tried a number of different fencing options and finally settled on some green, temporary fencing material I found at Home Depot.  The fencing is approximately 40” high and comes in 10 to 20 foot lengths.  I was able to cut the fencing in half and extend the range I could cover with one roll.  I used pepper/vegetable supports for bracing with zip ties to attach the fencing to the supports.  It turned out to be inexpensive, easy and cheap.  This is what my back yard looks like now.

 

 

 

I would be interested in hearing about anyone’s experiences with dogs and tomato plants.  So far this is working, but as you can see, now Dax is big enough to jump the fence if he was inclined to.