Plasticized the Veggie Garden

While much of the country has been having severe weather this past week, in this area we've been having unseasonably mild weather.

Usually at this time of year, our yard is either buried under snow, or at the very least, everything is brown and frozen. Not this year! It's November 30th but, it was in the high 60's today, the lawn is still green and I spent most of the day working outside.

My vegetable garden used to be part of our woodland. All I ever did to prepare the area to become a garden was have the trees cut down and removed, weedwhack the remaining brush down to ground level, and form planting beds by covering 7x4 foot areas with newspaper and compost.

Now, several years later, there are still some good sized stumps in the vegetable garden. A lot of the roots and smaller stumps have rotted though, so I think in the spring I'll try rototilling the garden. Meanwhile however, I'm trying to get a head start by letting the voles do some winter rototilling for me! I've covered the garden with black plastic, which will provide a cozy winter home for the voles. Hopefully, they'll "rototill" the area for me this winter as they burrow under the plastic, looking for food. If I can't get rid of the critters, I may as well try putting them to work for me!

Late this afternoon we had some rain, but the really wild weather isn't due to arrive until tomorrow. We're supposed to have rain, sleet, snow and high winds. If the weathermen are right, the voles should appreciate that I got their new winter home ready for them just in the nick of time.

Check back in the spring, to see if my "vole rototillers" worked!