On Jan 31, 10:01*am, "ker_01" wrote:
Thanks to all who responded. I will definitely work toward a grub-free
lawn; the total property is over 2 acres and partly wooded, so I'll just
focus on the open areas, definitely using organic solutions.

The yard is very wet (per one of the responses indicating that will rust
the hardware cloth quickly); I think with proper placement I can avoid the
garden area itself being too wet. The biggest reasons I wasn't looking at
raised beds is (a) I want to avoid all treated lumber, but haven't found
anything that is affordable as a good alternative that will last as long,
and (b) for the vegetable area of the garden I want to be able to use my
larger tiller to add compost every other year, and (c) the garden will have
a temporary greenhouse on top because the winters get just a little too
cold, and all the greenhouse books give a range of options, from
freestanding pots (which lose a lot of heat quickly due to large surface
area) to larger raised beds (medium heat loss) to what they say is the best
option- planting directly in the ground for maximum heat retention (I'm
actually considering putting in some subsoil drain pipe and a fan to
capture heat in the soil during the spring/fall- cheap if I do all the
labor myself).

I'm new to the area (Pacific Northwest), but all the neighbors say not to
let the cat out (or any dog under 40 lbs) due to the coyote population and
the eagles, which have a reputation for taking small domestic animals
(there goes my idea of getting a chihuahua to rat out the moles).

Again, thank you all for your suggestions, and I'll continue to monitor for
additional replys, questions, or suggestions.

Best,
Keith

Where in the PNW are you located? I've lived here all my life and
gardened with both dogs and cats (outdoors) and unless you live in a
pretty rural area, coyotes and eagles are a non-issue. Even in my
pretty urban neighborhood you will see an occasional coyote but they
are scavangers and shy away from any human activity. Wet in this area
is also generally a rather temporary condition, restricted mostly to
winter and spring - this is a recurring summer drought area,
otherwise. And wet soil conditions - if attributed to heavy soils and
poor drainage - will need to be properly addressed anyway before you
will have much success with most aspects of gardening. This is one of
the primary advantages of raised bed gardening, as it reduces the
amount of drainage work and soil improvement necessary with in-ground
planting. Building beds of wood is only one option, although treated
wood on the market now is of little concern regarding toxic chemicals
- using concrete blocks is a very economical method and they last
indefinitely. Raised beds also serve to extend the growing season as
the soil heats up faster in spring and will remain warm later into the
fall season.

As to the moles, I wouldn't bother going to excessive effort to keep
them at bay......certainly not the point of applying any kind of
treatment to the soil, organic or not. Moles indicate a very healthy
soil condition with a lot of biology and since the majority of the
grubs, larvae and worms one finds in the NW are beneficial soil
dwellers, you want to encourage them, not get rid of them. Moles also
do not bother plants - they are carnivores - and the only plant
destruction thay may create is some possible root disturbance as they
hunt or construct their tunnels. They are actually great soil aerators
and they can actually help to improve compacted, heavy soils or poor
drainage. They can create some issues with lawns and tunnel openings,
but that is pretty easily remedied just be collapsing the mounds back
into the tunnels.