@sueinmn @gingerw et al.

Everyone here in central Oregon has fencing around young trees and shrubs. It's not very beautiful but it gives things a fighting chance. I have fencing around my orchard - not an ideal fence, but I'm planning to put up some 10' t-stakes and string barbed wire above the fence.

A few years ago I dug up a flower bed for an elderly hospice patient, and I brought home some rhizomes from the miniature yellow iris and a couple of other things. She was happy to see the clean bed, and was glad to give the excess to me rather than putting it in the trash. I planted them in several places around the yard, and they're early bloomers, and give me a sense of anticipation for all the other colors of iris here and there in various flower beds. An extra bonus is that they require very little care. And another bonus is that the deer don't like them.

And the weeds and grass - I pull up by have as many as I can handle, but I have to confess to using roundup and weed-be-gone in places where the desirable plants won't suffer collateral damage. I don't like to use it, but sometimes I can't keep up with the weeds. I don't use it in the vegetable garden.

I read that if you put a couple of Tums (generics work just as well) in the holes where tomato are planted, it prevents bottom rot. Last year was the first time I tried it out, and there was no rot on any of the plants. I have a commercial product that I've used for that purpose, with no success.

This winter I put green netting over the things that they usually munch on, with good success.

Happy Mother's Day. Since we can't do our traditional restaurant dinner, I'm going to get dinner curbside. After dinner I'll be outside as usual.

Jim