Growing Together: Open Forum

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  • 1.  Keeping Pests Out

    Posted 02-26-2026 04:12:00 PM
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    Hello! 

    I have a gardening club with kinder and first graders. We meet once a week after school and have been going for about 2 years. Our campus is fenced but a cat has managed to get in our garden and use it for a litter box. I noticed the mound on Friday, but didn't inspect it until the following week. What do I do to insure the kids and I stay safe when working in the dirt? Do I remove the soil? 

    Also, I want to deter the cat by putting up a barrier. Any suggestions?  Not sure if my school would let me put up a small fence, so I'm leaning towards hoops and netting.

    The attached photo is our garden in the fall. Right now it's mostly just soil, which is why the cat thought it was fair game! LOL

    Thanks so much for your help and suggestions. 

    Happy Gardening! 

    Jennifer



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    Jennifer Ross
    TX
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  • 2.  RE: Keeping Pests Out

    Posted 02-27-2026 12:11:00 PM

    I had a problem with cats in my garden at home and I put bird netting down while the plants were growing.  It deterred them and once the plants started growing I could take the netting down.



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    Kim Irish
    WA
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Keeping Pests Out

    Posted 03-02-2026 11:33:00 AM

    Hi Jennifer-  I had found a few resources related to cats in the garden to answer a question that came my way that I thought might be helpful for you.  Here are some links from Oregon and California Extension Resources:

    https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/em-9564-protecting-your-garden-cats

    https://ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/feral-cats/#gsc.tab=0

    https://ucanr.edu/blog/hort-coco-uc-master-gardener-program-contra-costa/article/neighbors-cat-using-your-garden



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    Sarah Pounders
    Senior Education Specialist
    The Woodlands TX
    8324186540
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Keeping Pests Out

    Posted 15 days ago

    Thanks so much for the suggestions! I put netting over the gardens and that seemed to deter the cat. I haven't seen anymore evidence of it being there. The plants are big enough now so I took the netting off.

    I brought a bag full of pine cones and dumped those along the edges of the garden, just in case. 

    This morning, I went to water another raised planter we started in a small courtyard and scared a mama possum. She waddled all around looking for an escape and eventually she found a way out. Poor mama! The planters in this courtyard get destroyed by squirrels digging. So I put a bunch of pine cones in it too, but that didn't stop them. I need more pinecones! 



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    Jennifer Ross
    Trinity Christian Academy
    TX
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    Original Message


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