Nathan Parker May 26, 2023

I built a thing out of PVC pipe for my garden. It involved solving a few systems of linear equations to optimize the most efficient use of materials. As one does.

I learned: Bending Schedule-40 into an 8ft circle involves a lot of force. I had fashioned a network of very tightly cinched ropes to maintain the angles while the cement set, which was great, but let's just say I underestimated that duration the first time. There were a few minor rope burns.

(The other option would have been to build a jig for the curves and use a heat gun to soften the PVC. Might have been simpler? Not sure.)

Show threadNathan Parker May 26, 2023

So what is this thing? It's kind of like an umbrella, that holds up some heavy duty nylon bird netting (3/4" holes) over my peach tree, to keep the squirrels off it. I added a few guy-lines to keep it stable since the squirrels were racing around on it pretty frantically.

So far so good.

Show threadNathan Parker 

Welp a month later one squirrel has figured it out. It has chewed holes repeatedly in the top. I repair them with zipties, but it makes quick work of those within a few days.

So instead of relying on a (failing) hard security boundary, I'm leaning into harm-reduction:

I've piled a mass of tangled up netting on top to thwart the thief. It'll have to manage a chaotic mess and keep making new holes since it wont be obvious how to find it's old way in. My goal is just to slow it down, since in about a week I'll start harvesting and then we'll be done.

Jul 4, 2023 at 1:30amWeb
Show threadNathan Parker Jul 8, 2023
The hoards have finally broken through all my layers of defense, and they've brought their friends. So the race is on. I'm picking my peaches slightly unripe and keeping them in my house. I can't really deal with 150 peaches all at once so I'll pick them like 30/day and accept some losses from the tree. I should accept this as the natural order of things, and call it "sharing the wealth." But damnit those squirrels.
Show threadAnnaleeJul 4, 2023
@parkern what happens if you leave a pot of honey next to the netting
Show threadNathan Parker Jul 4, 2023
@Annalee I do have a big tree of unripe apples nearby that are being picked off. They're probably not quite as inviting as the mostly ripe peaches though. An actual pot of honey would attract ants, and then I'd have two problems.