I have copper tape for around the affected planters that seems to be working. Apparently it gives them a little electric shock so they won't cross it.

Sandpaper and copper - great tips!

Bunnies. Damn bunnies. They're cute and entertain the cats, but they are apparently eating one of the new rhododendrons. Just one of them, mind you. The "deer and rabbits won't eat" guidelines are crap. Used some deer fencing to make a little cage for the rhodie. Now they'll probably move on to the others.

Tomato beds are constructed and filled and half of that deer fence set up. Should finish that part tomorrow and possibly plant the seedlings. We have WAY more than we can use, and I can't even GIVE them away at this point.

We have just moved into a house with a HUGE backyard going down to a lake. OMG. That noise you hear is the sound of a gardening budget blowing out. :rolleyes:

Darn, I was going to ask for a picture of those gigantic crickets!

KS, I noticed that there is a lot of stuff for snails and slugs to hide in/under around your pots. You could look under each pot and remove/smash/kill/mutilate those critters that are hiding under the pots. And remove as much of the loose items as possible. They love to hide in moist, dark areas during the day. The damage they are doing is shocking!

The biggest domestic cricket that I have ever seen is about 3/4" (and my reptiles go through a LOT of crickets). Due a blight that has decimated domestic cricket breeding in the US, many breeders have started bringing crickets from other countries. The Jamaican crickets are nasty, aggressive sons-of-bitches.

I know no one cares, I just thought I would contribute some useless information.

How do you use beer? Incidentally, thanks for the DE suggestion a while back, I recently used it to beat back some buggies that were trying to set up shop :) Works!

Why? Didn't they want to be eaten?

You put stale beer in a shallow pan or plate. My Mom always used a pie pan. I used just plastic plates. They crawl in and drown then you dispose of them in the morning.

I always heard to use an empty margarine container - but I don't buy margarine anymore. Does it have to be deep enough that they fall in and can't get out I wonder?

Lash - that sounds divine even without the garden. Have you posted pics and I missed them?