Seed beds, disturbance.

[cheops]

Each year after tilling the ground and planting my vegetable seeds I am forced to stretch netting wire over the seed bed. This is to stop cats using the bed as a toilet. Ridiculous I know that I should have to use expense and time to fortify my own garden.
I was wondering has people any other better ideas. For example would a pattern of taut cord zigzagged over the seed bed at a height of a few inches do the trick and do the trick much less expensively?

[snakeshack]

old dried out teabags sprayed with ralgex or deep heat discourages cats quite effectively and is reasonably rain resistant due to the fact it's oil based,I can't stand the smell either.failing that pellets are good...........................and a shotgun to apply them

[mrswadders]

can you get hold of any holly? I put holly branches over any areas that I want 'cat-free', you can use it for a few years too, it just dries out. They don't like the spikes! It works for me as I must have the only cats in the country that 'go' in they're own garden - in fact i'm sure they watch me and jump on thesaid patch of nice fine tilth the minute my back's turned!

[Bren In Pots]

I've been using netting around my beds for the past 4 years and that seems to work at keeping the cats off. The net costs around £2 each and I use 4ft canes.

[chilli_grower]

I was just about to post exactly the same thing.

I am going with Bren in pots method.

[bario1]

Catseggs are good for your crops!

[Madasafish]

I recommend mustard powder.. and a water gun...

[Bren In Pots]

I don't own cats but I still like them so I don't want to harm them in anyway that's why I put up with the untidy looking netting in my garden.

[BUFFS]

I was told 30 odd years ago that the best way to keep cats off your veg patch was to sprinkle male urine around the sides of the area, cats will then give it a wide berth, it has worked for me all this time, never spent a penny (no pun intended) on commercial products to do this job, other half does say that I spend my days p...... around in the garden, little does she know.......

[Penellype]

Along the same lines as the holly, I use bits of twigs poked into the ground at intervals between seedlings or rows of seeds - anything from about 4 inches long upwards will do. The idea is to create a spiky protective layer so the cat hasn't got room to get in amongst the seedlings without getting poked. For bigger areas, like my onion bed, I use fleece until the onions are established, which also stops the birds pulling the sets out of the ground.

[cheops]

Okay thanks everyone, is good to hear all your ideas. I'm gonna try Bren in Pots method -ie cheap netting around the beds. Is a bit untidy and makes weeding a little more complicated but it seems no method is perfect.

[Bren In Pots]

Cheops I use those spring loaded clips/pegs so the nettings easy enough to un-clip and drop to the ground when I need to weed or plant.

[Bill HH]

I cant cure this but I can cut it by 50%, dig another area to a fine tilth but dont plant anything in it. They cant poop in two plots at the same time.

[Snadger]

I was told 30 odd years ago that the best way to keep cats off your veg patch was to sprinkle male urine around the sides of the area, cats will then give it a wide berth, it has worked for me all this time, never spent a penny (no pun intended) on commercial products to do this job, other half does say that I spend my days p...... around in the garden, little does she know.......

You can get arrested for that!

[kathyd]

I use debris netting on mine to keep out our cats and chickens until things are big enough to fend for themselves, then move the netting onto the brassicas where it stays for the rest of the year. It'll last for years, is easy to handle as it doesn't tangle, is useful for loads of other things as well, and I don't know how I'd manage without it .