My Garden is not Your Litter Box!

As I suspected, the cats in my neighborhood are ecstatic about the freshly tilled soil and have taken it as a sign from their kitty god that they no longer have to poo on the hard ground or grass where they had to scratch in vain attempt to bury.

I'm pretty certain the the onion and lettuce that I planted has been very disturbed by feline toileting needs and now not certain if they will germinate or not.  I'm going to look into getting some starts going in post and transplant them as the cats seem to be leaving the areas around the established plants relatively unmolested by their poo-burying paws.

In the meantime I've investigated natural deterrents and found citrus scent to be unfavorable to felines.  So I've been mixing 3 tbs lemon juice & 3 tbs orange juice in a 1/2 gallon milk jug I've been using as a watering can. - I used a nail and hammer to punch a few holes in it at the top as a spout, it doesn't work very well but well enough.  At the moment I'm using 1 1/2 gal of regular water roughly every other day and then 1/2 gal of the citrus solution at the end.  I'm also considering saving citrus peels and shredding them and scattering them around the bed.

On to composting!

I've found the kind of composting I'd like to do.  That is I like the idea of being able to compost EVERYTHING - including meat & dairy products.  Most DIY composts advise against doing this, but there is a composter on the market called Bokashi that does compost everything.  It's a bit pricy, but it's small too so I think it's going to be a very wonderful investment.  I'm hoping to order one in the next week or so.  I'm very excited about the fact that it produces both liquid and solid compost in one 5 gal container!

The Bokashi system basically produces a "pre-compost" which can then, according to their website, be buried in holes or trenches and left for 14 days before planting in the soil above. Or, it can also be added to a regular compost system, including a worm compost which is the kind that I'd like to get started outside.

If anyone knows anything about this bokashi or worm compasting, especially whether or not they work well together or not I'd love to hear about it. Likewise if you know anything about a DIY version that would be cheaper then please let me know! Also, if anyone knows anything about deterring cats from gardens that would be great too!