Bill, as far as protecting seedlings from squirrels, you might want to make some of what my husband calls 'squirrel-proof cages'. He cuts a square of hardware cloth large enough to comfortably fit two standard-size flats. Then he cuts a length of hardware cloth and zip-ties it around the square with the ends slightly overlapping. Attach a handle made of plastic-coated wire clothesline to the top (knot each end) so that you can lift it up off the flats of plants to tend them. Voila, the perfect squirrel-proof cage for hardening off seedlings in a yard full of the critters. As extra bonuses, the wire mesh keeps hail off the seedlings and you can cut the zip-ties and fold everything flat when you're not using them.
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Bitterwort
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