Screen house build and what to plant

We have a lot of old electric poles and supports. I decided to use some last year to build a screened structure, the purpose of which is to keep bugs and birds off a few items like corn, cabbage and barley.

Structure is up but the screen mostly blew off during the winter. I had stapled it on. So need a new way to attach the screen. I'm currently testing these nails on a part. Been 2 weeks and still holding.

The buttresses are structurally necessary and create an exterior planting zone. I want to plant useful items that will help deter predators. I m thinking garlic and onions. Opinions?

I also had to weed cover it all over because the loose dirt and mulch became cat bathroom and and its SMELLED. Awful blegh. So trying to protect it from cats now too.

Before I am roasted for the nail job just know I had 3 kids fighting over it with 3 hammers and in just lucky we are all alive.

Finished screening. Lots of nails. Only 40mph winds so far and its holding up.

Started adding mulch. May remove weed fabric.

Nice! Wrangling kids while building must have been quite the circus.

I'm not sure what to plant. I guess I'm wondering about your plan for pollination?

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:Nice! Wrangling kids while building must have been quite the circus.

I'm not sure what to plant. I guess I'm wondering about your plan for pollination?

Just planting brassicas and corn. Nothing to be pollinated in there. Just protected.

Wind pollinated plants. Perfect!

I came across this list of no-pollinator-required plants and plants that can be pollinated with a shake and a fan (tomatoes!). It seems like here's always something new for me to learn.
https://www.hortmag.com/edible-gardening/vegetable-crops-that-do-not-need-pollinators

elle sagenev wrote:Before I am roasted for the nail job just know I had 3 kids fighting over it with 3 hammers and in just lucky we are all alive.

LOL - this is all too familiar to me!

It looks like such a great place to grow though, and maybe no mosquitoes during garden work, which would be amazing. But do mosquitoes plague the desert?