Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Enough Already!

This is getting old.

Help me on this one....All spring and summer, besides the root maggots in spring, I didn't have a single issue with animals destroying the vegetables. Now, it's every day that I find something new has been either severed or chewn.

Is it:
A) This is just the season that little critters go carousing for a snack.
or
B) Now that the garden is established, the beasties have moved in and I should expect this from now on. Spring and summer were just a grace period.

Three cauliflower and three collard plants and now these radishes have been decimated from the other corner yard. The boxes are lower than the ones in the original corner yard bu six inches. I wonder if that makes it more inviting to the squirrels that "happen by" on their way to collect the nuts that have fallen to the ground.

Kind of wondering if I should build a cage for this bed now, during the winter, in case this happens again in the spring.

I tried to treat the ants in the zipper pea bed today. They're chewing through the flowers and sucking the sap from the severed stem before they have a chance to set the fruit. Hopefully it will work.

On a good note, since I know all I seem to be doing recently is fussing about the marauding monstrosity in my back yard....perhaps it's the chupacabra, I did get a handful of Alaskan peas today. Even though I think they're drying peas, I'm going to throw them in with the pasta dish we're making tonight. It will help soothe me and make me feel accomplished again. ;)

The morning comes early

7 comments:

  1. Too bad....Some fencing, netting, or other device to protect it from critters is gonna be necessary, in my opinion.

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  2. The only thing I can think of is the evil-doers of the garden know that with school in session you are busy and now is the perfect time to stage multiple attacks, lol! I will try to will good luck your way! I am just now starting my fall veggies so of course I will probably be next!

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  3. Is there ANY chance this could be birds??? Cuz it seems strange that many of them are PULLED OUT-ya know, like how a bird would tug on something. I thought at first maybe mice (cuz they LOVE my radishes!), but they just gnaw stuff down-they don't pull on it. Does this happen after dark? Wow. I'm sorry this is happening to you. Hope you can figure it out!

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  4. Sue, I'm thinking after dark is how it's going on. I'd say it could be during the day while I'm gone, but I wake up on weekends to find distruction in the morning as well. I can't say for sure one way or the other.

    Erin, I'm half thinking that has something to do with it. If it IS happening during the day, I'm not out there three/four times a day. Whatever it is has free reign.

    I should get out there in the mornings with a flash light and see if it's certainly happening at night or not.

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  5. EG, I'm afraid that's the way to go as well. Grumble, grumble.

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  6. Man, and I thought fighting the mockingbird was bad. I'd think about at least doing a hoop cover with fiber row cover if you want to save anything at all.

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  7. Well that is some serious flattening. My guess would be it is anything four legged. If you have squirrels it is most likely that. Squirrels dig up my little seedlings all the time so I usually over seed and then thin once they learn they are not food. Greens and Jeans uses an electric fence, I know I have contemplated one for a while!

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