Well - it's been 3 months since I've updated this with garden news.
And there's actually been a lot of news...it's just been so bi-polar that I've not had the heart to post it.
As the last post stated, all of my early crops got eaten....by something rabbit...groundhog...chipmonk I wasn't sure.....
Upgrading Defenses
I knew I had to upgrade my defenses, but before I could get around to it the next crops started to come in. The spinach, swiss chard and arugula I had started from seed, and they started to get eaten too....
So, put a new 2' fence with 1/4" openings around the bottom of the existing fence, and put down 1 inch layers of soaked newspaper around the outside in an outward facing L - against the fence and away from it. On top of this I put top soil and planted my marigolds....the marigolds disappeared, but the remaining swiss-chard, the lettuce starts and the arrugula kept growing. I planted lavender and feverfew outside the garden "gate" and radish, scallion, & carrot seeds, my tomato & pepper seedlings inside...and they also grew.
YAY! I was keeping critters out!
My Garden GROWS!
I went on vacation, and when I came home and things were good, so I planted beans, squash, and cucumbers, and took as a good omen the fact that I had at least 2 garden spiders living in my fence and a garter snake living in the flower pot under the windmill.
While I'd been away the tomato plants had more than doubled in size, the radishes had overwhelmed the carrots and scallions (a lesson for next time) and the lettuces were ready to harvest...and harvest...harvest ....and then they were dessimated.GONE eaten completely to the ground.
IT's A GIANT GROUNDHOG
The newspaper barrier had stopped the critters for a while, but apparently the most determined critter of all was a HUGE groundhog who lives just into the woods behind the garden.
He managed to break through the newspaper barrier in late in June, and I have not managed to find a way to keep him out yet. I have used purchased products (Mole-b-gone - a castor oil based repellant & Critter Ridder- a pepper based repellant). I have used rocks that I can barely carry, I have used home made garlic spay....nothing is keeping this guy out.
Continual Destruction
As the bean and cucumber plants appeared they were eaten to the ground...so far the squash are safe. I had re-seeded lettuces for a future crop and have not seen anything so I assume as soon as they show up they are eaten as well.
Blessedly the critter does not seem to prefer tomato and pepper and basil plants....they get nibbled from time-to-time, but more in the way of a trim or pruning rather than eating to the ground.
Do Groundhogs Seek Revenge???
It does seem that whenever I've worked in the garden and tried to put a new layer of defenses down that my nemesis goes for revenge.........
Last weekend I was enthused by 1 of my pepper plants - a mild variety that produces long yellowish peppers - the plant was tall and healthy and had at least a dozen small peppers hanging on it....well, I did my "shoring up" of defenses, pulled some weeds etc then went to make supper.
When I went back to show my husband, the plant had been eaten to the stems...the peppers were, however, left hanging....like me.
Harvest Despite Destruction
As I had indicated, even though the groundhog got the lions share of lettuce I had managed to eat a lot of salad for the two weeks between coming home from vacation and his breaking and entering...I have harvested a few peppers and small cherry tomatoes so far and that will hopefully continue.
My garlic, shallots and onions were harvested over the past month. The garlic had varying results. We planted about 6 varieties and some did better than others I'm not sure if that was due to the spot in the planting bed or just the variety. The shallots did MUCH better than last year and I have high hopes that next year will be even better. Onions were a new crop for me and I don't think I kept the bed weeded enough or watered enough. Despite that, I did get a harvest...they are mostly smallish, but will still be yummy I'm sure.
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