It must have been beginners luck last year, when my vegetable garden knew no bounds, and gave us such a great harvest.
This year I find I have been plagued with just about everything imaginable. I have refrained from spraying any sort of scary chemicals, but now wonder if I should have! My biggest nemesis has been the groundhog, he continues to evade me. My neighbor across the street who is very trigger happy, continues to inform me of how many of "them" he has shot.....(from across the street I might add) So far there have not been any human casualties.
Today I decided to dig up some potatoes for dinner tonight. I removed the chicken wire that surrounds the raised bed, to keep those damn critters out, stuck my pitch fork into the ground only to come up empty, a second dig revealed some half eaten beautiful golden colored potatoes. I could not believe my eyes...I cannot figure out how that groundhog is getting in there. Perhaps he is digging a tunnel outside of the raised bed and gains access that way. What should have been an abundance of potatoes turned out to be enough for a dinner or two. I stood there totally defeated and cleared the entire bed! I took down the chicken wire.....not much use now, and prepared the bed for rest. I filled 3 wheelbarrows of compost and dumped it on the bed. I have resolved myself to the fact that I have lost the battle, and will learn from it and come back more prepared next year. I will have all winter to figure out how to keep them out!.
Meanwhile my gigantic pumpkin plant bit the dust, it rotted at the base and then the one pumpkin that survived rotted also. The only thing that IS thriving is the volunteer pumpkin that appeared in the spring and has grown and migrated all over the garden with many pumpkins! Go figure.....
 |
| I love Gino's Potatoes |
