I used to think they were cute.
Where are the weasels when we really need them? I know we have weasels around here -- I see them in the winter. So where are they now? Do they estivate? There are an incredible number of chipmunks running around -- where are the predators, the weasels, the foxes, the feral cats, and whatever else might consider Chip or Dale a tasty snack? My fat cat Cleo isn't any help. She's old enough that she's not particularly ambitious. When she goes out, she pretty much limits her excursions to walking from the back door to the front door -- she's not going to amble the 400 feet or so from the house to the vegetable garden. I suppose one solution to rodent control would be to relocate the garden to a site closer to the house -- it's where it is now because it was close to where our mobile home (aka The Shoebox) was set up -- but having spent a couple of decades adding manure and compost to the garden to convert glacial till into soil where something will actually grow, I'm not real enthusiastic about starting that process over again.
The good news, such as it is, is that the wee beasties ignored the green beans when I planted them so we have plenty of beans coming along. They're also ignoring the zucchini, although with zucchini one is never sure if that's good news or bad.
In other gardening news, I've discovered another plant that bolts straight to seed when planted here: Chinese cabbage. The seeds were a bonus from Jung's this year; I was intrigued. Planted them, and despite our relatively cool weather, I swear they went from just barely out of the ground to flowering even faster than spinach does. Supposedly the plants form heads, but it's hard to picture it when they were flowering within a month of the seeds going in the ground.
At Philmont Scout Ranch they are called mini-bears. Little beggars, they chewed holes in backpacks...
ReplyDeletePlant a border row of something they really like around the garden and maybe they'll leave the rest of it alone. Or put out a bunch of sunflower seeds for them.
ReplyDeleteI've heard that sprinkling hot pepper around your plants will keep the chipmunks away. That or buy a bunch of hawks?
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of encouraging some raptors to nest near the garden, but haven't seen any around here in many years. They were common when more people were farming and the fields were open -- no doubt because there were more rodents that were easily visible to a hawk or falcon's eyes.
ReplyDeletelittle bastids..I planted my garden Monday and yesterday they shut down one of our water towers and water restriction for 2 weeks..no watering of garden..so will have to buy bottled water to water the plants..feck.
ReplyDeleteNow, now. I thought you LIKED Mother Nature and all her kingdom?
ReplyDeleteGardeners down south have no concept of the heroism required to plant a garden in the north woods.
ReplyDeletethe Ol'Buzzard
I have no idea what is eating my tomato plants - no sign of worms. I have given up on them and pulled them out last week.
ReplyDeleteI also had to take my bird feeder down altogether - I have the kind on springs that closes when the squirrels try to eat from it but apparently rats don't weigh enough to close it up and they were feasting from it. Really don't want to give them a reason to come around our property looking for new digs.