Grow Your Own – The Good, The Bad, And The Squirrels
by John Weckerle
Having returned from our extended sojourn(s) in the eastern U.S., we are now in a position to update our readers on the progress of our gardening efforts and experiments. We wish to thank our good friends Russ and Phyllis Hayes, who diligently cared for the vegetables and all our other plants while we were on the road. Thanks to their efforts, we should be dining on fresh veggies (well, we’ve already had some kale and a few cherry tomatoes…) within the next week or so.
Bed 1
Alas, however, the squirrels gained entry to Bed 1, wiping out the lettuce and badly damaging the kale. The herbs (oregano, sage, thyme and basil) seem no worse for the wear. The string beans have not grown remarkably. The remaining plants in Bed 1, and those in Bed 2 (squirrels have been in there, also, but haven’t done as much damage except for stripping a dill plant and raiding the tomatoes) have done well, but the rate of growth is not exactly what we expected. Parker’s is closed for the season, and the local Wal-Mart doesn’t have much of interest, so we’ll be checking in Albuquerque tomorrow for replacements; if there’s nothing there, we’ll be trying something from seed. We’ll be working in the next few days to create a greater degree of critter exclusion for Beds 1 and 2, perhaps working with bird netting and the existing structures for now. We have concluded that, while they have their uses, the Conestoga-type covers may not be the best option for keeping the squirrels at bay, although we may try creating a PVC frame for the bottom on Bed 1 as an experiment.
Bed 2
The real star in the show this week is Bed 3. Our newest bed, this one takes a different approach to access control, and thus far the local wildlife do not appear to have gained entry. Small yellow squash and zucchini have formed; the eggplants and cucumbers have begun flowering; the cabbage and broccoli are very large, although not yet developing heads; and there is at least one tomato visible on the plants (after less than five weeks “in the ground”). Some support for the tomatoes and cucumbers is needed, perhaps cages, as they are beginning to protrude through the rabbit fencing; while they should be safe from predation, this could make it difficult to remove and replace the netting.
Bed 3