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| Bess in the south field. Note that the rape cane has been knocked down / removed. |
It couldn't be a lovelier day here at the Gilbert homestead. The high was in the low 80s. A cool breeze wafts through the windows. It's still hazy, though.
I
first noticed it last week. I had to turn on the kitchen light while preparing
supper. And last night when I came out of Albertsons, it was already dusk at
7:30. It seems like the days are long without much noticeable change until all
of a sudden they grow short rapidly, especially on the evening end. Of course, that’s
just my perception.
Mike
loaded our supplies and the dogs into the old Silverado this morning and we
rattled along to the farm. We were surprised to note that Farmer Kyle had been
here while we were away to knock down the rape canes. Once again, the activity
is over and I missed it. But – we are grateful for the effect. We can now walk
over the fields much more easily.
In
fact, Bess and I enjoyed a brief noontime stroll into the field south of the
house. Bess sight-pointed something in the field. I told her it was nothing,
but she wouldn’t believe me. “Help me out here,” she said. “I am duty-bound to
check it.” So she skulked along at my side Snoopy-style until we reached the
thing. It was just a sack.
The
hummingbird feeders looked as if they hadn’t been touched. I was going to take
them down and put them away, but then I saw two hummers sitting on the fence
and decided to fill the feeders with fresh nectar one more time. I see and hear
them, but so far I haven’t caught them at the feeders.
I
was going to rip out the pumpkin plant because it just isn’t doing much. But –
it looks pretty and it has one nice pumpkin, so I decided to leave it and see
what happens. I picked six cherry tomatoes a couple of weeks ago, and that’s
all we’ve had so far. They were delicious with our taco salad. If they ever
ripen, I’ll have a few more. It’s just discouraging to garden under these
conditions – hot and dry. Basically we don’t get much for my efforts and I’m
considering options – you know, to garden or not to garden. |
| Smoke obscures Little Canyon |
But
then – I talked to someone who also lives in a rural setting. She said she has
flowers in pots on her porch and they haven’t done well. And they planted
beans, she said, and the deer ate the plants. She said the deer actually jumped
the fence to eat the bean plants. KW
3 comments:
We planted peas and beans together and crows ate all the beans when they were inch sprouts. I truly hate crows.
Now that you know the enemy, you can plan. Netting is inexpensive at Jo-Ann's. An enterprising girl with innovative ideas, such as yourself, should be able to figure a way to support the netting, and perhaps -- perhaps -- you'll protect your crop.
Jo-Ann also has cute scarecrows for a pittance. Do those work? Probably not. But I do remember that my dad used an inflatable scarecrow. The old-time gardeners tried anything. I also remember the year he dejectedly reported to me that "something" ate the corn right out of the ground. We had no corn that year.
Something ate most of the beets we planted and all of the spinach. Frankly, I think it was the bunnies. But I found that a shiny whirly-gig from the Dollar Tree placed right in the middle of the crop seemed to deter them.
Since crows are prevalent in your neighborhood, I wonder if the City or an extension office could offer suggestions for deterring them. Or -- the internet is always a good first option.
Don't give up. Just keep trying. And remember -- like me and the mice, this is war! You may win some battles, but you can't hope to win the war.
Oh yes, it IS war. Next year we'll have more time to focus on the garden and I think we will try a netting solution.
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