urban plot
About that fence…
The gopher(s) has been visiting our farm. Yep, the lovely carrots we have been watering, weeding and tenderly caring for have been nibbled to the stub. Spink says those carrots won’t grow and we should just cut our losses and replant the bed. I, on the other hand, still see some foliage and would like to give them a few weeks to recover. None of this argument confronts the main problem – the gopher. We have tried reason and considered the option of a fence. Right now we are trying to bait it with peanut butter with a Havahart trap with plans to remove it from our property. Why can’t he just eat the weeds? That would help us out a lot and he’d get a tasty meal without disturbing the produce.
And, remember that question about people stealing stuff? Well, the other day, Spink was out in the garden and someone was picking our cukes! They apparently thought this was a community garden and they could just take what they wanted. How would they know otherwise? There are no signs posted. Anyway, I guess giving away some produce now and then means people will not try to sabotage the garden. Apparently, Spink’s comment that they could take the cukes translated to come back anytime and take what you want. Simply a misunderstanding, but I felt kind of upset about people just taking produce without asking, especially considering all the blood, sweat, and tears we put into growing it in the first place!
So, yeah, maybe a fence for next year…add it to the list.
Annabel – I love how you put things. Even in describing a gopher, you make it humorous. Sounds like a fence could be at the top of the list for next year. Yes, it’s nice to donate a few items to those passing by, but a regular “visitor” could make a serious dent in a crop you hope to sell. Perhaps this person would want to donate some of their time? Kind of like a sweat equity opportunity.
Ooh I love a good battle of wits with a hungry gopher. I have had good luck using sunflower seedlings or over ripe cantaloupe as bait. If you have excessive gopher population, the fence is the only sane solution. Chicken wire flat on the ground around the fence edges prevent digging under the fence.
Bummer. I’m dealing with rabbits that just hop through my 2″ x 4″ fence. I heard watermelon gets a gopher every time.
At any rate, the nerve of some people.