The Rabbits are OUT!

About a week ago, I noticed a few fennel sprigs missing on each plant. The neighboring dill wasn’t touched, just the fennel. I didn’t see any tracks and the only critters I’ve seen in the garden are toads and birds. My son installed over 2,000 8-inch wooden skewers around the garden’s edge just before the fennel incident and along with the banging pie tins, string, and milk jugs, I felt pretty confident rabbits and deer wouldn’t get into the garden.

I was greatly mistaken. Rabbits were in the garden. Note the row of corn in the photo – they ate about one-quarter of it. I almost cried and then decided the only way to stop the madness of my early morning pajama-clad hand clapping to chase the rabbits out of the garden, was to install 300 feet of chicken wire.

No more rabbits are in the garden. Oh, I can see one from my window as I write this. He’s washing behind his ears and longingly gazing at the yummy lettuces and the fennel…through the fence. He and a friend often sit together in the evening and I imagine there’s strategic planning happening. I used to think rabbits were cute – that’s before I installed a garden of this size. Now I look at rabbits through the eyes of Elmer Fudd, Mr. McGregor, and Lizzie Borden.

The weeds are calling but I must say, the straw is helping. I need to make a third attempt at planting corn in the three sisters mounds. Rounds one and two of Burpee corn have failed. I’ll plant NK brand next. Everything else is thriving! I am drying catnip, made two batches of pesto, and managed to run out of garlic and olive oil so the remaining basil was shared with a neighbor. I’ve never had tomato plants look this healthy and I need to start cutting up nylons to gently support them to the wire structure. Even the cut flower garden is looking promising. Every single thing I listed on the grid that I planned on planting is coming up. Miracle Grow was sprinkled throughout the garden just before we had the downpours last week – I figured it was time for a little boost of food.

So far, the garden is a huge success! I need to get out there and weed and now that most of my articles I have been writing are finished, I’ll have more time in the garden. On a final note for this post, I have discovered the joy of fresh herbal tea. I pick about four lemon balm leaves, clip two chamomile flowers, add two leaves of mojito mint and pour freshly boiled spring water over all in a clear glass mug. I’ve never experienced a fresher-tasting tea.