Visitors

Gardening can be fun, but more often than not, my endeavours lead to frustrations. The fall veggie garden is one of those cases.

In the south, the weather is still warm enough to grow a decent fall crop. Even Home Depot is selling cabbage plants etc. for the fall gardener.

So with all the good intentions, I decided to embark on a fall garden. I weeded the veggie patch, I sorted some likely seeds, paying attention to such things as 'days to maturity' and watered well. I marked the rows carefully. I also planted a few indoors where it was cooler and germination more likely.

The outdoor group germinated quite nicely within a few days, and some is still getting going. The green filet beans were up and running before last week. Then I left for a conference. I came back to nothing the beans had disappeared on me!

On closer inspection I noticed that some stalks had been left, just to remind me that the beans had indeed been there. The culprit is rabbits!!!!!!

I know of two rabbits or families of rabbits. One sits and watches me as I take the veggie clippings to the compost area, or take the laundry down to hang on my laundry line. He scuttles to the side and watches quietly.

The other is a rabbit on steroids that inhabits the wooded area near the vegetable garden. I see this guy in the evening, and sometimes in the morning - he is large, very large! I think he is the one snacking on my beans.

So here I am - beanless. I think a few are still germinating, without protection they will go the same way. Fencing, covering, whatever will be done this weekend to see if i really can get a fall garden going!