I planted a pretend garden this year, all in pots. I started with tomatoes and have since added some squash and zucchini and even some beans! It's fun. I'm feeling my green thumbs and I like it. I love going out every morning and seeing the progress. I get so excited to see my tomatoes getting bigger and a few days ago, to see the first one getting a little pink. I could easily imagine the day I would be able to pick it and make a tomato sandwich with my first home grown tomato. I could almost taste it.
BUT...and you KNEW there was going to be a BUT in here, I went out yesterday to check on my precious tomato's progress and guess where it was? In the mouth of my dog, being chewed in a very irreverent manner. After squirting him with the water hose and telling him off, nearly through tears, I inspected the plants and found a slightly chewed green tomato still hanging on the plant, intact with teeth marks. Squirrels. It's squirrels. There are droves of them here and I feel very outnumbered. The dog was probably not the one who swiped it, but he sure took pleasure in finishing off the job begun by the giant rats with bushy tails. We hates them.
And today, we hates them even more. Two more tomatoes GONE. I'm so sad. I'm so injured. They have robbed me of the joy of the harvest and I will have to kill them all. I don't really want them to suffer, but I do want them dead. And, after their demise I plan to hang them up along the fence by their evil fuzzy tails, one after the other, as a warning to their neighbors and friends that this is not the yard they want to hang around. And what about this "dog" of mine? What kind of dog allows such behavior right under his nose in his very own backyard? My dog. That's who. I realize that he's getting old, but I just can't feel like making excuses for him. I will allow him to live, but buddy, he has been TOLD. He better step up the guard dog duties and quit taking bribes or I'm sending him to a place where they won't let him sleep inside in a cool laundry room at night.
We hates them.
This is the dog I have. A dog of leisure.
The is the dog I need. Squirrel killer extraordinaire.
4 comments:
I'll loan you my Scottie - she is a squirrel's worst nightmare! She's small, fast, and fiesty.
I gave up on growing tomatoes because of squirrels/woodchucks/racoons/possums.
So I jsut get mine at the farmstand, whcih is ok. I grow fresh herbs to chop up and put on the totmatoes so at least some part of my summer treat is "home grown"
I like the "Giant rats with tails" description. If people only knew how wretched, vile and evil they really are...
Hmm... interesting.
I am wanting to start my own garden too, above ground, thinking that it would keep the dogs out of it... I forgot about those squirrels. And like you, I've got tons of them.
Is there any contraption that could be placed over your containers of tomatoes to keep them out? Some sort of wire mesh covering... like a dome shaped one?
I will have to investigate this because I will need to know myself once I start my garden. If I come up with anything, I'll buzz you back. :)
Sorry for your loss, Beej. My dad's been trying to keep squirells off his birdfeeder for years...maybe he can devise a way to keep your tomato plants safe. Would you prefer explosive or non?
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