Bunnies - 1000
Lorna - 0
They've eaten my crops, growing fat and sassy, and nothing I tried would keep them from enjoying a delicious salad, mostly from my tiny tender green bean seedlings.
I tried fencing, I tried moth balls. I was told to have all my male friends and relatives take a wiz around my garden perimeter. (Uh, we didn't try that one.) Nothing worked against stealthful bunnies.
And then my hubby found Plantskydd Repellent for Rabbits and Small Critters. (Yes, that's honestly what it's called -- critters and all.) According to their web site:
- Plantskydd Deer Repellent works by emitting an odor that animals associate with predator activity, repelling the animal before it nibbles on plants. The odor is not unpleasant to the applicator.
Of course, this year we had a problem even BEFORE we could get out the Plantskydd -- and that's getting the beans to actually pop out of the earth. Years ago, we used to buy our beans by the pound (and usually never more than 4 ounces at a time) from a little farm stand along Route 104 in NY. But then they stopped selling it that way and we had to revert to seed packages.
This year we bought Ferry-Morse, mostly because that's the only thing that's available around here. The package says GUARANTEED TO GROW. And to that I say: HA! It has taken four packages of the suckers to before we saw much action. (From the first package we got one bean; from the second we got nine. Which is why we're onto packages three and four right now.)
Some years we haven't had enough rain--this year, whoa! Turn off the sprinkler, God! The package advises you to soak the beans (which we have always done) for quicker germination. This year, I think between soaking and Noah's Ark type rain, the beans rotted in the ground.
But now the tiny plants have pushed their first leaves up through the soil, struggling for sunlight, warmth -- and a decided LACK OF BUNNIES!
Once they start climbing, we're out of the woods. (Except for Japanese Beetles. I have a running battle with them, too.) Of course, then I'll have to start worrying about my Brussels Sprouts plants and Mr. Groundhog. But I have a (hopefully) powerful weapon against him, too. Mr. Havahart Trap. (Okay, it wasn't entirely successful last year, but this year I will bait the trap and then call on Officer Animal Control.)
Yup, it's all out (non-violent) war against critters who'd invade my garden.
And how does your garden grow?
