Demolished Garden

      I am so sad and frustrated, watching my lovely garden being demolished each day! At first, I thought it was a bunny rabbit.  But three times now I have now seen a woodchuck scurrying out of the garden into the bushes.  The lettuce, which was lovely and large, is completely gone, down to the roots.  The newly planted swiss chard has disappeared completely.  Each day, another cucumber plant bites the dust.

If I had a gun, I would sit and wait for the critter and shoot it!  I did go to the farm store to look at de-crittering options.  The animal trap was quite expensive.  I wasn't sure that just any critter poison would work, so I gave up that idea.  Now, I just weep a little each day to see my beautiful vegetables being consumed by an ugly woodchuck.

Worse yet, it ate off all the leafs of my climatis plant, which can never get enough of a start off the ground to produce a flower!   I have tried so hard to grow a climatis plant;  now I think I am just going to completely give up on that.     At a previous house, I had a beautiful purple one.  I still miss it!

The woodchuck does not seem to like tomatoes.  Perhaps I will manage to have some tomatoes.  Actually, I do believe I am going to have more tomatoes than we can possibly eat.  The tomato plants have pretty much filled up the garden. The good news is that there should be three different varieties--small red, larger red, and small yellow.

So far, tucked underneath the tomato plants a few acorn squash plants are growing, as well.  I've never grown those before.  I hope to see at least one make it to maturity.   My fingers are crossed!