Rodent Problem

I ran into a problem growing pole beans last year. Every time the vines would get a few leaves, some critter would eat them, leaving a bare stalk that would struggle to produce another leaf, which would then be eaten, etc. I suspected chipmunks to be the culprits, as I have rabbit fencing and there were no deer tracks. Voles could have done the damage as well. I never caught the offenders so I can't say exactly who they were!

Thanks to the rodent problem, the season was a bust as far as beans were concerned. I had to pick beans at a friend's house to freeze for the winter -- the paltry harvest I managed was barely enough for a few side dishes.

This year, in an effort to thwart the wily critters, I made cages from hardware cloth that are about 14" deep and 6" in diameter, and buried them about 7" deep in case the varmint is a digger. So far, so good! I'm keeping my fingers crossed, and I'll post an update at harvest time.

Veggies!

Here's what I've got growing in the garden this season:

Tomatoes (sun sugar, brandy boy, amish paste, mortgage lifter)
Eggplant (ichibon, purple rain, lavender touch)
Pepper (carmen, big red)
Chard (bright lights, fordhook giant)
Pole Beans (rattlesnake, purple violetto)
Lettuce
Radish
Beets
Sugar Snap Peas
Blueberries
Raspberries
Garlic (music, phillips, chesnok)
Rhubarb
Asparagus
Basil
Rosemary
Thyme
Cilantro
Chives

The proliferation of the progeny of the prodigious pigweed: A problem.

Years ago, as a novice gardener, I nurtured a "volunteer" that I thought might be a flower. It did so well with my tender loving care, that it took over the bed, actually growing taller than me! Not recognizing it, I eventually became concerned and asked my garden mentor what it could be. She didn't recognize the description, so I brought a piece of it to work to show her. Puzzled, she said that it looked like pigweed, but she had never heard of one so large! Alas, it had gone to seed (millions of seeds, actually) before I could get rid of it. Lo, these many years later, I am still trying to rid the gardens of pigweed, only now I get them when they are very tiny.
My take-home message: Look it up or ask a friend before it's too late! :-)

Stuff in the garden.

A re-purposed chicken feeder becomes a home for heuchera.