Re: [CH] tough year in the garden

Robert Opersteny (docpepr@ccwip.net)
Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:36:49 -0500

Hey Alex,
Same thing happened to me last year, with deer and rabbits...or at least 
small deer that chomp off the tops.
Even with the fence now, I'm still getting armadillo raids.  I now check 
every morning, and even moved the trap right next to the plants!
The Aji Amarillo plants have been dug into so many times, and with the 
on-going drought, they may revert to the desert-phenotype "Aji Armadillo".
The Tepins around the yard are guarded by their own fruit now...but don't 
prevent browsing on the more veggie areas of other plants.
Anyone have more suggestions?  The repellents I have used with natural herb 
or fungicide base do not work with starving critters here.
Good Luck, and send some rain down this way!

Bob

--------
From: Alex Silbajoris
Another morning, another pepper plant bitten off and laying on its side. I 
think I'm going to have to fence the patch and make a "rabbit exclosure" 
which means dealing with all that tangle in storage over the winter.

This was the third hab plant I've lost. The Zavory was bitten off by a deer 
a few weeks ago, but it was growing back nicely, Then the lawn care people 
hit it with herbicide. But wait, it's reviving! It also went through an 
episode of marble-sized hail. I wonder what will hit it next.

I have a Jen The Hen French Fry Pepper blooming in a whiskey barrel, along 
with marjoram, basil, and a tomato. We always had flowers in that barrel; we 
should have grown food in it years ago. It's rabbit-proof but not 
squirrel-proof.