Friday, the peas as they had been, attacked but still in fair health:
Monday, the Place Where The Peas Used To Grow:
Only weeds. I am very sad.
There is slight comfort in that the little devil does not also like my green peppers, cukes, and basil, but there is no denying that the peas were my favorites (you can say that, in the garden, and no one ends up in therapy later ["Mom always liked the peas best!"]), and it is a harsh blow. The Powers That Be in the Company Garden are looking into making the gate and fence more secure, but too late, too late. My peas are gone.
I'm not the only one who suffered from his attacks, of course (thank heavens; just imagine how paranoid I'd feel if only my plants had been taken). But somehow that doesn't make me feel much better. I was prepared to accept that the plants might not grow for mysterious reasons, but this was not an end I had considered. Having been taken by surprise, even unreasonably, I feel much more cheated than if the plants had simply not thrived, or been blighted, or eaten by insects. These were outcomes I thought of. Thieving omnivorous lock-picking furball never crossed my mind for some reason.
The cukes, trying to make me smile, have started to burst out with their tiny babies. They are cute, aren't they? I'll be happy when it's time to harvest them, it's true (although that does sound macabre, given my anthropomorphizing in the earlier sentences). Look at the wee cucumbers:
And the basil fortunately doesn't mind that weeding has not been my top priority lately. If you can make it out among the surrounding crap, it's doing quite well.
Does anyone know, is there a way I can pick it ahead of time and keep it fresh at home, or am I better off just picking it as needed?
It's best to pick it off as needed. I think you can get away picking it a few hours before, keeping it wrapped in damp paper towels. Otherwise, drying in paper towels works well to preserve the basil for future use.
ReplyDeleteAwwwwwwww, the poor little peas! Dratted varmint. :( Are there any quick-growing varieties you could replace 'em with? (After you get some sort of varmint repellent!)
ReplyDeletePoor peas!
ReplyDeleteAs for the basil, I don't know about keeping it fresh, but you can freeze pesto. Just as yummy in sandwiches.
You can use a fiery hot-pepper spray on your peas to make them, ahem, unpalatable to said furry varmint. Or, there are rotten-egg mixtures you can brew up as well. Google knows. And, I hate to say it--no matter how secure the gate & fence are, the furball will climb over them. Chipmunks are just as agile as squirrels, and faster.
ReplyDeleteOne bright spot of hope, though: if you keep watering and fertilizing your peas, they may resprout. The will to survive and set seed is strong in annuals.
Good luck!!!!