When I last updated, it was to share that I had to start over as almost all of my precious plants had been eaten by furry or slimy demons. It was then that I lost my ability to really see rabbits and slugs as "just other creatures trying to survive." I'm striking back now.
I posted on Facebook about killing a particularly large slug with salt on the porch. It seemed to delight everyone who read it (several friends at aikido commented on it during class, calling me "killer" for a short while). Now I can't pour a salt ring around my plants, but I'd been saving egg shells for a few months since reading about them being good for putting calcium into soil and at the same time repelling slugs and snails. I smashed them in a big old ziploc and sprinkled it around my bell pepper sprouts, which I repotted last weekend.
No more nasty slug trails around MY peppers.
One of my four remaining plants had begun to wilt before the transplant and has not perked up since, so I'm prepared for it to be a loss. But the other three are leafy and strong and I have high hopes for their future. I feel particularly protective over these plants because they are the survivors. I raised them from seeds and have been very attentive to them. Acer tried to snack on the one that is currently wilting away, and he got a firm talking-to and finger wag for his actions.
I've also mixed up a jug of rabbit repellent made from water, red pepper flakes, garlic and dish soap. The recipe suggested letting it sit in the sun for a couple days to let the flavors and smells saturate in the mix. When I opened the jug to pour it into a spray bottle, I caught a whiff of just how rank it was. I've been spraying it on bean vines, pumpkin sprouts and a sweet potato sprout that poked itself up but apparently attracts bunnies.
This plant has grown a fair amount since this photo was taken. There are actually the beginnings of buds on it now.
Sweet Group Shot! Meet the new sweet banana pepper plant and the regrown sweet potato sprout.
I'm also trying a second round of radish seeds, but may have lost them as well. I did not get the spray on them before something ate about 75 percent of them. But I still have lots of seeds left and the warm season isn't going anywhere soon.
After I lost a lot of my plants last month, I decided to let plants grow larger before putting them in the yard. My two pumpkin vines are weathering being in the ground much better since I let them bulk up before moving them. I did purchase a six-pack of tomato sprouts for my Topsy Turvy stand and they are looking very happy in their spot in the middle of the yard - the best place for them to get the sun they need. I had to move it from a spot next to the fence when I caught a squirrel eyeballing it from the fence post.
I'm getting excited about the garden again, even though it's spread throughout the yard and kind of at a point now where all I have to do is make sure nothing is getting nibbled on and everyone stays watered. I don't foresee any more transplants, so it's really just waiting on the blossoms to appear. Here's to rank rabbit repellant and sharp shards of slug deterring eggshells all doing their jobs.
