In my youth, I was an idealist who thought being a pacifist had its merits. Part of that meant believing that killing anything without a good reason was wrong. I'm the kind of person who catches spiders and puts them outside, or at least, I was until I became the grandmother of a child terrified of them. Now, if he's around, nothing will do but that I dispatch it with vigor.
Living in a small community, we've done our share of feeding baby possums and adult raccoons, skunks and armadillos. Live and let live was my motto.
And then I became a serious gardener and began to invest a significant amount of money and energy in plants. Last year, I'd wake up and go outside to enjoy the morning air while I looked at all the flowers. I began to notice plugs of soil missing. Then I noticed plants dug up and left with bare roots exposed.
A little research led me to the conclusion that armadillos had turned our yard into a grubstake. Literally. Armadillos are mad for grubs, and will dig wherever they can find them - which includes well-moistened flower beds. They are so blind and hard-of-hearing that it's easy to sneak up on them. I started doing just that, throwing a big, heavy clay pot over them, then sliding a board under it and taking them for a little ride in the back of the pickup. That way, my conscious was clear and the armadillo was gone. At least for a while. They probably used 'dillo radar and headed straight back home. Have you ever seen an armadillo run? Those suckers are fast.
The humane way proved futile. My husband said, let me take care of it. I knew that meant a bullet was involved. No way, I said.
This weekend, I walked out back to our pretty little garden to find some annuals that had made it through three years without dying lying wilted on the ground, their roots like little skeletons, burned to a crisp. I went inside and told Joel, "The peace treaty is off. You have my permission to kill the little bastards!"
Of course, we haven't - and won't. But I'm seriously thinking about investing in some humane traps. Of course, then we'll have to do something with the hapless critters. Anyone want to go into armadillo farming?
Now that tomato production has passed its peak, are you taking note of which varieties did best for you? Were some tastier than others, more meaty and less mealy?
If you're new to gardening, it might save you at least a little bit of grief to know this: with every success in a garden comes a failure Even seasoned gardeners know how it feels to carefully tend a plant only to have it fail to thrive. Some just throw up their little branches in surrender and commit planticide. Under the harshest conditions, like the heat wave and lack of rain we've had lately, even formerly healthy plants can give up the ghost if not handled perfectly. Look at the two pentas above. They are the exact same plant, pre- and post-heat stress. It's my fault - I didn't harden them off enough before I put them out to get sun to continue producing blooms - and I left town for two days and they got too dry. I also didn't mulch the pots, which left them more vulnerable to the heavy prevailing winds that blow through our back yard, especially since a neighbor recently cut down trees along the fence line that once softened the wind. It makes gardening more challenging, but the good news is there's more breeze when you're sitting outside!
Enjoying the harvest of a home garden is perhaps the top reason why so many people do it (right after the digging-in-the-soil-is-good-for-the-soul part). Second on the list is sharing the bounty with others. And...it feels pretty good when someone compliments your homegrown tomatoes or peppers. Saturday, local gardeners got a lot of praise at the 37th Annual Jefferson County Fruit, Herb and Vegetable Show over at Central Mall in Port Arthur. It's hosted by Central Mall Merchants' Association, Jefferson County Horticulture Committee, area nurserymen, Jefferson County Master Gardener's Association and the Jefferson County office of Texas AgriLife Extension Service.
I have a new friend.
E’s problem with fungus on a pot brings up the topic of reusing clay or terracotta pots. If you reuse your clay pots — and I can’t imagine anyone who doesn’t — a simple once a year cleaning can help keep any mold, fungus or mildew spores from spreading.
E. from Beaumont emailed in a question:
I love June. Even if I never looked at a calendar (something impossible in my line of work) I'd know it had arrived when one of my editors started hauling in bags of fresh vegetables every week.
Beaumont Botanical Gardens lost one of its strongest supporters last week.
Even the birds who hang around The Enterprise are inquisitive, resourceful and well-read. At least, that seems a reasonable conclusion judging by their choice of building materials.
If you're looking for plants that practically raise themselves, look no further than Texas Superstars. The Texas Agri-Life folks give the designation to plants that pass rigorous field testing. The plants are disease-resistant, drought-tolerant, and need no chemical pesticides.
For years, I've wanted to take the Master Gardener short course, but never could manage to meet the schedule. This year is the year!
