I decided early in the spring that instead of planting flowers on my deck like I always have in the past, I was going to fill some of my pots with plants and seeds to grow vegetables. The effort was less than successful.
I bought a pack of zucchini seeds which the chipmunks dug up and ate every time I replanted them. Pretty soon I gave up. My pack of seeds was empty and all I had accomplished was feeding the chipmunks $5 worth of zucchini seeds.
I planted some green beans in a big pot and protected them with some chicken wire supported with a few bamboo stakes and even put a chicken wire lid across the top and that kept the chipmunks out. The bean plants grew but I only got a handful of beans and realize that I would need many more plants to have a successful harvest!
And peppers! I have 6 different kinds of pepper plants. They are blooming nicely. The pepperoncini produced this lovely pepper, and then GONE! Who knew chipmunks would even eat peppers! I hope their mouths were burning! I will be moving all the pepper plants onto the screen porch tomorrow!
I planted a variety of mini cucumber that has done well. I moved it onto the porch when I realized all the tiny cucumbers were disappearing and being carried off by the rodents and it has done pretty well.
I have had a steady supply of cucumbers, and even had enough to share with others.
I bought my lemon tree 18 years ago and some years it has had as many as 13 full sized lemons on it.
This year it has one. It probably needs to be repotted, but since it needs to be brought in the house every winter I'm rather afraid that a larger pot will make it completely unmanageable.
I planted leaf lettuce, spinach and arugula in my raised bed. The cover has protected it and I have had many meals from my little patch of greens this summer.
It needs to be pulled and a fresh crop planted to enjoy this fall, but the hummingbirds are loving the flowers that are growing on the arugula plants and I hate to pull them!
My cherry tomato plant is growing on the back porch and giving me a few ripe tomatoes everyday. It would love more sunshine than what it is getting, but the chipmunks were stealing the little tomatoes while they were still green and this was the only solution I had for at least getting a few!
The herbs have all done well out on the deck. The basil plants have flourished, as has the rosemary, mint, parsley and dill.
Not only do I NOT have a deck full of beautiful flowers, I do not have a bountiful vegetable harvest like I had dreamed of!
But I am already thinking ahead to what I can do differently next year!
