Oh Rats!!

Darn, darn, darn and double darn!
Saying, "Oh rats!" is a nicer way to express my reaction when I saw what was left of this year's corn crop.
The beasts crept in under the cover of darkness and laid waste to the ripe corn. They came in two waves.
I guess that they knew very well what they were doing. I planted the corn in two phases so that I would have some corn well into september.

When the first group was ripe I managed to harvest a couple of ears for that all-important "first tasting". All was going according to plan at this stage.
I never open or shuck corn near the corn patch so that the fragrance released will not float about on the air currents and let every crow, rat and mouse for Km's will know where to come for a free meal.

After a delightful tasting ceremony that evening I recall licking the salt and butter from my fingers and commenting how this was going to be a good season...with one of those arrogant smiles stretching from ear to ear. Life was good.
The new sort of corn that I tried this season was quite tasty and actually a very good type for the climate here and was not affected by pollen from other corn sorts. Yep--I was already making plans for next season.

...But what is it they say about not counting chickens (chooks) until the eggs have hatched? The next day when I went to the lottie to continue working...I was shocked to find the rest of the first phase in a horrific state. I laid a couple of big rat traps, mumbling unrepeatable expletives under my breath.

The next day the culprit had booked a flight to that cornfield in the sky. Problem solved. That first phase of plants was lost, but several days went by and no more signs of rats were to be seen. Whew--it looked like there had been just the one rat, still I secured the nets to the ground for security.


A couple of days later this is what I found when I strolled over to the corn patch to have a check on the ripening ears.








Well, I have to tell you that I went through a series of emotions in the span of a few seconds...I was gob-smacked and the scene just sort of left me standing there with my chin on the ground as I gazed-over the carnage. They must have returned in a horde to have destroyed so much so fast.

When I had recovered we waded into the netted "corn cage" to salvage what could be salvaged. Any ear that was anywhere near ripe as picked. The rest were removed from their stalks and the plants were uprooted and laid over a plot that had been winterized already (over in the old garden).
This is what we harvested that morning--all of the usable ears of sweetcorn and all of the leeks.


The beans were looking good, but there were no more of them to harvest and the flowers that were emerging would never be able to produce a harvest able fruit before the first frost....so the bean racks must be disassembled and the sticks pulled-up, their vines to be used as a covering for a winterized bed.

What is it with all this "scortched-earth" action? Well, the corn failure was the last straw in a season full of under optimal gardening. Lots had not done well and I never quite caught up with the spring cleaning--along with all the other big changes that and jobs I had to do in the old garden. I never had time to just sit a whole or even a half -a-day in the garden and do nothing, just enjoy the fruits of my labour (we and Mother Nature, of course). This total lack of enjoyment time has forced me to decide to give up the new garden, as it was apparent that I did not have time enough to take care of two full gardens.
A sad choice, but necessary. All work and no play makes Sjoerd a dull boy (and unhappy).

The bean rack just before it's removal.


Back over in the old garden things were looking-up and the fall flowers were blooming.


Big decisions over there as well-- all the inner fences would have to go so that it would be easier to keep clean. (One can not easily hoe and clean where chicken wire fence is dug-in). Racks had to be dismantled and in one case re situated in another place. The Clematis rack was rotting-away and leaning dangerously towards the canal.
Here you can see the messy-looking state of the old veggie plots, full of green manure but also where the fence was lifted, there are weeds to be removed.


That was a couple of days ago and it already looks somewhat better with the fence weeds removed. Once the green manure has bloomed-out then the entire plot will be cleaned and covered for the winter.

In every life a little rain must fall, and the lottie was no exception. It began suddenly and so we bolted for the garden house to keep dry and have a spot of tea.


Once inside everything was Oké--nice and dry, warm and with a cuppa crooked in my forefinger, I was feeling better about the whole down-sizing thing. This is the view out the front door with the rainbow over the neighbour lady's garden house:


It had been a tumultuous past few days and now it was raining. It has been tumultuous ALL season, actually...but now it was time to head for home in-between the showers. I paused by the new garden to say goodbye...one last look, as it is already in the hands of new custodians.
All that hard work to get it back to a state of production from the deserted state that it was in when we took it over.


Farewell garden....sniff.

 

Sjoerd, I'm so sorry that the new garden just didn't work out for you, but I do commend you for recognizing that it was too much to handle, and being brave enough to give it up.
I am coming to the conclusion that the flower, vegetable, and herb beds I have are about all I can take care of, although I would dearly love to expand all of them. You set a good example--do well what you can and don't over-do!

 

AHHHH Sjoerd! How disheartening! We have the problem of the skunks and raccoons getting into and destroying a good portion of the corn the day it is just ripe. We have resorted to putting a battery powered radio out (and cover it with a box so it doesn't get wet) tuned into a talk show station and that has really helped the problem. So sorry you lost so much of the crop. There is an owl that is battery powered and motion sensitive that you mount on a pole near the garden. It's head swivels when the "eye" is tripped. That might help with the birds, too. The flowers are beautiful despite the difficult season. I, too, am not looking forward to the end of the season. I hope your winter goes by fast. What will you do with yourself, are you going back to work for the winter?

 

Oh, I'm sorry your corn was lost. I didn't plant corn as the ants get at the ears. It's a sinking feeling when you discover something you've been waiting forever to get ripe is gone before you get to taste it. Darn critters!!

dooley

 

What a disappointment Sjoerd, at least you got a "first taste" before all was lost. Sounds like you have to set and keep an active trap for the hungry critters. Was it only corn they attacked?

Jerry

 

My condolences on the loss of the corn too.
And sorry you just couldn't make the second garden work.
No need to work or worry yourself sick over something that supposed to be enjoyable.

 

I'm sorry your corn was lost

 

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss.I love fresh corn on the cob.There is not much better.I look farward to pictures of your lottie.I understand why you had to give up your new garden.I am not able to do any gardening except in pots,breaks my heart.

 

A very sad story...it is called 'moving on'look forward to new gardening....Oh by the way, are you sure there was no beans left on those vines?

 

Sorry for your corn loss but your garden and plants sure look great.....I love to look.

Barb in Pa.

 

Thanks so much for your nice words, MARLINGARDNER--In a way the new garden did work out for me...in the sense that I was able to greatly improve the ground quality and harvest an enormous amount of veg for he Food Bank. It was however way too much work when I took on a couple of other responsibilities in addition to the Food Bank. Just not enough hours in a day. You are right about doing one thing well in stead of doing a lot less than optimally. The redevelopment of the old garden has already begun.

Oh dear, CAROLYN--Yes, I know how wildly infuriating it is to have the corn destroyed just on the very day that it would be ready to harvest. Sometimes those dastardly rats would even tear open a cob not fully ready and eat on half of the ear...but I did not want to cook and eat anything that had been chewed-on by rats. It is enough to drive one around the bend.
That was a clever trick, putting a radio out into your cornfield to discourage the varmits there. Those motion sensitive decoys that move are a cool idea as well. Brill. I will not return work over the winter, as I have some plans: I will be planning out further developments for the old garden and thinking the planting scheme through. I also have some some preparation to do for he bird conservation as well as lay out a management plan for the bees....and in addition to this, I will be digitalizing dias taken several years ago in some of the various countries that I have visited. I sometimes miss work a bit, but I suppress those feelings and stick to my commitment to NOT working for a while. I have taken steps financially to be able to be able to do this, so there is no pressure.

Thanks for your understanding, DOOLEY--I know that you can understand my disappointment over the ratty behaviour of those critters.

Hiyah TONI-- Thanks for your nice words. That "fuzzy" plant that you are referring to is Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue', a sort of grass-like plant. it was a gift from the nice lady up the way. Yes, giving up the one garden was the right decision, I am sure.

Hi JERRY-- Yes, it was lucky to be able to at least some of the corn. It was delicious. The corn is the only thing that the rats bothered. They come only at night as they seem to know that I am present with sharp implements during the daylight hours. Smart beasts, those rats.

Thanks CHERYL-- Yes, you are too right about there being no use in worrying and so forth about something that is meant to be fun. hahaha. Thanks for your support.

Thanks THEO--I appreciate your comment.

Hahaha...EILEEN-- I hope that they do too, and at that time of night there would be no pharmacy open to give them any Mylanta or something similar. I appreciate your sympathetic words very much.

Thanks GLENDA--Oh miss, I know what you mean about not being able to garden. You have my sympathy on that...but still, gardening in pots is better than nothing at all. Are your crepe myrtles doing oké this year?

Thanks CHOCCY--The only runners left on those vines were either too large or so small that they would not have made it. It was a pity to break them down while they were still blooming, but the beans would never have made it. Once the poles were stripped, I carefully picked off every bean that was edible.
You are right about moving on...I am not at all one for looking back.

Thanks you so much, BARB--I am glad that you enjoy looking when I am able to post.

Thanks FRANK-- You are sounding philosophical. hahaha...but you are so right. I appreciate your nice words, mate. I hope that now I shall have more time to post more frequently. I have worked myself almost to exhaustion this year with all the garden projects and new pastimes.

 

Just a tip for those with crops that are destroyed by critters because they can smell that they are ripe. I use the worst smelling, cheap aftershave that I can find at the dollar store mixed with store brand listerine mouthwash. Mix together and dilute a bit and spray around plants. I use this for watermelons and you can spray right on those. It dissipates so with watermelons it doesn`t hurt and there is no taste afterward. Other veggies just spray around them and around the garden perimeter. I started using this because coyotes can smell a ripe watermelon and will wipe out a crop in one night. Has to be done erach evening but is better than losing them all.