It’s time to get out the old pickin’ basket. Things are getting good around here. The first Mortgage Lifter tomatoes are small but we have had way too much heat. Hopefully they will get bigger as we go. And the little determinate Italian tomatoes have started to produce. They are prolific and so useful. Good raw, and excellent frozen and then used to throw into all sorts of foods all winter. They are usually the first thing I can pick from the garden.
I’ve got good things going. Jalapenos, sweet peppers, delicata squash, and I love to grow beans, any kind. I have Limas too and these are kidney beans.
Even my lizards are benefitting so much from so many different kinds of flowers and greens that they can eat.
Now we do have some wildlife. Actually a lot, but some is a problem and some is not. You might remember in a previous blog, we had a groundhog who loved the chicory I grow for my lizards.
That feisty little devil. I had the man bring traps and he left three here for over a week and the groundhog didn’t come back. He took the traps away and of course, then he did come back!
Paying the guy for that service is expensive, especially if you don’t catch any, so I finally just bought a trap. I can take groundhogs to state game lands about 7 miles away, and they can have a good groundhog life there. And living where I do, there will always be more.
So my trap has been set for about 2 weeks. It’s a good trap, works good! Unfortunately there are other things besides groundhogs that like apples.
The groundhog hasn’t been back. But I’ve caught a squirrel, one cat bird, and 4 rabbits, or one rabbit 4 times. There are 2 of this year’s that hang around in the yard all the time, so who knows.
I check the traps a lot to be sure no animal stays in there long, and when occasionally I go away for the whole day, I close the trap so nobody can get caught then by accident.
Gardening always has challenges, and it’s always an experiment, but it’s always so rewarding and good for your soul now, and your meals now and later.
I hope you are having a good summer. I’m getting old, but hey, whatever, right? Peace to all, be well.
Sarasin's thoughts....... 
Those are great traps. They were in use at the farm for longer than I can remember. We sometimes use them here in the landscapes. Coons are nasty when trapped. I do not take them so far away that they can not come back, so they do eventually come back, but they then avoid the area in which they were formerly trapped. That is all I require. Skunks are the opposite. They want to frolic and play when released, and when I am in a hurry to leave, they want to follow me. Relocation is dangerously confusing to them, so they go to live where there is someone to bring them groceries until they get settled.
Years ago we had 2 skunks that would come from the woods every night, but they went away then later at night and we never had to do anything with them. I can’t imagine having one of them in a trap. That’s funny, they want to frolic and play. We don’t get coons here in town, thankfully.
The groundhogs just sit there when they’re trapped, and so do rabbits. The accidental high-anxiety squirrels are the ones who go ballistic and could easily hurt themselves when they get trapped.
It sometimes seems to me that some skunks go into traps because they are bored. We only trap them because we do not want them to bother guests or neighbors. Otherwise, they would be welcome to stay and take the snails out of the agapanthus. They do not annoy me like other wildlife does, partly because they are most active at night when I do not need to see them.
We were glad when ours didn’t come back any more. The thought of being sprayed is awful.
That is why we keep them away from guests.
I guess I jinxed myself, cos this morning there was something in the trap……OH yea, a young skunk. He sprayed something but not much and not as bad as a regular skunk smell, maybe young ones aren’t as potent yet? I opened the trap and propped the door up with a stick and moved away, and he came out, not frolicking like you said, but not in any hurry to run away. So the answer is……yes, there are still skunks in the woods!
That is unfortunate that he or she sprayed. That indicates that he or she was distressed enough to be defensive. It is nice that he or she did not relocation though.
He was probably in the trap most of the night, and probably scared when I approached. Young ones, I read about, don’t spray as much volume and it’s not as potent. 2 friends have since suggested throwing a blanket over the trap next time. But knowing that next time could be an adult, when we didn’t think any still lived here, I think I’m done trapping anything. The ground hog might come back when the tomatoes get ripe and he can just have some, lol. No relocation for the skunk, no. There is no reason to move him out of his home in the woods. We just need to be aware at night that we have a new neighbor who might be visiting. 🙂
A blanket would never come clean if something were to happen. I prefer to use plastic that I can just throw out if necessary.
Plastic makes noise tho. I’m thinking of an old towel….if I ever decide something needs trapped again. This really shook me, lol.
Well, the ‘incident’ would have been a concern. I would not mind the ‘stuff’ (if it missed), but would be bummed to know that Pepe was that distressed. He or she seems so happy and playful.
Pepe is happy where he is, good.
I hope so. Regardless, I do not leave the doors of the pickup open while over there.
That sounds like a good plan, yea.
We have another groundhog in our neighborhood. I believe it is either sick or old because it isn’t acting right. It doesn’t run from anyone and is almost aggressive. My neighbor is concerned it may have rabies so he put in a call to animal control yesterday. We haven’t heard anything yet.
😳 Ohhh no, be very careful of that one!
It’s always a pleasure to read each year the post about your harvest. It seems there’s plenty of food, for the humans and the lizards too… 😉
I was impressed to see that you’re also a very good hunter with your trap! Unfortunately, you couldn’t catch that smart groundhog…
More to come, including one soon about another unintentional catch in the trap. Yes the lizards are loving their salads with such a good selection growing outside. My harvest for humans is just getting started. You know I get excited. 🙂
Glad you still enjoy these pleasures of life. I guess it’s a happy feeling like me having an espresso first thing in the morning… 😉
Pleasures come in all shapes and sizes and many are so simple.
So true! We have to enjoy all the little things in our lives. And occasionally setting some trapped creatures free… 😉
MOST of which are not a problem, lol. Keep enjoying your special simple pleasures dear.
Poor rabbit or rabbits. It looks so sweet in there. That groundhog looks ridiculously cute and troublesome. I learn from you and your garden. You often mention something I’ve not heard of, this time those genuses of tomato (Italian) and squash. Plants are numerous producers! I’m so glad you & the scaly angels are getting clean plants grown in soil that isn’t depleted of its nutrients. And, I must say, if I were a poor animal getting trapped, I’d want to be trapped by you.
That’s great that you learn a few things from my garden info. My land is magical and grows good things, partially because I feed it during the off seasons by direct composting veggie waste as much as I can, when the ground isn’t frozen. I also make some compost in a garbage can. Yes when I set a trap I watch it close, because I don’t want any animal in a trap long, and especially one I didn’t mean to trap at all. These 2 lizards are going to be so disappointed when dandelions and chicory flowers are all done. I do have nice dried flowers to use as rehydrated toppers on their salads, but it’s not the same.
I never thought of that. We have a dehydrator, too. Murph, for some reason, stopped eating dandelions. They’re very healthy. However, I can make a smoothie for him once in a while with some blended into it. He eats from a syringe/medicine-dropper/squeezer-outer thing very well.