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Dang! I’m having trouble with vermin this year.

I was thinning my carrots and got to the fourth bucket and it was half dug up with only wilting carrot tops left. Got the chicken wire wrapped around those buckets ASAP.

Next year, I cut some chicken wire the diameter of the bucket, sow the seeds and then lay the chicken wire on top of the soil and let the carrots grow up through that.

And I probably will wrap wire around the buckets again.

The peas are almost done and as we are leaving Monday for a week out of town, I’ll get my last picking Monday morning and cover them with floating row covers to try to keep them dry and deal with whatever I find when we get back. Hopefully many seed pods will be dry by then.

I Planted three Brussel Sprout plants. One was snacked on. It got chicken wired. The two Brussel Sprout plants I planted nestled among the thyme are untouched. The beans have been getting eaten, except the ones near the thyme as well.

After seeing some videos from MIGardener and Epic gardening on intercropping and ignoring plant spacing guidelines, I am rethinking how next year’s garden is going to be planted and plan on planting to disguise the smell of the crops with the smell of the herbs, I’m going to work from that angle. Definitely planting more dill and thyme and I’m thinking basil. Stuff that’s strongly fragrant.

I’m also going to try a few container plants. They don’t do quite as well as the ones in the garden, but I can control for vermin easier.

The Chinese 5 color peppers are coming in with lots of small peppers that are all purple at the moment. I don’t know if they’ll change color or the ones the plant produces later will come in a different color. Time will tell.

Dang! I’m having trouble with vermin this year.

If you can use it safely, I found Rodenticide with Fast killing active ingredient bromethalin (0.01%), like JT Eaton 750 4 lb ($22 at Home Depot) this to be the best for the money. Keep non-rodent from eating the poisoned ones (cats usually no better).

Thank God that you can do gardening considering your infirmaries.

I have posted little due to much work working on bikes (free, plus parts are approx. lowest cost I found by the grace of God) and my arthritic typo-fingers becoming worse (poor circulation in hands does not help, I must often put my arms down after a short time to get warm blood flowing into them) unless I type very slowly, and in any case it takes much time. Minor compared to your affliction, while God's grace is sufficient, as we seek Him, and I biked about 18 miles last Friday, and working till late at night, thank God.

And despite the early heavy May rain and new roof dumping water into the front harden section, and less sun this year (partly due to a growing tree, plus neighbor's shrubs), most toms recovered here and actually are growing strong and healthy, with much foliage (too much phosphorous?) if no ripe toms (+ over 90 degree fruit does not set), yet little evidence of the yearly blight that has been appearing every year about this time.

And I thank God for warm weather, and if sometimes oppressive, I prefer that over cool and cold temps.

Only one pic of garden for now, of back section. Glory to God who will make all things beautiful in His time. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Bike pump carriage: