Footprints in the garden

ft prints in garden

I have a visitor. I’m not sure exactly what KIND of visitor, but whatever it is has very large paws and no respect for my tidy rows whatsoever. It literally trampled across my vegetables! I discovered the prints this morning as I made my usual jaunt to check on the garden. Now I’ve had the inevitable creature visitation to my compost pile, but I didn’t know large animals with paws were interested in fresh vegetables, as say, Mr. Rabbit might prefer. On second thought, maybe he was after Mr. Rabbit. Does this mean I may have more than one nightly visitor?

Either way, NONE of them are welcome. Now comes the question: How do I get rid of them? Okay, perhaps “get rid” of them is the wrong terminology. What I really want to do is dissuade them from visiting this particular section of the landscape. I don’t think any of my sprays will work. The label on my garlic spray bottle clearly states the odor will evaporate relatively quickly. I’m no trapper, so rigging a nifty “gotcha!” contraption won’t work. A full fledged fence is too costly.

Hmmm… This is a problem. Maybe a chicken wire type fence can be propped up around the perimeter of my garden. Sort of a “nothing to see over here” kind of warning. It wouldn’t have to be sturdy, since I don’t think whoever it is wants my vegetables that bad. I think my garden is more a nuisance to them, actually. As they’re running through the night, it’s a “hey, what the heck is all this?” type of cry as they return to their den after an evening of hunting. “So, sorry. Let me apologize for planting my goodies smack square in the middle of your flight path!”

Anyhow, it’s a challenge for the field gardener, such as I am. A few acres is a beautiful thing until you incorporate that wonderful selling feature called “green space” into the equation. It looks nice and adds a rural feel to the place, but it also attracts wildlife. Mine tends to be more swamp than forest, so I can count on alligators and snakes to be in the near vicinity at all times, but coyotes and foxes? Bears are doubtful, though anything’s possible, I guess. But “what” it is really doesn’t matter. It’s interfering with my gardening and must be stopped!