What the groundhog didn't eat. Groundhogs have never been a challenge in the organic garden for the past thirteen years. Until this year. So far, they have eaten the sunflowers, most of the basil, all of the cilantro, and parsley. The good news they have not eaten everything. I bite my tongue as I whisper that. Shhh.
A budding cucumber. One of the three that survived. So far.
Every morning for the past few weeks, I re-rake the garden. Recently, I bought a cultivator to make the job a whole lot easier. The garden looks luscious after each raking. I wonder if the raking encourages the rodents to feast even more. A groundhog has dug up almost all of the sweet william leaving the ball open to dry out. So that has to be covered daily as well. Then the garden must be watered to ensure the flower ball/root remains moist.
There is a tender story in all of this. Not too long ago, as I was going down my road, I encountered a small groundhog peeking out of a rather large hole on my hill. A moment later, a larger ground hog appeared next to her. They nuzzled each other and disappeared quickly down the hole to their underground burrow. No doubt checking on their offspring.
Each morning when I am out in the garden repairing the mess, I remember the loving couple. They just want to survive, too.
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