It’s finally tomato season here in Gold Country! Due to a cold, wet spring, things got off the ground (or into the ground as the case may be) about a month later than usual, which has thrown all of us tomato lovers for a loop!
Bastien and I were so excited to have our own beefsteaks and romas growing in the garden, so you can imagine our frustration when we discovered a few weeks ago that all of the tomato plants that we had so excitedly selected and that Bastien had so lovingly planted had been butchered by a couple of pesky, no-good gophers. Grrr! We had noticed that the plants were not looking too happy and had thought it was an issue with the drip irrigation system, but it turns out the stinkin’ gophers (I’m trying really hard not to swear here) had been merrily munching on the tender roots. As a result, we were able to harvest a single basketful of beautiful red and gold cherry tomatoes (see above), but the rest is history. No roots, no water, no tomatoes. And no peppers or eggplants either for that matter.
Sigh…
On the bright side, we relished in the sweetness of our mini-harvest. Man, those golden cherry tomatoes were good! And we’ve learned our lesson…it’s time to get a gun. Actually, no (though it was suggested to me when I solicited ideas for dealing with gophers), we’ll just have to get smart about our veggie garden set up. The trick is 12 inch raised beds with hardware cloth (a galvanized wire mesh) tacked to the bottom to keep the critters from nibbling at the roots. Unfortunately, though, the gophers aren’t the only garden predators we’re dealing with. There are plenty of deer out there, too. So when all is said and done, our garden will probably end up looking like San Quentin or Sing Sing. Unless we decide to build a moat…Alcatraz!
For now, though, we’ll be heading to the farmers’ markets for our tomatoes. If you’re in the area, stop by!
http://www.amadorfarmersmarket.com/
My mom has been on a two-year gopher vendetta that has yielded naught. She has tried humane traps (laughable) and even got a gun from my grandfather (the gopher has not put in an appearance since its arrival, but he still manages to eat everything). For her, the critter eats flower beds and landscaping. I hope you have better luck with your raised beds and mesh. Maybe you could get an outdoor cat?
Les deux qualités d’un bon jardinier: l’humilité et la patience, qui rendent philosophe, en prime.
if you really want to “go country”, ya’ll need a sawed-off shot gun fer them there gophers.