Desolation

Callieslamb · #1 05/28/13, 08:24 AM

That's the only word to describe my garden this morning. The sheep took advantage of hired help and did their worst. There are no grapes, no blueberries, no asparagus, no strawberries.

No raspberries, no lettuces, no beets, peas, onions, carrots, broccoli. Nothing from corner to corner.

Just Bare Dirt.

Luckily, the potatoes weren't up yet . There is no time to replant the early crops. No onion bulbs to replace what I had out - 400 of them! I will have to purchase new strawberries.

I worried all weekend about leaving the greenhouse closed. I am so glad now. Though I can't replace the tomatoes that I'd already planted out. I do at least, have plenty more to plant. Just not the varieties I wanted the most this year.

Can anyone spell d-i-s-a-p-p-o-i-n-t-e-d?

bergere · #2 05/28/13, 08:51 AM

You will have well fed and seasoned sheep! I feel your pain, has happen to me in the past.

It shouldn't be to late to buy some started plants. Many nurseries have fairly large Broccoli plants and the like. Might be worth a look.

K.B. · #3 05/28/13, 09:45 AM

Gah! very sorry to hear that! sounds worse than a swarm of locust

Hopefully the grapes, asparagus and strawberries will come back after their "pruning"

where I want to · #4 05/28/13, 09:54 AM

A plague of sheep. How awful for you. Hopefully they at least had the decency to spread fertilizer around evenly.
I know animals are only doing what animals do, but at times like that I'm always surprised that they don't burst into flames from the evil thoughts I direct at them.

TNHermit · #5 05/28/13, 09:55 AM

Now that has to truly suck. It might be the one time I would go to drink

where I want to · #6 05/28/13, 09:57 AM

The strawberries may come back for you, especially if they have a good root system already. At least mine did from the Great Goat Invasion. The blueberries however were a total loss for that year. It was about two years before they started to thrive again.

bruce2288 · #7 05/28/13, 11:24 AM

Well you could have got what western Nebraska did last night. Lots of hail. Up to 5 1/2 inch hail stones. that cause devastation on everything not just the garden. I shear sometimes I should sell the darn sheep. It doesn't matter if they are in grass up too their bellies, an open gate or saggy fence is a temptation too hard to resist.

okiemom · #8 05/28/13, 12:16 PM

I am so sorry. I too had an invasion... actually more than one. First goats, then cows, then grasshoppers never mind mother nature.

Almost all my windblock trees are dead and the orchard leafed out and then promptly died. We got rid of the goats. one down more to go.

Your city friends just won't believe the stories you can tell of the country.

Callieslamb · #9 05/28/13, 02:37 PM

Thanks for all the positives. Yes, there is plenty of fertilizer out there now. Especially on the black plastic I put around the tomato plants....I don't think the strawberries will be back. There is one blueberry that might survive of 8. I have them elsewhere aroudn the property but the ones in the garden were 4 years old, the others are only 2. The grapes will live to produce again- but not until next year.....alas. The local feed store had onion sets. Yeah! I bought 8 lbs. I found 50- broccoli plants in the jungle of tomato plants in the greenhouse. I really think it will get too hot before they produce and the heads will be bitter, but maybe summer will be cool this year. I replanted the beets. Will wait for fall for the spinach and lettuces. I planted 30 tomatoes from the GH - not pastes, though. Alas. I found some melon plants already started so I won't lose so much time with those. They either ate or moved the plant markers for the 2 tomatoes that I think will survive. Dumb sheep. They don't like the grass in the field we left them to eat in. The boys leaving the gate open was too much to resist for spoiled, hungry sheep. It could have happened if I'd have been here, but I doubt they'd have had such a LONG feast.

I'll take a sheep invasion over grasshoppers any day! Sorry you had that problem. Bugs are nasty!

geo in mi · #10 05/28/13, 02:57 PM

Sorry to hear of your misfortune.

geo

frankva · #11 05/28/13, 07:16 PM

Barbeque tonight?

All the paste got whacked? You wouldn't have like those p romas anyway...

Time to zip to town and buys some 6 packs. Crack the dust off that wallet.

Callieslamb · #12 05/28/13, 09:46 PM

Frankva
Well,it was my Laketa, Rio, Illinois Beauty, Sausage, Purple Russian, Tsar Kolokov...etc. I still have one called Favorite Holiday, and maybe Mexico, Kardinal and some other heart shaped ones...they just don't produce as many tomatoes. I could still get some started but...I won't. Romas? I don't even have seeds for a roma except Martins. and that's about the only paste offered in the stores here. My wallet has holes more than cracks! LOL!!!

katydidagain · #13 05/28/13, 11:30 PM

You'll be even more unhappy if you don't harvest Romas this year. Start some but better yet buy a 4 pack, plant them then root suckers in water and increase your plants. You may have to pull out some sheets to extend your season since they'll be later but a summer without Romas to sauce is not good.

frankva · #14 05/29/13, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Callieslamb

Frankva
Well,it was my Laketa, Rio, Illinois Beauty, Sausage, Purple Russian, Tsar Kolokov...etc. I still have one called Favorite Holiday, and maybe Mexico, Kardinal and some other heart shaped ones...they just don't produce as many tomatoes. I could still get some started but...I won't. Romas? I don't even have seeds for a roma except Martins. and that's about the only paste offered in the stores here. My wallet has holes more than cracks! LOL!!!

They sell paquebot roma in the store there? It really is a decent paste. Pretty late to go from seed now tho.

I think you might want to look at some spring loaded hinges.

imthedude · #15 05/29/13, 03:30 PM

sounds like it's time to come to terms with getting rid of sheep or fencing the garden. sorry to hear about the devastation. reminds me of a big hail storm that got us in mid-june a few years ago and wiped out everything i had going. i was so heartbroken, as i'm sure you are today.

Callieslamb · #16 05/29/13, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankva

They sell paquebot roma in the store there? It really is a decent paste. Pretty late to go from seed now tho.

I think you might want to look at some spring loaded hinges.

Funny, I was just thinking that gates that shut themselves would be a good investment. Fine minds...fine minds.

No, they don't sell Paquebot's here- just regular old romas. I never plant them- they taste like wood to me for some reason. Tomatoes aren't my problem. I have about 50 plants....just not my first choices. I planted midnight in moscow, allagheny sunset, Hawaiian pineapple, vorlon, gogosha, federale, mexico, some blacks and black hearts- Bulgarian hearts, Kardinal, isis Brandy, brown cherry, a couple other cherries, Campbells 135, Black boar, brown and black vear, Marianna, - got plenty of tomatoes.

I planted 50 or so broccoli's some watermelons, cantelopes, egg plant ( usually I make 1 pan of egg plant parmesean and then pull them up. Cucumbers. The ground was too wet for more beets and peas and the corn, though I'm sure it's too late for the peas. I bought 100 strawberry plants today and got them in the ground. I see a few little green tufts coming up from the eaten ones...maybe a few will survive. I had a funeral for a couple of the the blueberrries and the black raspberries I had in pots from last fall. They had been pulled out of the ground and stomped prtty well. I can't think of what else to plant, my garden looks empty! Maybe I'll put some zucchini out there after all. It's one of those - eat three and toss the rest plants. Oh, I can still plant carrots.

Callieslamb · #17 05/29/13, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by imthedude

sounds like it's time to come to terms with getting rid of sheep or fencing the garden. sorry to hear about the devastation. reminds me of a big hail storm that got us in mid-june a few years ago and wiped out everything i had going. i was so heartbroken, as i'm sure you are today.

I'm sorry for your hail storm. Much worse to lose plants close to producing than what I lost- except for the strawberries and blueberries. They were ripening already. The garden is fenced. Hired help was composed of city boys that didn't know they needed to shut the gate. I'm better today. Nothing like a little sweat to work the uglies out of your system.

Ardie/WI · #18 05/29/13, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Callieslamb

I'm sorry for your hail storm. Much worse to lose plants close to producing than what I lost- except for the strawberries and blueberries. They were ripening already. The garden is fenced. Hired help was composed of city boys that didn't know they needed to shut the gate. I'm better today. Nothing like a little sweat to work the uglies out of your system.

Next lesson learned......don't hire city boys. Find some country grown boys!

K.B. · #19 05/29/13, 06:12 PM

established strawberry plants are tough to kill unless the crown is really dug up or in to. I bet you will be surprised to see how many come back

pulling out the eggplants??? have you tried them in an asian meal? Eggplant in a Thai dish is excellent. Makes me miss the thai restaurant in Lansing that I used to go to in college...