[Rachael Simpson]

I was talking with some friends to today and we were discussing our
gardens. My comment to them was that I was really hopeful for mine this
year and I mentioned how much better my garden was doing this year than
the last even though we are still somewhat considered in drought
conditions. My garden corn crop was tall or taller than I am (5'5") and
they would start coming off in the next week or so; beans, peas, and
squash were doing great, cukes were coming off left and right...things
were really looking great.

So later (early this evening) I happen to walk by the back door and look
out at the sky as I knew we had the potential for some income storms and
they were posting some warnings for the next county over...well, much to
my dismay it looks as if the storm had dropped a twister right over my
corn patch! To better explain, the cows got out and had ate half of my
corn in the garden! I put Breanna in her playpen and go flying out the
door while calling my hubby on the phone to tell him to come home quick.
Put the extra wiring up on both ends of the house to keep the cows
confined to the back yard and also shut the gates at the drive ways for
extra protection should they break thru the wiring I had just put in
place. I literally run back to the backyard and come up from behind them
from the other end of the garden to try to get them out of the garden
while also keeping them from destroying the half of the garden they
hadn't got to yet.
Start calling at them and "shoo-ing" at them, and they wouldn't
budge...just looked up at me like I was crazy and kept munching. So I
grad this piece of limb that was near by and start waving that at
them...still didn't move an inch. By now I was mad and about ready to
come in the house and get the bird-shot, so I took that tree branch and
knocked the one nearest me on the rump. She moved then! Managed to get
them all out of the garden by the time the hubby & Wyatt got here (they
had been harvesting wheat) and I was purt near in tears standing there
looking over all the damage done to the garden. Between the 3 of us we
then got them all back in their fence and got the fence repaired.

Total damage report: half of the corn is destroyed, tried to right what
we could of it, but of the damaged corn stalks, they are all knee high
or lower now. An equal half of the peas, beans, & squash were all
trampled but otherwise appear to be able to recover. I can't even look
at the corn patch without crying now though...pregnancy hormones I
guess, but pregnant or not, it's still discouraging to look at. I know
there is plenty of other corn around here, but this was my own corn
patch, not some my hubby planted for someone else! So now I'm
frustrated, discouraged and very disgusted with the cows.

How's everyone else's gardens doing?

~Rae

[Vandy Terre]

On Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:31:52 -0400, rachael simpson
wrote:

snip

I know
there is plenty of other corn around here, but this was my own corn
patch, not some my hubby planted for someone else! So now I'm
frustrated, discouraged and very disgusted with the cows.

How's everyone else's gardens doing?

~Rae

Sorry about your loss. Be happy it was just cows, not deer/ goats/ sheep/
horses. Sheep are not really that much trouble except when it cools down at
night. Deer own this area. Goats think like the deer and are not the least bit
afraid of humans or their smell. Horses just look very innocent and adorable
with bits of your garden hanging from their mouth.

How's my garden doing? Well it is slowly getting better and better fences, with
heavy thorn hedges to slow the deer. I figure if the deer can not see an easy
entrance the garden is safer from them. We have gained a few tomatoes, may see
some sunflowers and corn later. Mostly I would be happy if I could just balance
the ph so the earthworms survived. If I can create a healthy earthworm
population then I will have better water retention when it does finally rain.

[Rachael Simpson]

Vandy Terre wrote:
On Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:31:52 -0400, rachael simpson
wrote:

snip

*snipped a bit more* lol!

Sorry about your loss. Be happy it was just cows, not deer/ goats/ sheep/
horses. Sheep are not really that much trouble except when it cools down at
night. Deer own this area. Goats think like the deer and are not the least bit
afraid of humans or their smell. Horses just look very innocent and adorable
with bits of your garden hanging from their mouth.


I know what you mean...we had goats last year. Ugh! When my grandfather
passed, he left his herds of goats and cows to me & my hubby. The goats
got to where they refused to stay put and we had to completely replant
our garden several times last year. That coupled with the drought left
us little harvest from our garden. We sold the goats after the 5th time
of replanting. I think it was the fifth time...coulda been the forth...

How's my garden doing? Well it is slowly getting better and better fences, with
heavy thorn hedges to slow the deer. I figure if the deer can not see an easy
entrance the garden is safer from them. We have gained a few tomatoes, may see
some sunflowers and corn later. Mostly I would be happy if I could just balance
the ph so the earthworms survived. If I can create a healthy earthworm
population then I will have better water retention when it does finally rain.


Sorry you have to deal with the deer...While we are very much out in the
country parts (nearest neighbor lives over a mile away, and then another
mile to the next after that one), we have been blessed as far as deer
and rabbits go. They will occasionally come in our yard, but so far (in
4 years time) they've never bothered the garden. Of course, they would
have to deal with the dogs before they could get that far into the yard.
Good luck with your ph balance and the worms!

[Marie Dodge]

"rachael simpson" wrote in message
...

[brevity snips]

Total damage report: half of the corn is destroyed, tried to right what we
could of it, but of the damaged corn stalks, they are all knee high or
lower now. An equal half of the peas, beans, & squash were all trampled
but otherwise appear to be able to recover. I can't even look at the corn
patch without crying now though...pregnancy hormones I guess, but pregnant
or not, it's still discouraging to look at. I know there is plenty of
other corn around here, but this was my own corn patch, not some my hubby
planted for someone else! So now I'm frustrated, discouraged and very
disgusted with the cows.

How's everyone else's gardens doing?

You need to run electric fence around the garden to keep the cows out. Two
strings should do it. The vine borers got my yellow crooknecks again but
everything else looks OK.





~Rae

[sockiescat]

Marie Dodge;802075 "rachael simpson" wrote in message
...

[brevity snips]

Total damage report: half of the corn is destroyed, tried to right what we
could of it, but of the damaged corn stalks, they are all knee high or
lower now. An equal half of the peas, beans, & squash were all trampled
but otherwise appear to be able to recover. I can't even look at the corn
patch without crying now though...pregnancy hormones I guess, but pregnant
or not, it's still discouraging to look at. I know there is plenty of
other corn around here, but this was my own corn patch, not some my hubby
planted for someone else! So now I'm frustrated, discouraged and very
disgusted with the cows.

How's everyone else's gardens doing?

You need to run electric fence around the garden to keep the cows out. Two
strings should do it. The vine borers got my yellow crooknecks again but
everything else looks OK.





~Rae

so sorry that u had to deal with those miserable cows. nothing worse than
having something doing a number on your garden . i hope that u have
really good luck and that a lot of it comes back better than before.
good luck and congrats on your baby. take care. cyaaaaa, sockiescat.