The weather changes and.... invasion again.

Overcast morning cleared by 10 am. It's now warm and less breezy and getting a late start I didn't get to the garden until almost 1. Was more concerned about watering and checking my slug/snail trap than bringing the scrap bucket down which I will definitely have to do this evening.

I put a rye cracker, a little vinegar and some dish soap along with some water in the container and put it out last night. Literally, I had to get a flashlight to see what I was doing. The picture on the right has a small dark slug on one of the cracker pieces. When I put the container in the soil I spilled some into the container so that's what the rest of the dark specks are. The picture on the left is hard to see, but upper left corner of the container is about an inch long slug dead as can be. No snails so it's the slugs that mowed down my cucumber. So far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everything else is looking good still, really was expecting the tomatoes to get three feet tall but I'll take them like this. Radishes are still going but, as I said, the red stem is bothering me and does not bode well for bulbing the root. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 As I was watering I tried to adjust the cage for the sunflower and suddenly saw what the real reason was.

::insert many rude words directed at subterranean rodents::

The sunflower didn't have too much root damage but the tunnel was heading to the tomato bush on the left and it did look a little more wilted than the other one. Unless I can get a barrier in the ground and soon, I will loose the two tomatoes before the end of the season.

After I finished watering (or so I thought) I dug up the sunflower and moved it to the north bed that I know is safe from rodents. Can barely see it but it's between the two tomatoes. Tucked it in nicely to the wet soil and patted it down. 

I then turned to putting the slug trap back in it's location because I had taken it out so I didn't fill it up too much with water. 

Remember my words about soil? I  moved some of the soil around and there it was, dry soil about a half inch down from the surface. I packed the trap back in and then got the hose and watered more adding a little more water to it as I did. Will see if anymore show up. If nothing drowns in the next few days I'll replant the cucumber seeds along the trellis.

I am seriously going to use a padded mallet (or hammer) and pound the two side pieces left over from the raised bed into the back side of that bed. I am hoping I can get far enough down to deter them and not leave much space for them to squeeze through or under.

 If the tomato on the left doesn't make it I'll have more room to get that done. It's getting warm enough now that I would have to get out there in the evening or early morning before the garden heats up.

::more rude words::

I was taking a chance I know and I find it interesting that nothing has happened until I put that sunflower in there. That tunnel was recent in the last 24 hours. Coincidence I'm sure but disturbingly so.